An Investigation of the Products and Impact of Graduate Student SoTL Programs: Observations and Recommendations from a Single Institution

This study offers an investigation of three graduate-level SoTL programs offered since 2007 at a mid-size, highly selective, private, research-intensive university in the southeastern United States. We identify patterns in these early experiences with the scholarship of teaching and learning, specifically the choices made while carrying out their first SoTL projects and their perceptions of the impact of the program. We analyzed 72 project posters and 39 impact survey responses. Drawn from the rich particularities of a single institution, this study offers insight into novice SoTL work and recommendations for developing introductory SoTL programs on other campuses

Inclusive Teaching

Over the past two decades, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty have been striving to make their teaching practices more inclusive and welcoming to the variety of students who enter college. However, many STEM faculty, even those at teaching-focused institutions, have been educated in a traditional environment that emphasizes research and may not include classroom teaching. This can produce a deficit in training that leaves many STEM faculty feeling uncertain about inclusive teaching practices and their essential undergirding principles. This essay describes an online, evidence-based teaching guide (https://lse.ascb.org/evidence-based-teaching-guides/inclusive-teaching) intended to help fill this gap, serving as a resource for science faculty as they work to become more inclusive, particular with regard to differences in race, ethnicity, and gender. The guide describes the importance of developing self-awareness and empathy for students as a precursor to considering classroom practices. It also explores the role of classroom climate before turning to pedagogical choices that can support students’ sense of belonging, competence, and interest in the course. Finally, the guide suggests that true inclusivity is a community effort and that instructors should leverage local and national networks to maximize student learning and inclusion. Each of these essential points is supported by summaries of and links to articles that can inform these choices. The guide also includes an instructor checklist that offers a concise summary of key points with actionable steps that can guide instructors as they work toward a more inclusive practice. We hope that the guide will provide value for both faculty who are just beginning to consider how to change their teaching practices and faculty seeking to enrich their current efforts

Protein Adducts of Iso[4]levuglandin E2, a Product of the Isoprostane Pathway, in Oxidized Low Density Lipoprotein

Levuglandin (LG) E2, a cytotoxic seco prostanoic acid co-generated with prostaglandins by nonenzymatic rearrangements of the cyclooxygenase-derived endoperoxide, prostaglandin H2, avidly binds to proteins. That LGE2-protein adducts can also be generated nonenzymatically is demonstrated by their production during free radical-induced oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL). Like oxidized LDL, LGE2-LDL, but not native LDL, undergoes receptor-mediated uptake and impaired processing by macrophage cells. Since radical-induced lipid oxidation produces isomers of prostaglandins, isoprostanes (isoPs), via endoperoxide intermediates, we postulated previously that a similar family of LG isomers, isoLGs, is cogenerated with isoPs. Now iso[4]LGE2-protein epitopes produced by radical-induced oxidation of arachidonic acid in the presence of protein were detected with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Iso[4]LGE2-protein epitopes are also generated during free radical-induced oxidation of LDL. All of the LGE2isomers generated upon oxidation of LDL are efficiently sequestered by covalent adduction with LDL-based amino groups. The potent electrophilic reactivity of iso-LGs can be anticipated to have biological consequences beyond their obvious potential as markers for specific arachidonate-derived protein modifications that may be of value for the quantitative assessment of oxidative injury

An Investigation of the Products and Impact of Graduate Student SoTL Programs: Observations and Recommendations from a Single Institution

This study offers an investigation of three graduate-level SoTL programs offered since 2007 at a mid-size, highly selective, private, research-intensive university in the southeastern United States. We identify patterns in these early experiences with the scholarship of teaching and learning, specifically the choices made while carrying out their first SoTL projects and their perceptions of the impact of the program. We analyzed 72 project posters and 39 impact survey responses. Drawn from the rich particularities of a single institution, this study offers insight into novice SoTL work and recommendations for developing introductory SoTL programs on other campuses

Using Online Active-Learning Techniques to Convey Time Compensated Sun Compass Orientation in the Eastern North American Monarch

A common tool that animals use to navigate in a constant direction is known as “time compensated sun compass orientation.” This is a process by which animals use the position of the sun along with information from their internal circadian clocks to determine and maintain a directional heading. Many circadian scientists and educators use this process as an example of how the internal circadian clock can directly influence animal behavior. However, many students have difficulty grasping this biological process due to its multivariable nature. We have created an online module that uses the principles of active learning to facilitate student comprehension of this process. Our module contains instructional videos, practice problems and an interactive diagram. We implemented the module in an undergraduate biological clocks class at Vanderbilt University, where its use significantly improved students’ understanding of time compensated sun compass orientation as well as their ability to solve complex problems involving principles associated with this process

The Blended and Online Learning Design Fellows Program: Developing Teacher-Researchers in Communication Sciences and Disorders

Developing skills in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) represents an important gap in doctoral training in Communication Sciences and Disorders. This study describes the Blended and Online Learning Design Fellows Program (BOLD) as a model for infusing SoTL into doctoral studies and for teaching graduate students how to develop online instructional modules. We first describe the structure of the yearlong BOLD Program. We then provide a case example of the development and SoTL evaluation of an online instructional module on the topic of intentional communication. We conclude with a discussion regarding how our study results inform future instructional decisions and SoTL evaluations of instructional modules