Senior Editor Degrees

• Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, Stanford    
• B.S. in Botany, Oregon State University

About Teaching and CourseSource

In my career, I have taught at all levels, from college freshman, through PhD students and K-6 teachers.  I very much enjoy teaching lower division students, many of whom are discovering that there is much more to biology than they ever dreamed of. My approach to teaching is to put some tantalizing questions or curious bits of information in front of students and then turn them loose, with guidance, to explore those areas. I am also a big fan of giving students a choice about the medium through which they can demonstrate their knowledge, something I learned from elementary teachers.  A dramatic re-enactment of a metabolic pathway, for example, can convey accurate and detailed information in a way that reaches students who are otherwise lost!

There are many instructors who have a sense that there is so much more they can do with students besides lecture to them, but are at a loss to figure out how to devise meaningful and effective classroom activities.  With core concepts of various areas of biology named by some of the professional societies, CourseSource allows instructors to hone in on materials that address particular concepts in ways that have already been vetted and shown to be effective.  I want to be part of making those materials available and spreading the word on ways to improve learning.