Hi! I’m Maisie and my pronouns are She/Her. I am from Maine, on the Northeast coast of the United States, and I completed my BS in Chemistry in 2020 at the University of Maine. As an undergraduate, I worked on a wide variety of research projects such as optimizing cellulose-based bioplastics, helping study anti-biotic resistance …
Author Archives: Christine Goedhart
Peer Tutor Spotlight – Ruby Burns
Hello! I’m Ruby, and I’m in my third year in the Biology program working towards an Honours degree in marine biology. I’m from Mississauga, ON – you may notice that there are no oceans there, which is why I came all this way to study them! This is my first term as a peer tutor, …
TA Spotlight – Jack Bacon
Jack is a PhD candidate in the Wyatt lab at the Vancouver Prostate Centre, a joint UBC/VCH research facility located on the Vancouver General Hospital campus. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of British Columbia and initially enrolled in the Master of Science program in the faculty of Genome Science and …
How to Get Students to Ask Better Questions
By Christine Goedhart Being able to ask good questions is particularly important in science, because good science begins with good questions. But when you think of someone asking a question in a classroom, who do you picture? If the classroom is like a typical science classroom, it is probably the instructor who is asking the …
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Mid-course Student Feedback Resources
The midpoint of a course is a great time to ask students for feedback. It is far enough into the term where students are able to draw upon their experience to give meaningful feedback, and there’s also time to make changes based on that feedback. Here are some resources to help you get started: Templates …
Attention Matters: How Orchestrating Attention May Relate to Classroom Learning
Do you want your students to “pay attention” in class? This month’s Interesting Read presents an evidence-based framework for understanding attention in the classroom and offers ways that instructors can design teaching strategies to better guide students’ attention, leading to improved learning. Citation: Keller, A.S., Davidesco, I., & Tanner, K.D. (2020). Attention Matters: How Orchestrating …
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Teaching Spotlight – Place-based Learning in Pacific Spirit Park: Contributing to a Local Rehabilitation Project
Celeste Leander recently took students in BIOL 342 (Integrative Biology Laboratory) to Salish Creek in Pacific Spirit Park to measure abiotic variables at two sites along an active salmon stream. Part of the stream had been rehabilitated by the City of Vancouver (site 1), while the rest of the stream had not (site 2). To …
Peer Tutor Spotlight – Dana Lao
Hello! My name is Dana Lao, and I’m a third-year student majoring in Microbiology and Immunology. I’m from Surrey, BC, which is east of Vancouver. This term, I’m peer tutoring for BIOL 121, and it’s been a very exciting experience since this is my first time being a peer tutor. I’ve learned so much working …
TA Spotlight – Shuang Liu
I’m currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Zoology, co-supervised by Dr. Eric Taylor and Dr. Jeffrey Richards. I study freshwater adaptation in a euryhaline fish, prickly sculpin, by focusing on ion regulation in fish from habitats that vary in the distance to the sea. I got my bachelor’s degree from Tianjin Agriculture University, …
Using Student Questions To Improve Learning
By Christine Goedhart There’s something special that happens when students start asking questions, and it shows up in their body language. They perk up, lean in, look intently, and you can almost see the wheels turning in their heads as they struggle to make sense of what is eluding them. They’re ripe for learning. Humans …
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Peer Tutor Spotlight – Angela Mathews
My name is Angela Mathews, and I am currently in my fifth year of the Microbiology & Immunology program. I’ve just finished up a year of co-op terms working as a Research Assistant at the Division of Gastroenterology here at UBC studying esophageal cancer and at the BC Cancer Agency studying COVID-19 in the cancer …
Access Needs: Centering Students and Disrupting Ableist Norms in STEM
Talking about access needs creates a more inclusive space and ensures that all individuals have access to a given learning environment. This month’s Interesting Read introduces the concept of ‘access talk’ and provides concrete strategies that STEM educators can use to normalize the use of access needs, improving accessibility and disrupting ableism in academic spaces. …
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TA Spotlight – Amy Liu
Hi, I’m Amy, a big fan of genetics, conservation, and fishy science! I graduated from University of Victoria with a B.Sc. in Biology in 2019. Currently, I’m a master’s student with Dr. Eric B. Taylor, working with the great team at the Taylor Lab. My research is on “Species and Speciation in Western North American …
Teaching Spotlight – It Starts With A Pencil: Getting Students To Ask Questions
What question do you have about this pencil? This simple question serves as a powerful prompt that Celeste Leander uses to get students to start asking and exploring different types of questions in her course. “I originally developed this activity for use in a large lecture experience during Jump Start and I’ve since modified it …
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Instructor Talk: Small Talk That Makes a Big Impact
By Christine Goedhart When teaching, have you ever welcomed students at the beginning of class, provided instructions for doing an activity, shared a personal story, offered study tips, or explained the ‘why’ behind your teaching decision? If so, then you were using Instructor Talk. Instructor Talk is the term used to describe the things you …
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How to Teach a Good First Day of Class
First impressions are powerful, and the thoughts, feelings and expectations that students form about your course during the first day will follow them throughout the term. This month’s Interesting Read is a practical advice guide that offers key principles, implementation strategies, and resources to help you make the first day as effective as possible. Citation: …
Teaching Spotlight – Walking Office Hours
Jaclyn Dee recently introduced Walking Office Hours into her BIOL 209 course as a way to connect with students and extend student learning beyond the classroom. “In addition to getting students out of the classroom to learn in the ‘real world’ and tell stories, Walking Office Hours are an ‘ask me anything’ time. I find …
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24 Ways To Get Ready For The Term: A Checklist
By Christine Goedhart There’s a lot to do when getting ready to teach a course. It can be overwhelming to stay on top of everything, make sure nothing is forgotten, and get it all done before you enter class on that first day. To help you stay organized, the following checklist lays out important items …
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Teaching Spotlight – Using CLAS to Teach BIOL 204 & 205 Labs Online
Charissa Fung, Lecturer in the Department of Zoology, shares her experience with using CLAS (Collaborative Annotation Learning System) to teach her BIOL 204 & 205 organismal lab courses in a remote format and offers advice for new users of CLAS. What motivated you to use CLAS? I was inspired by Brett Couch and his enthusiasm …
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How To Make Your Teaching More Inclusive
Are you looking for ways to make your teaching more inclusive? This month’s Interesting Read is a practical advice guide that offers key principles, implementation strategies, and resources for inclusive teaching and course design. You can also find UBC-specific tips and resources for inclusive teaching at the new Inclusive Teaching Resources for UBC Science Instructors …