Teaching
Teaching
Often, we present science to students as a series of facts and theories. While the information gained in this type of learning is valuable, it falls short of providing students with an accurate picture of scientific exploration. Scientists learn about the natural world through conducting carefully controlled experiments that eliminate possible explanations, or null hypotheses. While students often worry about finding "the answer", scientists more often need to simply come up with an explanation that they can test.
In my class, students will learn that the scientific theories are based on interpretations of experimental results. By understanding how scientists draw conclusions from their data, students will learn to (1) design a testable question, (2) interpret their own data, and (3) build models for molecular mechanisms based on their experimental results. This approach to scientific learning will allow students to practice being creative in how they approach problems, and also provide them with critical thinking skills which will benefit them in whatever career path they chose to pursue.
Teaching Experiences.
During my time at Duke University, I had the opportunity to serve as a teaching assistant (TA) for Biology 221: Animal Development. As a TA, I was responsible for attending all lectures, grading quizzes and exams, answering student questions via email, and leading a weekly hour-long discussion group. While there was an assigned topic for each discussion, I enjoyed having a lot of flexibility in how we used this time.
Students arrived at Biology 221 with varying levels of background knowledge. Many students enrolled were upperclassmen, however several sophomores were in the class who had not yet completed all entry level biology courses. To get to know the students in my study section, I asked them to write down their comfortability with cell biology, what they hoped to gain from the course, and what their long-term career goals were. This exercise was helpful for me in two ways: (1) I learned that some students had not taken a cell biology course. Knowing this, I often prepared a few background slides to review topics in cell biology that applied to the class material. (2) I also learned that most of the students in my study section planned to go to medical school. I noticed that student engagement increased when lecture material was related to medical examples, such as specific diseases or patient case studies. Based on this experience, I strived to incorporate “real life” examples into my teaching to help students to interact with the material in a way that was meaningful to them (link to example case study).
One common challenge for students was in designing experiments. The professor leading the course liked to include an exam question that required students to design an experiment and interpret the possible experimental results. For example, the instructor may ask the students to design a set of experiments to determine whether cell specification was occurring conditionally or autonomously. While students often knew the difference between conditional and autonomous specification, they often panicked when asked to apply that information. To help with this, we spent a lot of time in study section learning basic types of experiments that cell biologists often perform, and what type of information can be gained from each type. I broke experiments into three categories based on what information they provide, and practiced applying them to different concepts we had learned in class (link to slides). This exercise helped students to remember different tools commonly used by developmental biologists, and also gave them confidence in applying this information to new examples during exams.
Teaching is a skill that requires constant improvement. Through Duke’s Certificate in College Teaching program, I was able to observe the teaching styles of two other graduate TA’s as well as receive feedback on my own teaching. This was a valuable experience as I learned what strategies other graduate TAs used to engage undergraduates. Additionally, I was able to gain an outside perspective on my teaching which was formative in helping me to understand to areas in which students seemed to be lost (link to feedback). After receiving feedback, I was able to modify several of my teaching strategies to better serve the students, such as posting presentation slides prior to the class and giving more direct instructions for student pairs to help facilitate independent discussion.
In addition to my TA experience, I have also participated in outside coursework and activities focused on improving undergraduate education. Notably, one of the most impactful of these was Duke’s Teaching on Purpose fellowship program. Through this program, I meet weekly with a group of graduate students from all areas of Duke’s graduate school to discuss the current state of undergraduate education and ways it is or isn’t fulfilling its purpose. We have weekly readings that propose different potential purposes of college and have used the semester to develop our own teaching philosophies.
Based on my prior teaching experiences, I am equipped to teach introductory level genetics and cell biology courses, as well as upper level courses focusing on topics in developmental biology, stem cell biology, and genetics.
Mentorship experiences.
Both during my undergraduate degree and in graduate school, I have been mentored by amazing faculty who have helped me grow as a researcher and as an individual. These mentors have become my biggest role models, and I would like to carry on their excellence in research and mentorship by investing in students. One of the most gratifying experiences I have during my graduate career mentoring undergraduate students. Often, the students I have worked with in lab may not have any prior lab experience, and I feel it is a great responsibility to help them to have a positive first experience with research.
Thus far during my Ph.D., I have co-mentored one undergraduate summer intern as well as two full-time graduate students. I love getting to see their response to imaging their first gel or using an automated cell counter; their genuine amazement at routine protocols reminds me to be continually appreciative of the scientific process. In addition to acting as a bench mentor, I also helped an undergraduate design a year-long independent research project for her senior thesis. It was very rewarding to help her develop her ideas into a scientific story. I look forward to pursuing a career where I can continue to make scientific discoveries while also helping to make research accessible and exciting to young scientists.