Teaching
Experience
Courses Taught
Courses Taught
- Wildlife Quiz Bowl (FIW 4984), Fall 2016, undergraduate class. 7 students. Virginia Tech. 2 hour lecture/every other week. 1 credit.
- Conservation Biology (BI 219), Fall 2016, undergraduate class. 14 students. Virginia Military Institute. 2-75 minute lectures + lab/week. 4 credits.
- Mammalogy (BIO 4434), Fall 2015, undergraduate class, 60 students. Three 3-hour lab sections/week, 20 students per section. GTA. Instructor: Dr. Donald Linzey. 4 credits.
- Wildlife Field Biology Lab (FIW 2324), Spring 2015, undergraduate class, 37 students. One 4-hour lab section/week. Co-GTA with Katherina Geider. Instructor: Dr. Carola Haas. 3 credits.
- Managing Endangered Ecosystems: Spruce forests of the Appalachians, Endangered Species Management (FIW 5414), September 2015, graduate course, 6 students. Virginia Tech. Instructor: Dr. Jim Fraser.
- Wildlife Bioacoustics, Wildlife Field Techniques (FIW 4214), Summer Intensive Field Course at Mountain Lake Biological Station, Summer Session II, August 2015, undergraduate class, 30 minute lecture, 40 students. Virginia Tech. Instructor: Dr. Marcella Kelly.
- Wildlife of Spruce-Fir Forests, Forest Ecosystems of the Southern Appalachians, Professional Summer Courses, July 2015, professional course, 15 Students. Highlands Biological Station. Instructors: Dr. Stephanie Jeffries, Dr. Julie Tuttle, and Dr. Alan Weakley.
- Biodiversity, Wildlife Field Biology (FIW 2324), Spring Semester, April 2015, undergraduate class, 75 minute lecture, 37 Students. Virginia Tech. Instructor: Dr. Carola Haas.
- Research Design, Wildlife Field Biology (FIW 2324), co-lectured with Katherina Geider. Spring Semester, March 2015, undergraduate class, 75 minute lecture, 37 Students. Virginia Tech. Instructor: Dr. Carola Haas.
- Mammal Diversity, Wildlife Field Biology (FIW 2324), Spring Semester, March 2015, undergraduate class, 75 minute lecture, 37 Students. Virginia Tech. Instructor: Dr. Carola Haas.
- Avian Diversity, Wildlife Field Biology (FIW 2324), Spring Semester, February 2015, undergraduate class, 75 minute lecture, 37 Students. Virginia Tech. Instructor: Dr. Carola Haas.
- Ultrasonic Acoustics: Use in Wildlife Surveys, Lab Lecture, Wildlife Field Techniques (FIW 4214), Spring Semester, February 2015, undergraduate class, 15 minute lecture, 40 students. Virginia Tech. Instructor: Dr. Marcella Kelly.
- Northern Flying Squirrels, Lab Lecture, Mammalogy (BIOL 4434), Fall Semester, October 2014, 15 minute lecture, undergraduate class, 60 students. Virginia Tech. Instructor: Dr. Donald Linzey.
Teaching Statement
As an instructor, I strongly believe that students who take my classes walk away with more than course content. The classroom environment should be interactive, intellectually stimulating, and comfortable - inviting students to engage and explore in the subject they learn, promoting long-term understanding versus short-term memorization. Students should leave my classroom at the end of the semester with 1) the skills to find, comprehend, evaluate, and critique information, and 2) understand real-world application of content taught in the course. To help them achieve these goals, I approach the classroom using the following methods:
As an instructor, I strongly believe that students who take my classes walk away with more than course content. The classroom environment should be interactive, intellectually stimulating, and comfortable - inviting students to engage and explore in the subject they learn, promoting long-term understanding versus short-term memorization. Students should leave my classroom at the end of the semester with 1) the skills to find, comprehend, evaluate, and critique information, and 2) understand real-world application of content taught in the course. To help them achieve these goals, I approach the classroom using the following methods:
- Build students’ critical thinking and communication skills: The ability to critically think and communicate science is typically ignored in most undergraduate level courses, thereby making the transition into graduate school or the workforce more difficult for graduating seniors. The biggest obstacle for students is connecting what is learned to practical applications and being able to evaluate, critique, and communicate that knowledge. To encourage critical thinking and active learning, I will use case studies, in-class group discussions in a flipped classroom framework, and, perhaps more importantly, the assessment of literature to emphasize important concepts in ecology, wildlife biology, and field research. To improve communication skills, I will have students’ conduct peer evaluation of written or oral communication skills. Case studies present ecological concepts with a real-world context, allowing students to better evaluate the application of a concept to a real-world scenario. In-class group discussions will reiterate concepts by allowing students to discuss them with their peers, increasing comprehension. Class projects that promote the finding, evaluation, and presentation of scientific data will help students further understand and retain concepts, as well as increasing their communication skills. I will use peer-review evaluation, along with teacher critiques, to help individual students understand where they need to improve their own oral and written communication skills as well as how to evaluate and effectively critique the skills of others.
- Integrate laboratory and field-based learning into the classroom: The natural sciences are based on observations of the natural world and utilizing learning in the field is important for the full understanding of wildlife techniques and concepts. Additionally, field-based learning creates excitement and curiosity, as real-world experiences foster applicability versus conceptual learning, which typically occurs in the classroom. I will require student keep field journals in classes such as wildlife field techniques so they can develop their observational skills. I will also integrate interactive labs to expand on concepts covered in lecture to help student connect what they are learning with real-life examples.
- Constant self-reflection: Teaching is does not occur in a vacuum: new approaches, student evaluation, and self-evaluation are needed to continually improve my skills as an educator. I learn new approaches by remaining current on pedagogic development and thought, as well as learning from/communicating with instructors who are effective educators. Students are exposed to a variety of instructors throughout their college careers and can offer valuable insight into the improvement of my teaching skills and approaches. I will give students a platform to evaluate the course by providing mid-semester anonymous evaluations in addition to the required end of semester evaluations. Additionally, I will have an open-door policy with office hours and flexibility in scheduling meetings with students. I will encourage students to take advantage of one-on-one meetings with me, which will allow me to further connect with the student and understand how to improve their experience in the course. Evaluation of reviews and how students are performing in the class (i.e., on tests/quizzes, writing assignments) will guide me in improving my communication and teaching skills.