Teaching Portfolio

Teaching Philosophy

My passion for teaching grew from hands-on experiences that revealed how engaging, creative activities can promote student interest and understanding, even among those who are uninterested or unfamiliar with biology. I aim to create an inclusive, active learning environment where students take ownership of their education through structured support, critical thinking, and real-world application. Drawing from my background as a first-generation college student and member of the LGBTQ+ community, I am deeply committed to equity and believe effective teaching must center on students’ diverse identities, learning styles, and goals.

To achieve this, I employ evidence-based strategies such as peer discussion, low-stakes quizzes, and a flipped classroom to promote active engagement and deepen understanding. I emphasize skill-building beyond content mastery including scientific communication, and data interpretation and analysis to prepare students for diverse careers.

Courses Taught

Instructor of Record

BIOL 6391: Insect Ecology
University of Texas at Arlington, Fall 2022

Developed and taught a graduate-level course covering current topics in insect ecology. Students critically evaluated primary literature and developed GRFP-style research proposals connecting course content to their own research interests. Syllabus

Graduate Teaching Experience

Teaching Assistant (2018–2024)
Served as a TA for 12 semesters across a range of courses at the University of Texas at Arlington and Michigan State University. Responsibilities included leading lab sections, providing lecture content, developing rubrics, mentoring students, and adapting instruction for both in-person and online formats. Courses included:

Plant Science (BIOL 3427) — 5 semesters
Nursing Microbiology (BIOL 2460) — 3 semesters
Insects, Globalization & Sustainability Lab (ISB 201L) — 2 semesters
Anatomy & Physiology II (BIOL 2458) — 1 semester
Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (CSS 424) — 1 semester

Guest Lectures

ISB 201: Insects, Globalization, and Sustainability (Fall 2019, Spring 2020)
ENT 205: Pests, Society and Environment (Fall 2019, Spring 2020)

Teaching-as-Research

Improving Student Understanding of Insect Vectored Disease Transmission Through Analogies

In an effort to improve student understanding of insect-transmitted plant pathogens, I conducted a teaching-as-research study across two large-enrollment undergraduate courses at Michigan State University: a non-science major intro biology course (Group A) and an introductory entomology course (Group B). The goal was to test whether analogies help students connect new biological concepts with familiar experiences. Specifically, I compared the effectiveness of an analogy comparing a pathogen transmission cycle to the spread of the common cold. This intervention was implemented during a single lecture across four course sections, with half receiving the analogy.

To assess learning, students completed identical pre- and post-surveys containing multiple-choice and short-answer questions. The results showed that students who received the analogy exhibited a 31% increase in overall scores compared to those who did not (p ≤ 0.01). Course-level analysis revealed a 57% gain for Group A and a smaller, non-significant 9% gain for Group B. These findings suggest that analogies can be a powerful tool for enhancing comprehension, particularly in courses where students may enter with a limited background knowledge.

Note: This project was conducted as part of a college teaching certificate program. While IRB approval was not obtained due to the timing of data collection, the data presented here are fully anonymized and used solely for self-assessment and instructional improvement.

Use of analogies improves student learning outcomes. Each bar represents average post-survey scores for treatment (analogy) and control (no analogy) groups across all course sections. Asterisks indicate statistically significant differences between groups.

Analogies yield greater learning gains among non-science majors. Post-survey scores are shown for each course section. Asterisks indicate statistically significant differences between groups.

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