BIOL 3993 - Laboratory Teaching Experience
The Department of Biology values quality education and recognizes the impact that one-on-one interaction between students and instructors can have on undergraduates. To further decrease the student to instructor ratio, allow for more effective teaching, and encourage learning through teaching, Laboratory Teaching Experience is offered to upperclassmen. In the last ten years, over one hundred undergraduates have enrolled this course. The majority of courses that undergraduate teaching assistants help lead are introductory courses such as Biology and Society (BIOL 1001), General Biology I and II (BIOL 1011 and 1012), and Human Anatomy (BIOL 2769) where one or two credits can be earned and applied to a biology major or minor. Students majoring in Teaching Life Science are encouraged, though not required, to enroll in this course as well. The undergraduate is expected to be prepared for, attend, and assist in all meetings of his/her assigned section, as well as weekly staff meetings, which include the faculty members involved in the course and graduate teaching assistants. Students who enroll in this course have a range of duties that typically include answering student questions, helping with laboratory setup and take down, grading (with proper training/contracts), teaching a lesson, and helping to conduct review sessions.
At the end of the term, students turn in an evaluation of their experiences. Always positive, these students report satisfaction with the opportunity to review basic biological material in this way and to help their peers in a small group-learning situation. Through this experience, students can examine their own backgrounds as well and become aware of their deficiencies in preparation. This course has proven to be a "win-win" situation for all participants: faculty and graduate teaching assistants value the additional help and the students enrolled as undergraduate teaching assistants find the experience a positive and fulfilling one.
This course is a great opportunity to find out if you enjoy teaching or to learn more information about a subject that interests you. Talk to an instructor or your advisor to find out more information.
In order to participate in this course you must have previously taken the laboratory course that you wish to participate in (with the exception on BIOL 1001 - Biology in Society), obtain instructor's consent, and have completed 90 credits including 25 BIOL credits.
IMPORTANT: Before starting, download and make a copy of this form (File > Save As) or your changes will not be saved. This form is a fillable PDF. Once you have filled it out, you will need to save it and send it to your Supervising faculty member. If you are unable to fill out the PDF, please contact the Biology office at [email protected] and let them know.