Nicholas J. Schisler, PhD
Nicholas J. Schisler, PhD
Introduction
One of the most enjoyable aspects of my training to be a scientist was teaching - sharing the knowledge and wisdom that I had accumulated and exchanging ideas with others. Although my supervisors discouraged teaching during my doctoral and postdoctoral training, I availed myself of many opportunities to teach; indeed many of my fondest memories of graduate school are of experiences I had leading undergraduate biology courses. As a teaching assistant, I evolved from grading tests, presenting lab talks, and leading tutorial discussions in a variety of undergraduate courses to preparing computer-based curriculum for first-year biology. As a graduate student and postdoctoral fellow, I supervised undergraduates who assisted me with my bench experiments and computer-based research. I also participated in workshops on computer-based curriculum developments, such as the Indiana University Midwestern Science Workshop, and in courses such as "Alternative Approaches to Teaching College Biology," given by Professor Craig Nelson of Indiana University to enhance my pedagogical skills. I have taught three courses as an Assistant Professor at Pomona College: Introductory Genetics with Lab, Bioinformatics and Genomics with Lab, and Contemporary Issues in the Environment, Biotechnology and Medicine for non-science majors and five courses at Furman University : Fundamentals of Biology for majors, Priciples of Biology for nonmajors, Genetics, Research and Analysis and Genomics and Bioinformatics and supervised many theses and other research projects. Through these experiences, I have gained an appreciation of the true complexities of teaching: how to select the appropriate instructional mode for a particular course, and, perhaps most importantly, how to engage students who have varied educational, sociological, and cultural backgrounds. With this experience, I am confident I can teach any familiar subject in a fashion that would both engage and stimulate students.
Teaching Philosophy
A good college teacher should never lose sight of his or her educational goals and should structure the course curriculum to ensure that students at all levels of cognitive development learn not just content, but also approaches to learning. My general goals in college teaching include: promotion of critical thinking skills applicable to problems encountered both inside and outside the classroom, advancement of written and oral communication skills, facilitation of hands-on experimentation, advancement of research skills, and development of a historical and social awareness of societal issues in science. These goals should manifest in an atmosphere that the students find enjoyable and stimulating, and within a framework that facilitates mutual understanding, cooperation, and respect among students.Critical Thinking
Although it is important to become conversant with the history, vocabulary, tools, and methods of a discipline, application of what is learned is critical in developing an independent ability to evaluate novel concepts and ideas. As a graduate student, I assisted in the creation of an examination for a sophomore genetics course and designed multiple-choice questions to test students' problem-solving abilities, rather than their memories. After the grades were posted, many students complained that the test was unfair: they had to think! Exercises in critical thinking are actually easy to add to any course and may include, in their simplest form, problem sets in which students must synthesize information to answer questions whose solution is not readily apparent. Laboratory sessions may be designed as systematic, guided learning sessions where students begin the term by working on instructor-supplied experiments and end it by designing experiments to test various hypotheses. I have used these approaches successfully in both the Genetics and the Genomics and Bioinformatics and Genomics courses at Furman University. More advanced application of critical thinking skills may be embodied in the debate of controversial scientific problems or in writing critiques of published articles from the scientific literature or popular press. This approach is used in the course Contemporary Issues in the Environment, Biotechnology and Medicine that I taught to non-science majors at Pomona College and the Principles of Biology course I teach to non-science majors at Furman University. Since not all students may be at a level of cognitive development that allows meaningful participation in these exercises, appropriate supplementary material must be made available. To this end, a variety of resources are provided on multimedia-rich course web pages. Such integrated approaches, designed to develop and refine cognitive skills, should be an important part of college science curricula and should be introduced as early as possible.
Written Communication
Providing opportunities to develop good communication skills should be an integral part of any course. Historically, science students have been poorly prepared in the subject of written discourse, which is unfortunate since the assemblage of information in written form represents an important stage in the synthesis of scientific data. I cannot count the lab reports I have graded down due to poor organization and style, not to mention grammar and spelling errors. One grade-conscious student provided a memorable teaching experience when he challenged his grade in front of a first-year biology laboratory class. I assured him that how information is reported can be as important as the information itself and then proceeded to formulate a ‚"do and don't" list for writing laboratory reports. I firmly believe that students should be given every opportunity to write, even if an abundance of written assignments means more work for the teacher. It is for this reason, I teach the course Principles of Biology where I require my students to write weekly short critiques of course-related articles in the popular press and three longer essays on important societal issues related to biology. In Genetics, two formal laboratory reports are required during the semester. Students are also given five minutes at the end of each "lecture" (lectures are actually interactive and include considerable discussion) for reflection and to provide me with a written critique of my presentations. They also have the option to write about their progress, difficulties, and interests and can raise questions about the subject matter at this time. The above provides considerable insight into what students are thinking about the course and the outside world.
