Connecting you to what's happening in the UBC Biology Program
Pam Kalas has been incorporating various student metacognitive activities in her courses for the past several years. Below, Pam describes the types of metacognitive activities she uses, what motivated her to start using them, how students have responded, and what she has learned along the way. She also offers some example metacognition questions from the …
Continue reading “Teaching Spotlight – Pam Kalas On Using Metacognitive Activities”
I completed my BSc (major in biology, minor in ocean sciences) at the University of Victoria in 2014. One of the final semesters of my undergraduate studies was spent at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre in Bamfield, British Columbia, where I took field-based marine biology and research courses. It was during this term that I …
This month’s Interesting Read examines active learning through an accessibility lens and offers recommendations for making active-learning science classes more inclusive for students with disabilities. While the article is framed in the context of in-person courses, most of the recommendations are applicable to the remote teaching environment. Citation: Gin, L.E., Guerrero, F.A., Cooper, K.M., & …
By Christine Goedhart Despite all the uncertainty this term, one thing has become very clear: teaching and learning take longer and require more effort in the remote environment than they did in-person. Faculty are spending more time and energy troubleshooting technology, preparing course materials, and responding to students. Meanwhile, students are spending more time and …
Continue reading “How to Prevent Work Overload for You and Your Students Next Term”
Blaire Steinwand and Jaclyn Dee recently teamed up to bring in Dr. Cole Burton as a guest speaker in their BIOL 140 course. Students had previously read popular press article pieces about Dr. Burton’s research on caribou conservation, and this session gave them an opportunity to meet and learn more about him and his work. …
I am an assistant professor of insect and aquatic ecology at UBC. I have a BSc and MSc from University of Toronto and a PhD from Indiana University. I mostly teach general ecology and insect ecology. In 2019, I also co-taught Arctic ecology with Dr. Sean Michaletz and that was super fun. In general, my …
I completed my BSc (Biology major) at UBC in 2018. I first got involved with research after taking BIOL 205, as I fell in love with invertebrates. I worked in Dr. Leander’s lab under the supervision of postdoc Dr. Herranz who introduced me to the world of mud dragons and taught me microscopy and molecular …
I always wanted to be a scientist, to understand the mechanism of diseases and find a new treatment since I was a kid. I completed my bachelor’s degree in Biology at ODTU in Ankara, Turkey where I am from. I also did a minor degree in Department of Chemistry during my bachelors. During this time, …
Are you looking for ways to make your teaching of genetics more inclusive, comprehensive, and precise? This month’s Interesting Read offers biology instructors approaches and language choices to foster inclusion of gender identity, disability, and race/ethnicity when discussing genetics-related topics. Recommendations include ways to represent gender and reproductive diversity in pedigree charts, terminology to separate …
Several UBC Biology faculty are using creative ways to engage students as they join synchronous class sessions. For some examples, check out Celeste Leander’s recent blog post and keep reading to learn how Karen Smith, Greg Bole, Angie O’Neill, Rachel Wilson, and Kathryn Zeiler are using pre-class activities to engage students in their courses. Karen …
Continue reading “Teaching Spotlight – Creative Ways to Engage Students Before Class Begins”
Alyssa Gutierrez is a 4th-year student in the Combined Major in Science Program concentrating on Life Sciences, Computer Science, and Earth & Environmental Science, with a keen interest in teaching & learning, among many things. In Spring 2020 (pre-COVID-19 disruption) Alyssa put her biology and coding skills to good use to help instructors gain insight …
Continue reading “Teaching Spotlight – Analyzing How Students Process Questions On Exams”
By Christine Goedhart We’re about a month into this unique fall term of remote teaching. Congratulations on getting to this point! You probably had to try out some new structures, technologies, and techniques to be able to teach your course in a virtual format this term. You are now far enough into the course to …
Continue reading “Mid-course Reflection: It’s Time to Check-in with These 3 People”
Members of the LGBTQ+ community face unique challenges in academic biology settings. This month’s Interesting Read features an article that describes 14 literature-based recommendations for biologists to be more inclusive of LGBTQ+ individuals. Recommendations include practical tips for implementation and are organized into the following categories: 1) Be thoughtful about the language used regarding the …
I completed my BSc in zoology at the University of Guelph. While I was there, I did an honours project under Nick Bernier on the stress physiology of larval zebrafish exposed to high environmental ammonia. This work inspired me not to work with fish going into grad school. I then started my master’s in zoology …
By Christine Goedhart The fall term is upon us, and if you’re like most other instructors I’ve talked to recently, you may be feeling a bit apprehensive about the upcoming remote teaching experience. You’re not alone. Many of your students are also going to be entering your course feeling unsure, uneasy, and uncomfortable with the …
