Teaching Philosophy
I am an educator dedicated to building an inclusive and diverse space in STEM, increasing and providing exposure to underrepresented communities. Coming from an underrepresented community, I was aware of the lack of educational opportunities and resources in STEM within the local educational system. I was fortunate enough to have mentors and role models who helped me seek educational and research opportunities to be the professional I am today. These experiences have led me to understand that my goals in teaching are to (1) increase accessible education for underrepresented communities through the development of interactive curriculum and programs; (2) expose students early on to the diverse areas in STEM; (3) motivate them to seek advance degrees in the field and guide them toward ways to achieve them; (4) build students confidence as professionals and scientists; and (5) close the gap by providing educators with training and open access to educational materials.
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With an extensive background in science, a deep appreciation of research methodologies, and diverse teaching and leadership experiences, the core principles that guide my teaching practices are focused on diverse instructional design models that are student-centered including experiential learning and 5-E model, and collaborative learning. As a researcher, I am a firm believer that learning happens beyond the classroom, through practice and application. Through experiential learning, students get the opportunity to “learn by doing”, actively taking charge of their learning process, promoting creativity and critical thinking, and developing communication and problem-solving skills. More importantly, they get the opportunity to experiment, fail, and troubleshoot, skills that are essential in real-life. I also believe that learning happens collaboratively; allowing students to learn from their peers, establish a support system, and practice cooperation.
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These involvements manifest themselves in the wide array of curriculums I have designed and courses I have taught. My goal as an educator is to create learner-centered curriculums that allow students to identify their knowledge and skill and translate it into real life. To achieve this, I start the curriculum design researching and understanding the prior knowledge and learning desires of my students through self-assessments and surveys. I strive to create a curriculum that best fits those needs and allows learners to take control of their learning process and practice. Through diverse evidence-based teaching methodologies and clear and SMART learning objectives, I design experiential learning activities and assessments that best match the course content, goals, and students’ characteristics. Finally, I seek student’s feedback through anonymous questionnaires and surveys to evaluate the effectiveness of the course design and instructional practices implemented and translate that feedback into future courses. Overall, my experience in teaching and research in life science has allowed me to see a complex world of teaching opportunities that go beyond the traditional teacher-centered approach.
Assessment Philosophy
My assessment philosophy is to foment a diverse, inclusive, and active learning environment allowing the success of every student. I believe every classroom is unique and should be treated accordingly. My role as a teacher is to create an environment that allows each classroom and student to reach their full potential by adapting and incorporating diverse teaching and assessment practices in the curriculum design. It is my desire to create an atmosphere where students feel welcome, safe, and respected. I use strategies to ensure effective and respectful communication inside the classroom and model these strategies on a daily basis. Inside the classroom, I aim to create an environment where students work together to develop, share, and envision ideas, while making the content relevant to their educational and professional progress. Moreover, I focus on implementing innovative teaching practices and design meaningful and active assessment activities, combining both formative and summative assessments (e.g., quizzes, lab reports, and final tests combined with discussion-based learning and project-based learning), to enhance student’s learning. I incorporate active and collaborative learning activities in the classroom and select assessment techniques that: (1) focus on evaluating previous knowledge; (2) shift the responsibility of learning to students; and (3) allow students to apply their knowledge to real-life situations. I strongly believe implementing the six main elements of the learner-centered teaching approach (create an active learning environment by encouraging students’ participation, enhance collaborative learning, provide explicit instructions to facilitate students’ skill development, encourage students’ self-learning evaluation, and empower students to take control of their learning process) allow me to achieve these goals and allow accessibility for all students.