CoSCIES Fellows are a multidisciplinary community of teachers who use the scholarship of teaching and learning to improve their evidence-based instructional practices in their classrooms. They use science to move teaching pedagogy forward.
Meet our CoSCIES Fellows
CoSCIES Program Leaders
KC Walsh
Provost’s Faculty Scholar for Teaching Excellence
Department of Physics
Bio: I consider myself equal part educator and education researcher. It was not always this way. I graduated with my PhD in Physics studying condensed matter theory. As a TA in graduate school, I fell in love with teaching. Upon graduation I decided to focus on it as it felt more fulfilling than research. After years of teaching I realized that I still possessed an innate curiosity to study the world and was looking for a creative outlet. In 2015 I decided it was time to make a huge curricular change with my class – I was going to completely flip the classroom – and that presented a unique opportunity to study the change. I was very concerned that students would not watch the required “pre-lecture” videos before class, which free up time for problem solving and critical thinking in class. That year I got my first grant where I received modest funds to create a data collection tool to study students’ engagement with pre-lecture videos and reading. The following year a unique opportunity arose in the COS to perform Action Research with the Enhancing STEM (ESTEME) Group. The spark from that initial grant, combined with a new community based around evidence-based instructional practices (EBIPs) and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), paved a clear path for sustained growth in both the quality of my teaching, and the expansion of my career into research. Six years later I’ve had 4 research fellowships, received 8 grants, built a nationally recognized quantitative physics education research group, completely redesigned introductory physics to adhere to modern EBIPs, designed and implemented a completely innovative and highly successful Ecampus intro physics sequence, and won the highest teaching award for faculty in their first 10 years at OSU. All of this was possible because of the agency I received being part of a community centered on EBIPs and SoTL. I want others to have the opportunities I had that's why I created CoSCIES with Devon Quick.
Learn more about KC
Devon Quick
Ben and Elaine Whiteley Faculty Scholar for Teaching Excellence
Department of Integrative Biology
Bio: Ultimately, my professional goal is to cultivate outstanding learning opportunities for both learners and teachers as their authentic selves wherever learning and teaching occur. I attempt to realize this goal working directly with students and colleagues as well as within institutional structures at OSU.
I implement evidence-based practices in my courses (backwards design, high structure, active learning, authentic assessments, and frequent formative feedback) and rigorously assess the impact of my interventions through analysis of student learning gains on assessments, course success rates, and student attitudes. Regarding student attitudes, I investigate their feelings towards the course and discipline, as well as their identity as scientists. As the lead organizer of the Learning Assistant Program, I also apply these same principles to my work with Learning Assistants (LAs), investigating science identity changes over time in our LAs and Biology students. I have presented these findings at several conferences since 2014.
As the leader of several faculty development efforts (Learning Assistant Program, HHMI InclusiveExcellence@OSU, SUMMIT-P grant), I seek to foster inclusive and evidence-based teaching approaches in all courses at OSU. In addition, in my work with the Faculty Senate Advancement of Teaching Committee, I led the work to re-examine what it means to teach well at OSU. Specifically, I organized a large, cross-campus group to investigate and make recommendations to change the ways in which teaching is evaluated at OSU (student evaluation of teaching, peer review, and dossier/teaching portfolio). The group’s final report articulated that any evaluation of teaching should be based on a shared set of values about teaching and learning that are also grounded in evidence-based practices, the Quality Teaching (QT) Framework.
Through the proposed CoSCIES project, I will foster evidence-based faculty practices linked to student success, empower my colleagues to grow and learn through SoTL, and help others become leaders.
Learn more about Devon
CoSCIES Fellows | Fall 2022 - Spring 2023
Kate Shay
Project: Aligning the General Biochemistry Series
Biochemistry & Biophysics
Phil McFadden
Project: Aligning the General Biochemistry Series
Biochemistry & Biophysics
Nathan Kirk
Project: Effect of departmental CUREs on student fear of failure and scientific identity
Integrative Biology
Staci Bronson
Project: Efficacy of Using Virtual 3D Models to Learn Physical Objects
Integrative Biology
Linda Bruslind
Project: Injecting inquiry-based exercises in General Microbiology lab
Microbiology
Bio: Throughout my teaching career I have utilized innovative pedagogy to enhance student learning in ways that benefit all types of learning styles. I frequently employ scholarly teaching, drawing upon the knowledge and experience of others and their evidence-based practices to continually improve and refine my own teaching methods and techniques.
I am excited to explore the realm of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) within a like-minded group of colleagues, as a mechanism to enhance and enrich my teaching abilities and the experiences that I provide to my students. I am also looking forward to sharing the results with others, to contribute to the body of knowledge regarding teaching and learning.
Allison Evans
Project: Injecting inquiry-based exercises in General Microbiology lab
Microbiology
Andrew Bouwma
Project: Efficacy and Student Acceptance of Peer Review in Introductory Biology
Integrative Biology
The goal of our project is be to assess the ability of students to identify bones and bony landmarks learned through digital 3D models through an hands-on practical exam. To do this work, students would be given the unlabeled digital 3D models and a list of bones and bony landmarks to identify. As with the in-person lab, they would use their resources to identify the bones and their landmarks and practice identifying them. Resources include applications, images, internet searches, anatomy text books and atlases. After several weeks of practice, students would then be invited to take a practical exam using the physical bones. We hope to provide evidence for or against the use of virtual 3D modeling as a tool for learning physical objects.
Lindsay Biga
Project: Using Digital 3D Models to Learn Physical Objects
Integrative Biology
Farid Bouya
Project: Effectiveness of Question-Based Teaching in Math
Mathematics
Friends of CoSCIES
Friends of CoSCIES are people who engage with the program and contribute through expertise, shared learning, and sense of community.
Regan Gurung
Professor and Director, General Psychology Program
regan.gurung@oregonstate.edu
Liz Gire
Physics Professor
liz.gire@oregonstate.edu
