Teaching

Instructional Approach

Scientific Citizenship

Engaging undergraduate students in training that prepares them for careers outside of my own laboratory is an underlying theme for my classroom — that means incorporating professional skills such as public speaking, technical writing, and outreach to the public are crucial to a successful undergraduate curriculum. Students should be able to ask questions, contribute ideas, provide justification for their responses, and cooperate in teams. With the understanding that not every student in the physics classroom desires a career path in physics, students should emerge from physics courses with some growth as a ‘scientific citizen’. To combat this, students will engage in applications outside of the classroom — ideally related to their chosen field of study — as well as to discuss the real world impact of curriculum topics. Students should be able to communicate their understanding of physics and general scientific knowledge in-class and in professional settings. Finally, students should also become equipped to read and interpret scientific literature; thus, a physics course should emphasize collaboration, creativity, and communication in the sciences.

Research-Driven Pedagogy

It has become clear to me that the traditional lecture environment may not adequately prepare students for careers beyond the classroom, unless it is supported by the development of critical thinking and problem-solving techniques. Evidence suggests active learning in the form of group work, peer instruction, and flipped classrooms not only improves student understanding of the curriculum, but also increases persistence in STEM education and careers¹. Both group work and the flipped classroom model promote the classroom as a place of communication and collaboration. Recent work also supports the flipped classroom over traditional lectures when in-class time can be devoted to cooperative learning and practical tasks, or other activities aligned with high order thinking skills².

A quick note on assessments: The difficulty of approaching physics from a communications and collaboration lens is that the traditional model of midterm and final exams do not adequately demonstrate students’ development along the learning objectives. Understandably, there is a desire for a final exam which will provide a single number, an easy metric, to evaluate a students understanding; however, this model leaves behind students who may struggle with written tests (evaluating their test-taking ability regardless of their grasp of the material). In my classroom, students should have a plethora of ways to demonstrate understanding. Additionally, assessments may provide immediate feedback on course or lecture design, which allows for improvement within moments or across several terms — a data-driven instructional design.

Inclusion and Accessibility

The classroom is often the first place a STEM student will be introduced to the physics community, and it is all too often the place where women and historically marginalized communities are discouraged from continuing. My classroom will not contribute to this generational loss of knowledge and curiosity.

• Active learning methods, especially group work, are shown to promote sense of belonging within the college classroom ^{3 4} which is a key factor in retaining women and students of color^{1 5}.
• Recent evidence also suggests that gender disparities in introductory classes can be lessened with more frequent low-risk assessments (such as in-class Clicker questions or other active learning techniques)⁶.
• The use of multiple assessment techniques, and the avoidance of competitive grading designed to sort students (e.g. curved final grades) also improves sense of belonging¹ especially when paired with criterion-referenced grading systems such as carefully designed rubrics ⁷.
• The COVID-19 crisis and the accompanying move to hybrid learning has highlighted the need for accessible classrooms and course materials; my UDL-driven course will include captioned online videos, screen-reader accessible slides, and adaptive assessment deadlines ⁸.

Instructional Experience

Instructional Coursework and Certification