Teaching Narrative
It has been said that "the art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery." At USF, I have been privileged to serve as an instructor for five different courses: DEP 2004: The Life Cycle, GEY 2000: Introduction to Aging Sciences, and GEY 3601: Physical Changes and Aging, GEY 4401: Research Methods in Aging, and GEY 4612: Psychology of Aging. As an instructor, I aim to assist in the art of discovery by not only imparting knowledge to my students, but helping them learn how to think critically about aging and how it may be applied to both their professional and personal lives. The following sections (and associated links) provide examples as to how these goals are achieved.
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Course Syllabus
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As the syllabus is a student’s first interaction with a course, I strive to make it as clear and organized as possible. In the syllabus, I outline learning outcomes for the course, any required materials, assignments, and grading policies. I also included a detailed course calendar that lists when each unit will be covered, assignment due dates, and readings that should be completed prior to class.
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In the Classroom
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Lecture slides are the backbone of my classes. I post a student version of the slides prior to each class so that students may follow along and add notes to their own copy as we go through the unit for that day. At the start of class, I go over 3-5 learning objectives for that day to help students hone in on key concepts and identify what they should take away. All of my lectures then follow the same general format so they are consistent and organized throughout the semester. For my current class, Physical Changes & Aging, we start by reviewing the general structure and function of the body system we are covering that day, before discussing changes expected to occur as part of the normal aging process, and finally, diseases and disorders which may affect the system.
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I also like to incorporate videos and audio clips to supplement and reinforce concepts. For example, when going over the musculoskeletal system, I have played a segment from an interview between Alan Alda and Nobel Prize winner Erik Kandel describing a recent discovery about a hormone which is released by bones. Students may also see an individual with Alzheimer’s describing their experience with the disease, a video demonstrating how baseball is adapted for those with visual impairments, or a short animation describing communication between neurons. These videos and audio clips often help to demonstrate the practical applications of what we cover in class and engage students in discussion.
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I wrap up each class by summarizing key points from the materials that we went over that day. I also use one of two quick Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) known as the Minute Paper and Muddiest Point. The Minute Paper consists of two questions: 1) What was the most important thing you learned today? and 2) Are there any questions you have that remain unanswered? The Muddiest Point CAT asks students to identify any concept that they would like further clarification on. These ungraded assignments allow me to gauge how well the students are following along and if there is a point which multiple students expressed difficulty with, I will review it with the class at our next meeting to ensure everyone stays on track.
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Exams
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The exams in my class are online and open-note. Rather than just test students’ ability to memorize information, I would rather test their ability to apply what was learned in class. Once the exam is opened students have a 24-hour window in which to take it. The exams are timed so students still need to study prior to taking the exam. Additionally, in order to promote exam integrity, the exams use Honorlock proctoring software and questions are randomly pulled from a large test bank, so no two exams will look exactly alike.
The class before an exam is dedicated to review. To further engage them (and to give them a break from more lectures), I conduct the review as a Jeopardy-style game. Students are assigned to teams and compete against each other for the highest scores. Everyone gets one point of extra credit on their next exam for playing, but can earn a few points more depending on how their team finishes. This encourages students to take good notes and start preparing for the exam earlier, rather than cramming last minute.
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Class Activities
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As part of the courses I teach, I consistently emphasize to my students that there is diversity in aging. The many components of our identities uniquely shape how we age across the lifespan. This also leads to diversity in perspective and I take advantage of that through hands-on activities and thought exercises which promote classroom discussion. One discussion which students enjoy revolves around age limits on receiving organ donations. To set this up, students watch a video on organ donation and also read segments of a New York Times Op Ed on age limits for receiving donations. Then, as a class, we talk about under what circumstances students would donate an organ and how they feel about age limits. Selected comments from the Fall 2022 section of Physical Changes & Aging may be read here.