Working with a team of researchers at the Kent Farm Banding Station at Indiana University
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Fixing up the aviary with undergraduate, Sammi Dietz
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Experience
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I was the principal instructor for the upper-level Animal Behavior course at IU in the fall of 2017. I incorporated active learning techniques such as problem-based learning, think-pair-share, and literature discussions to engage the students as scientists rather than passive learners. I have also been the associate instructor for an upper-level Biology of Birds course and an introductory Ecology and Evolution course.
I designed a syllabus for a class that I hope to teach in the future, called “A changing world: understanding how climate change affects ecology, behavior, and evolution". |
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Pedagogy Training
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In the fall of 2015, I enrolled in an online course, “Evidence-based STEM teaching”, which was offered as a collaboration through Michigan State University, Vanderbilt University, Boston University, and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. During the course, I learned how to effectively engage students in active learning techniques and how to design a syllabus so that lessons, assignments, and assessments align with the learning goals for the course. During the online class, I was also involved in a learning community of professors and graduate students; we met once a month to discuss new techniques we had learned from the class and how we would apply them to our own classrooms.
During my time at IU, I worked with the Center for Integrative Teaching and Learning (CITL). I have designed and led workshops for graduate students on effective lesson designs and creating student centered courses. I've enjoyed working with fellow graduate students on these projects as well as Instructional Consultants Katie Kearns and Leslie Drane. |
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Mentoring
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I have mentored five undergraduate students on independent projects during my graduate career on various project related to my dissertation. Two of my undergraduates, Sammi Dietz and Ashlee Webb, were funded through NSF Research Experience for Undergraduate programs in 2014 and in 2017 respectively. Sammi presented her REU research at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) conference in 2015. Sammi just defended her Master’s in Biology at Florida State University May 2019. Congratulations Sammi! Ashlee just finished her first year of graduate school in the IU Anthropology PhD program and is currently doing field work in Africa!
Additionally, I mentored three IU undergraduates, Katelyn Doyle, Danielle Williams, and Jack Hardman, on independent research projects. Katelyn was a Cox Research Scholar and she completed an REU program at University of Southern California (USC) in 2017. Danielle and Jack received research credit for their independent projects. Danielle received her Master’s in Biology at Penn State University. and Jack is a student in medical school. |
Undergraduate, Katelyn Doyle, pulling a junco from a mist net
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Working with my undergraduate, Sammi Dietz, in the field
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