TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

Introduction
The study of biology, particularly behavior, allows us to learn more about
ourselves and the people and animals around us. I find it fascinating to be able to
predict the behaviors of others or use their behavior to understand what is
happening in their minds. The diversity and complexity of the natural world is
beautiful and wonderful. Animal welfare, human-animal interaction, and general
applied animal behavior greatly influence my research. Many of the principals within
these fields apply directly to students, faculty, and families in our lives. For
example, one of the greatest impacts on animal welfare is a feeling of control and
predictability. I strive to give my students as much of this while still challenging
them to learn. My research identifies the effects of interactions on animals and
humans. I believe that establishing a positive faculty-student relationship is of
paramount importance while teaching. By forming a relationship with a faculty
member that truly cares about students as individuals, these students will be more
likely to succeed throughout their time at university.

Goals for Student Learning in Animal Behavior

The study of animal behavior not only allows us to understand the behavior of
the animals we interact with regularly from our pets to squirrels and birds to
livestock, but also to understand ourselves. As a multi-disciplinary biologist, animal
scientist, and welfare scientist, my main goal is to prepare students to be successful
critical thinkers and problem solvers. Specifically, my students will be able to
critically evaluate the information they encounter in their everyday lives by
comparing it to scientific literature and their own background in animal behavior. My
courses will require students to complete at least a portion of their own small
research project and therefore understand how the process of scientific inquiry can
be used to assess claims. Additionally all of my courses will include a writing
component because this is an incredibly important skill across all disciplines. In my
courses I will focus on scientific writing which is a unique, but very useful form of
writing. I have helped develop two novel courses during my graduate education
with my faculty mentors. Overall, the outcomes of my teaching will be a greater
understanding of biology particularly as it relates to behaviors and how evolution
can work on even complex traits such as behavior. By learning about these specific
outcomes while utilizing transferable skills, students are better able to reach their
academic and career goals, including higher education.

Enactment of Goals for Student Learning (Teaching

Methods)
Students learn best through completing hands-on projects that allow them some
degree in choice of the topic. The best way to do this in a scientific course is by
involving students in research projects related to course material. In most classes I

can design research projects that are related to my own research interests. For
example, in the Applied Animal Behavior course I designed with my faculty mentor
Dr. Brianna Gaskill, students were given a particular species of animal to focus on
and a long list of potential projects. Working in self-chosen groups of two to four
they completed the project throughout the semester, from creating ethograms to
categorize animal behaviors, observing and running the experiment, analyzing data
using basic statistical tests, and finally writing a short report on their findings.
Students remained very engaged throughout the course and came away from it
saying that they felt better prepared for their future goals.
During lecture periods that I like to encourage active learning by splitting
students up in a group and letting the students work through a small portion of the
lecture to figure out the answers for themselves. Often, I focus on interpreting
tables and graphs to draw conclusions. Throughout the semester these graphs and
tables become more challenging and I also start incorporating some statistical
knowledge. This teaches students a vital skill in interpreting scientific literature and
also critical thinking skills. Active learning helps them engage with the material to
retain it better. Students always seem to retain the information better when they
are the ones who figured it out. Typically students find it challenging to not add in
interpretations from their experience and stick only to the graph. I know that Ive
taught successfully when all groups are able to give their answers in a group
discussions and students are able to do well on subsequent assignments.

Assessment of Goals for Student Learning

Quick feedback is important when evaluating and assessing my students.
Quizzes throughout the semester let students know if they are on track for learning
basic facts and concepts. But projects are the best way to test problem solving and
better prepare students for their future careers. Fair and transparent grading is
important. When possible I like to grade assignments anonymously to prevent any
potential unintended biases. Posting rubrics and being clear about point distribution
helps students to accurately predict their grades. I am also personally aware of the
effect of being different impacting learning. Therefore, I strive to make the
classroom inclusive to all races, nationalities, gender identities, sexualities, etc. At
Purdue University students are able to change their preferred name to show up
differently on blackboard and their identification card. At the beginning of the
semester I always point this out to students so they are aware of this option.

Overall, I strive to teach students big concepts in biology while also developing
relevant skills to help them reach their individual goals and dreams. The studentfaculty and mentor relationship is the most rewarding part of teaching for me. I look
forward to teaching students at Truman State University.