Please see samples of teaching materials below. Some of this was generated during the completion of my Teaching in Higher Education certificate program, some has actually been used in classes already.
1. Interactive Slide Presentation:
(PowerPoint Version)
This is an edited version of a PowerPoint for a lecture, the first on Bacteriology given to either Post-Baccalaureate students or Podiatry students. The content may be review for several students, but not everyone coming into these programs has ever had a Microbiology course. So terminology is explicitly stated and defined. I added PollEverywhere-based interactive technology throughout to keep students engaged (which has not yet been tested in the classroom). The first question probes prior knowledge recall and give me an idea of where the class is situated. The second question asks them to creatively think through the connections between the characteristics of bacteria and their names. Bacteriology can feel like a long list of arbitrary nonsense without thinking through the connections between these pieces of information. The final questions are formative assessments/reviews to practice short-term recall and show me they understand.
2. Video Lecture + Assessment:
The video above has not been used in class, but is a shortened version of a chunk of lecture in pre-recorded format. It showcases how I may teach about particular bugs. The video itself could potentially be used as supplemental material for review before class, the Google forms quiz (or the quiz could be on Canvas) is to assess students’ understanding of the prep material before class and to ensure they engage with it. Whether it would cost points depends on the class level and curriculum. The key terms list could be provided to especially lower level classes to make explicitly clear the language I am using in the lecture. Pre-class videos like this would primarily be used to get across foundational knowledge required for an in-class active learning activity.
3. Microteaching Video:
This is another example of my lecture material and style, in short form. Again, it is a shortened re-organized chunk of a larger lecture I have actually given before in class at the Post-Baccalaureate level. (Before using either of these videos for a class, if I did, I would make sure to attach closed captions for accessibility, and an accessible PowerPoint file.)
4. Web 2.0 Assignment + Rubric:
A hypothetical assignment utilizing web tools, in this case a Wiki, as an active-learning opportunity. Beyond the content, I would ask them to research for themselves (giving them science literacy practice), explain to their classmates (communication and teamwork skills), and ask them to compare new content with content already discussed, in hopes of making connection to the biological reality and patterns of these pathogens, beyond just facts to memorize (i.e. virulence mechanisms often have common purposes in the life cycles of these pathogens, if they keep in mind those purposes, the key facts will be easier to remember).
5. UDL-aligned Assignment
This is a hypothetical assignment following Fink’s significant learning framework and backwards lesson planning (from goal to assessment to activities). It would need polishing before implementation, but something similar could be a useful activity for both learning the content well enough to simplify and teach it, and for softer skills in communication and researching, in an activity that is forward-looking (i.e. medical practitioners are asked to create or consult on patient education material, so it feels more “real,” less like busy-work).
6. Lesson Plan
A hypothetical edit of a lesson that I have given in the past, but with added active learning activities. I have not implemented this lesson plan yet, but elements of it I will likely add to lectures in upcoming semesters (I think the timing needs to be tested before all elements are put together to make sure I am not underestimating the required in-class time for each). But lesson plans similar to this are a goal of mine, to implement additional opportunities for low-stakes interactivity and engagement, while shortening chunks of lecture to roughly 15 minutes or less at a time to maintain attention.
7. Case Studies Reflections
To be clear, this was an assignment I completed as a student in the Teaching in Higher Education certificate program, not an assignment I give to students. It is included here to showcase my thought processes for various situations in teaching, if you are interested.
8. Review Games
Microbe Matching Game:
Groups of students are given the pictures below (cut apart and mixed up) and have to regroup relevant images together, depicting the pathogen name, Gram stain & morphology, characteristic symptoms, pathogenesis/virulence factors, diagnostic tests, and/or treatment/prevention. This was used in a Podiatry class and students enjoyed it.
Pathogen Mapping:
Modified from a concept map made by Bettina Buttaro, PhD (Temple University). This was used for Podiatry students. After the first half of bacteriology lectures, we filled in half the chart together in class, with all the pathogens we covered and the most important information about them. Then we filled in the rest after the second half of lectures, as mini-reviews and formative assessments (it gave me an opportunity to correct misconceptions or confusion) and helped the students practice recall. Modeling the use of flow charts for studying is also intended to help them organize the information to make it less overwhelming to remember – a skill they may take with them to future classes and studying.
Interactive Flow Chart:
Similarly, I put together this flow-chart to showcase a way to organize material, especially immunology which is so interconnected. This has not yet been used but I intend to provide this to students as supplemental information, to provide students with concepts explained in a different way than in class. It also includes YouTube videos I find helpful to explain these concepts, in a different way than I do, as an additional modality that may resonate better with particular students.