Oral Communication
Public speaking is another art that seems to be absent in most college curricula. Of all the courses I took as an undergraduate, the one that stands out in my memory was my senior seminar in biology, because this was the first time that I, as a student, was allowed to formally address the class. I learned how to organize material for presentation, respond to questions, and, more important, defend a point of view. I attempt to nurture this skill in Principles of Biology where pairs of students are given a controversial topic to research and present to the class, each taking opposing viewpoints. Genetics students rsearch and present information on the bioethical dimesions of various genetic diseases as well as new technology. By providing opportunities for students to communicate and work with their peers, I not only build confidence in the students making the presentations but also provide the basis for social interaction among the class. In my experience, many students find education a competitive process. Requiring students to work together develops a relaxed learning atmosphere that facilitates the sharing of information and ideas.
Active Learning
Learning by doing is an important concept in teaching and one that I would recommend for all undergraduate science courses. I have always advocated that the living world should be introduced in the first-year laboratory using simple, inexpensive experiments (e.g., measuring the surface area used for gas exchange in different plants, crossing fruit flies to examine Mendelian ratios, or examination of chicken embryo to discern changes during development) in a "discovery " process which should parallel what is taught in lecture. Organismal biology courses could feature field trips to illustrate the natural history of an animal or plant. Courses in genetics or molecular biology can be based on laboratory experiences that provide "hands-on" opportunities to use modern techniques and methodologies (e.g., electrophoresis, cloning, PCR, sequencing, RFLP analysis, etc. in an advanced genetics course).
The life sciences encompass intensely visual and dynamic subjects. Images, videos, and animations are used liberally to illustrate points made in lecture. I have created "real world" visual experiences by using digital video to add virtual simulations of dynamic processes such as mitosis, cell motility, and embryo development to lecture. Molecular processes such as DNA transcription and translation have been modeled using computer animation. Students tell me that when such processes ‚"come alive",learning is easy. To further exploit computer technology, I have developed internet-based learning modules for Genomics and Bioinformatics. Here, students are able to master content (including text, tables, pictures, diagrams, and in the future, animations and videos) and then participate in a lecture where their particular difficulties are addressed and implications of the subject matter are discussed. Such approaches not only enhance students' curiosity but also increase retention of what is learned.
Research Skills
Research skills (i.e. the ability to locate relevant printed or electronic reference material) should also be taught early in the college curriculum. Given the vast amount of information available in libraries and through the internet, I find it almost unbelievable that students do not know how to locate journals in library stacks or search computer databases. I have always been an advocate of computer-based research; indeed, much of my experimental data and papers are computer indexed using innovative products such as ht:dig, a web-based spider. I encourage my students to develop like resources as early as possible.
Development of Historical and Social Awareness
It is of critical importance to be aware of various scientific issues that impinge upon the everyday life of our families, communities, nations, and planet. Students should be aware of the rich history of science, its personalities, the natural forces that have shaped current social problems, and what scientists have done and can do to address them. I have always been inspired by the history of science and great scientific breakthroughs; I include such material in each course I teach. Re-creation of historical experiments in the laboratory, or, in more advanced courses, consideration of original scientific publications, are very instructive. In a similar vein, I also expose my students to current scientific and social debate. Numerous issues facing us today, including climate change, extinction, resource depletion, famine, genetic engineering, etc., are very appropriate for discussion in the biology classroom. Consideration of such topics illustrate that our current understanding of science arrived only after centuries of thought, experiment, and debate, and that those who made important contributions to science were once students. Moreover, science is an ongoing process, one in which present-day students may one day play an important part. Not all the students in first-year biology will go on to become scientists, but all are members of our society, and it is important that each member of society understands scientific issues so that informed debate and appropriate decisions may be made.
The Student
Presentation of content using whatever appropriate mode is only half (at most!) of the equation when it comes to good teaching. The other and most important part of the equation is the student.Students in science must be inspired! To do this, students should be allowed to select their own projects from a list of relevant, course-related topics, conduct research, create a report, present their findings, and answer questions from the class. Ownership creates motivation! One final point to consider: undergraduate courses, especially those offered to first-year students, can attract people from all walks of life: recent high school graduates, parents returning to college to complete an education, retirees interested in fulfilling a lifelong interest in a subject. It is a challenge to address the interests of such a disparate group of people but a greater achievement to inspire the student to desire to learn more.
