Microbiology 300- Microbiology 300 (Microbial Diversity & Ecology) is a 3rd year course at UBC which I acted as Teaching Assistant for in the fall of 2009. Following is student feedback I received from the year-end course evaluations:
Jody, your enthusiasm for learning and teaching contribute greatly to this class. The lecture that you taught was interactive (kept me interested), and used real world examples (helped me understand the course material more). I think you will make a great professor. Best of luck!
Jody was super helpful. It was fabulous that we could send her things before they were due and she would read them and give us feedback (so helpful!!!). She was well informed, put in a lot of information and also was effective at teaching. She was very responsive and good at communicating topics.
Love the enthusiasm! Makes me interested in ecology! Very helpful. Inspiring! Please be a teacher! Thank You!
Jody is an exceptional TA because she goes out of her way to encourage learning and provide extra resources. A very encouraging individual. She is very enthusiastic in her area of knowledge.
Jody was enthusiastic, always available and willing to discuss class material. She answered emails promptly and effectively. Further, she has the ability to explain complex ideas and concepts in a simplified manner.
Jody is very helpful + is quick to respond to email questions and will always meet with you about questions. It’s hard to find TAs that are actually available to answer questions.
Jody was the best TA I have ever had. She was very enthusiastic and took initiative. She would take charge of the class when the prof was late without hesitation. When she taught our lecture she was very confident and presented the material not only clearly and concisely but in a way that made to me, dull material, very interesting.
Wonderful TA! You’ll make an excellent prof. Very helpful + enthusiastic.
Following is feedback I received from Dr. Bill Mohn, the instructor of MICB 300:
In 15 years, I have never worked with a TA who was as enthusiastic and dedicated as Jody. She demonstrated a serious interest in and aptitude for teaching. She presented herself to me in advance of the course and offered to help plan and prepare it. She was very cooperative and proactive in planning, offering numerous good suggestions and volunteering to handle a number of tasks without my asking. She was very keen to try new teaching approaches, such as the use of clickers and learning group activities, and to improve upon the existing approaches of the course. She worked hard to bring herself up to speed on parts of the course content for which she lacked expertise. She was also extremely reliable, always following through on her commitments in a timely way. And, she was always easy to work with, constantly maintaining a positive and professional attitude.
Jody demonstrated an excellent manner in dealing with students. Most importantly, she showed a real interest in and concern for the students. She also came to the course with an excellent knowledge of modern teaching approaches and understanding of how an effective teacher conducts him- or herself. Jody struck an excellent balance of professional behavior versus approachability to students. She communicated clearly and effectively with the students. And, she had an excellent awareness of student concerns, on several occasions alerting me to situations where we, as teachers, could act to improve things for students. Where possible, she planned activities well in advance and organized them carefully. Finally, she reacted well to unexpected situations, remaining calm and positive when problems arose, as is inevitable. These important qualities and capabilities came through very clearly in Jody’s various interactions with the students, oral and written, formal and informal. And from their evaluations, it is clear that the majority of students clearly recognized Jody’s excellent qualities as a teacher.
In summary, Jody made a huge contribution to MICB 300, both in terms of the content of the course and the learning atmosphere. She demonstrated outstanding dedication to teaching. She showed a natural talent for teaching and interacting with students, and she has made a serious effort to educate herself about teaching methods and approaches. I could not ask for a better TA than Jody.
Biology 535- Biology 535 is a graduate course offered through the Biology Department with the assistance of Skylight at the University of British Columbia; this course provides an introduction to basic pedagogical concepts and skills required by future life science teaching professionals for effective teaching at the university and college level. One of the main assignments for Biol-535 was to plan and give three “mini-lessons”, or short lessons to practice our skills in lesson planning and delivery. The first mini-lesson was 10 minutes in length, and was presented to a small group of peers from our class. The second 15 minute mini-lesson was held in an undergraduate tutorial or laboratory, and the final mini-lesson was a 50 minute lecture in a real undergraduate classroom (the assignment for the third mini-lesson required a 30 minute lesson but I chose to give a full 50 minute lecture). One instructor and two peers attended each of our mini-lessons and provided constructive feedback on what we did well as well as what we might do to improve our teaching in the future. Follow this link to view feedback from my peers on each of my lessons. To view my lesson material and plans, as well as my own reflections on these minilesson experiences, click here.