Continue reading “4 Things Students Need From You This Fall”
Jaclyn Dee recently assigned a Scientist Spotlight activity in her BIOL 112 course. Students were asked to watch and respond to a short TED talk video in which Dr. Fatima AlZahra’a Alatraktchi talked about her life and work as a Nanophysicist and how she invented a tool that detects dangerous bacteria earlier than traditional methods. …
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Scientist Spotlight assignments feature the life and work of diverse scientists and can be used to integrate inclusion and representation into your course, while also covering content and scientific process. Below you will find some literature on the use of Scientist Spotlights, examples of how Scientist Spotlights are being used in UBC BIOL courses, and …
Maryam Moussavi is a Lecturer in the Departments of Botany and Zoology. She has a BSc degree in Biology (Cell/Genetics), MSc and a PhD degree in Medicine (Experimental Medicine) from UBC. During her PhD Maryam explored therapeutic potential of oncolytic viruses in treatment of prostate cancer. Maryam has taught a variety of courses at UBC, …
I completed my Bachelor of Science in Biology at UBC. During my undergrad, I was also in the UBC Science Co-op Program, which gave me the opportunity to work in diabetes research labs. This inspired me to continue in research and pursue graduate studies. I am currently a PhD candidate in Dr. Timothy Kieffer’s lab …
By Christine Goedhart Engaged students actively participate. They are receptive, connected, invested, and motivated to learn. You’re probably familiar with what student engagement looks like in the physical classroom, but what about when teaching online? How can you tell if students are engaged if you can’t see or hear them and if you are separated …
Continue reading “10 Ways to Engage Students as You Teach Remotely this Fall”
Implementing active learning pedagogies online tends to take longer than it did in person, so you may want to consider decreasing or reorganizing your course content to preserve your ability to use learner-centred activities when teaching remotely this fall. The authors of this month’s Interesting read offer three evidence-based strategies to help guide instructors as …
During the recent 2020 Summer I term, Dirk VandePol and Gwen Huber used an interdisciplinary group project and virtual poster session in their web-based BIOL 111 course to help their students see how the course content was relevant to their lives. As Dirk explains, the goal of this assignment was to “give students as much …
Pam Kalas is a Senior Instructor in the Departments of Botany and Zoology. She earned her Licence en Biologie and her Diplôme de Biologie at the Université de Genève before coming to UBC to complete a PhD in Genetics. She also earned a BA in Adult Education at the University of the Fraser Valley. Pam …
Melissa Armstrong is a PhD candidate in the Zoology Department, studying the neuroscience underlying how birds use visual information to guide their flight behavior. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Rhode Island School of Design and worked as an artist and designer for nearly a decade before deciding to return to school for …
By Christine Goedhart This year has turned out to be one big, huge, messy exercise in learning how to teach remotely. You’ve been asked (forced, really) to step outside of your comfort zone, experiment with new techniques and technologies, and become an online instructor. I’ve had the privilege of working and talking with many of …
Continue reading “Remote Teaching 2020: The Biggest Lessons Learned”
Jennifer Klenz and Stella Lee recently used a virtual “snowball fight” to help them get to know their BIOL 234 students. Below, Jennifer describes this activity, the role it has played in building a sense of community in the course, and its connection to another course assignment. How did you come up with the idea …
Continue reading “Teaching Spotlight – Using a Virtual “Snowball Fight” to Build Community”
This month’s interesting read provides evidence-based considerations and tips for creating and using videos to promote student engagement and learning. Key recommendations include: Keep videos brief and targeted on learning goals Use audio and visual elements to convey appropriate parts of an explanation; consider how to make these elements complementary rather than redundant Use signaling …
Vivienne is a Lecturer in the Departments of Botany and Zoology. She has a B.Sc. in Biochemistry from UBC, a B.Ed. (Secondary School) from UBC, and a Ph.D in Botany from UBC, where she studied the phylogeny and comparative genomics of mycoheterotrophic plants. Vivienne has taught a variety of courses at UBC, including BIOL 121 …
I completed my undergraduate degree in general biology at the University of Western Brittany, Brest, France. I then completed a Master’s in marine biology at the European Institute of marine studies, Plouzané, France, where my research focused on calcium flux in cardiac cells for studying the cellular basis of fish cardiac performance. This first …
By Christine Goedhart Congratulations on surviving the 2020 mass migration to emergency remote teaching! Now that the dust has settled and final grades are submitted, it’s a good time to reflect on the past term and consider what lessons you might want to take with you moving forward. Here are four simple, yet powerful questions …
Continue reading “Reflecting on Remote Teaching: What Have You Learned?”