Teaching Experience
Foundations of BiologyAs a graduate student, I spent several years teaching and assisting with courses in introductory biology for majors and non-majors. My responsibilities included laboratory lectures, grading laboratory exercises, assignments, and essays, and leading discussion groups. As a senior teaching assistant, I also developed a computer-based version of the course lectures. Despite a successful pilot with a dozen students, budgetary considerations at the time prevented more widespread implementation of this computer-based course. At Furman University I teach the introductory biology course for majors Foundations of Biology, usuing the latest multimedia and web-based technologies.
Genetics
Genetics was my undergraduate major, one of the laboratory courses for which I was a teaching assistant, and the area of my graduate research.I have taught courses introductory classical and molecular genetics at Pomona College and Furman University. Laboratories associated with this course include exercises in Drosophila genetics, isolation of yeast ade mutants, restriction mapping, analysis of the Escherichia coli lac operon, and application of the polymerase chain reaction to problems in human population genetics and identification of genetically modified organisms (GMO) used in foods. I am well versed in the theoretical and experimental aspects of classical (Mendelian) genetic analysis, population genetics, molecular genetics, microbial genetics, and human genetics.
Molecular Evolution, Biocomputing, Bioinformatics and Genomics
I have presented several seminars and workshops in molecular evolution and biocomputing and have taught courses in bioinformatics and genomics at Pomona College and Furman University. Topics include databases and database searching, sequence alignment and analysis, phylogenetic reconstruction, models of evolution, and the salient features of prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes. Laboratories are designed to familiarize students with computational techniques (e.g. BLAST, clustalw sequence alignment, phylogenetic reconstruction using PAUP* etc.) and provide students an opportunity to engage in original research projects.
Contemporary Issues in the Environment, Biotechnology, and Medicine (Pomona College) and Priciples of Biology (Furman University)
In these courses controversial issues in the biological sciences are examined in light of their historical background, scientific foundation, and perceptions by the public. Students conduct research using the primary scientific literature and present opposing viewpoints on an assigned topic or, with my approval, a topic of the student's choice. Critical analyses of available data are used to critique opposing positions and develop a framework for successful conflict resolution in subsequent classroom discussions. Topics have included issues related to human cloning, biotechnology and food production, genetic testing, electromagnetic fields and human health, environmental hormone mimics, human origins, and ecosystem modification. This course emphasizes critical thinking and analysis and improvement of the student's writing and presentation skills.
Research and Analysis
This Furman course teaches the basis of scientific writing, biostatistical analysis in the context of a semester long research project of the students' design. Critical analysis of data is the hallmark of this courses and as such is a required prerequisite of all biology majors.Soem of the projects have involved quantitating the behavioral responses of the California blackworm to various environmental stimuli, analyzing soils for symbiotic plant-microbe interactions after application of commercially available fertilizers, and assessment of oral bacterial in vegetatrians and omnivorous human diets.
Undergraduate Research Projects
As a graduate student and postdoctoral fellow I have had the privilege of instructing several undergraduate and graduate students in areas such as genetics, molecular biology, phylogenetic analysis, and molecular evolution. At Pomona College and Furman University I have undertaken many major thesis projects with undergraduates in the areas of bioinformatics and molecular evolution. Some of these students has gone on to medical school and the others are graduate students at Purdue University and the University of Maryland where they are pursuing PhDs in molecular biology, computational biology, and bioinformatics. I also employ students to work on smaller projects in the laboratory. I thoroughly enjoy the experience of acting as information resource, troubleshooter, and mentor and I look forward to future collaborations with undergraduate or graduate students. My students are treated as peers in the process of scientific investigation. They are expected to make presentations at scientific conferences and assist in writing publications.
Courses of Interest
I like to teach introductory science courses including genetics, evolution, cell and molecular biology, and introductory biology for majors or non-majors. These choices reflect my training and experience. My areas of research expertise \ give me confidence to teach upper-level or graduate courses in biocomputing, bioinformatics, molecular evolution, and systematics. I also have a personal interest in teaching courses on the history of science, environmental science, and toxicology. As a molecular biologist, I am familiar with the techniques needed for the instruction of undergraduate laboratories. As a computer programmer, I am knowledgeable about the various algorithms, models, and computational approaches necessary to create meaningful assignments/tutorials for courses in molecular evolution and the associated fields of bioinformatics and molecular systematics.
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