Teaching Philosophy
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As a teacher, I show my students that I value and care about their learning progress. I do this by implementing inclusive teaching practices that help to create an equalized learning environment for students from a variety of diverse backgrounds. These practices have been shown to be especially effective at targeting student demographics that have historically shown disparities in performance in the college classroom, such as first-generation, Black, Latino, and women students. A few examples of this are:
- Leading exam review sessions where I explicitly modeled helpful studying tactics and previewed potential test questions in order to communicate clear expectations and help students better assess their own learning. - Allowed students to share their answers during lectures in multiple formats, including anonymously and with a peer, to ensure that we heard from students whose viewpoints were not contributed when required to raise their hand to answer. - Shared my pronouns automatically in Zoom classrooms so that others may feel more comfortable doing the same, creating a more welcoming environment. |
I delivered a virtual lecture to an Introductory Biology course in April 2020.
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Teaching and Mentoring Highlights
Taught a course on pedagogy for undergraduate students - In the Fall of 2023 I will be teaching COLL 300: Pedagogy for Student Instructors as a Graduate Student Fellow with Rice's Center for Teaching Excellence. Stay tuned for more updates!
Initiated a partnership with several community colleges across the Houston area to recruit undergraduate students from disadvantaged backgrounds to participate in research at Rice University - I developed a mentorship and research program specifically for community college students to facilitate both their academic and professional growth. The benefit of this program was that it could be completed remotely, thus allowing access to students that are members of groups that would ordinarily find it extremely difficult or be unable to participate in research experiences at a Tier 1 university. I have mentored a total of 4 students through this program, and these students have gone on to win awards for their projects, and gain acceptance into competitive institutions, such as Rice, to further their education.
Awarded Rice's Biosciences Outstanding Service as a Teaching Assistant (2019) - I was given the department's top honor for teaching assistants in my first year as a graduate student and during my first time acting as a TA. The course was Introductory Biology and we had over 70 students, I helped manage the discussion sections, conduct test reviews, and contributed a few guest lectures. The teaching professor who nominated me cited my skill at delivering lectures, devising creative questions for the exams, and the caring way in which I interacted with students.
Mentored 10 Rice undergraduate students - I have had a commitment to mentoring undergraduate students. 90% of the students I have mentored have been women, and more than half of my students are part of an underrepresented minority group in our field. I have mentored these students by being involved in several different research programs, including those that target economically disadvantaged, first-generation, and minority students. Some of these undergraduates have secured independent funding for their work, some have won awards for their work, and many of them come back to the lab to work for multiple semesters.
Completing a certification course in Graduate Teaching and Learning through Rice's Center for Teaching Excellence - I'm currently in progress of adding a certification in Teaching and Learning to my doctorate degree. Through this certification process I have completed an independent literature review on which teaching methods and practices are best for improving the performance of underrepresented students in introductory biology courses, I have developed a syllabus as an instructor for an introductory biology course, and I have participated in teaching demonstrations.
Initiated a partnership with several community colleges across the Houston area to recruit undergraduate students from disadvantaged backgrounds to participate in research at Rice University - I developed a mentorship and research program specifically for community college students to facilitate both their academic and professional growth. The benefit of this program was that it could be completed remotely, thus allowing access to students that are members of groups that would ordinarily find it extremely difficult or be unable to participate in research experiences at a Tier 1 university. I have mentored a total of 4 students through this program, and these students have gone on to win awards for their projects, and gain acceptance into competitive institutions, such as Rice, to further their education.
Awarded Rice's Biosciences Outstanding Service as a Teaching Assistant (2019) - I was given the department's top honor for teaching assistants in my first year as a graduate student and during my first time acting as a TA. The course was Introductory Biology and we had over 70 students, I helped manage the discussion sections, conduct test reviews, and contributed a few guest lectures. The teaching professor who nominated me cited my skill at delivering lectures, devising creative questions for the exams, and the caring way in which I interacted with students.
Mentored 10 Rice undergraduate students - I have had a commitment to mentoring undergraduate students. 90% of the students I have mentored have been women, and more than half of my students are part of an underrepresented minority group in our field. I have mentored these students by being involved in several different research programs, including those that target economically disadvantaged, first-generation, and minority students. Some of these undergraduates have secured independent funding for their work, some have won awards for their work, and many of them come back to the lab to work for multiple semesters.
Completing a certification course in Graduate Teaching and Learning through Rice's Center for Teaching Excellence - I'm currently in progress of adding a certification in Teaching and Learning to my doctorate degree. Through this certification process I have completed an independent literature review on which teaching methods and practices are best for improving the performance of underrepresented students in introductory biology courses, I have developed a syllabus as an instructor for an introductory biology course, and I have participated in teaching demonstrations.
