For the last decade, I’ve been an educator in Higher Education. I’ve taught Anatomy & Physiology, General Biology, Pathophysiology, and various similar courses as an Instructor and as an Assistant Professor. In that time, I created online and on ground course content for every course I taught. I also participated in committee work and volunteering. I chaired the Platt Faculty Organization for the 2017-2018 academic year, as well as creating the “New Cohort Care” Initiative, which strove to improve student retention by identifying at-risk students, and providing them with additional resources. I chaired the inaugural Sciences Discipline Committee for the state of Connecticut in Spring of 2024. As the first ever chair for this council, I established protocols and best practices. I led work that lead to improvements in curriculum standards and guidelines for the State of Connecticut Community College system. I was the Subject Lead for Anatomy & Physiology for four years. This was a leadership position that included hiring, training, and setting standards for adjuncts professors in my department.
While teaching, I prioritize clear communication and organization of content.
Lately I have been studying Instructional Design practices, including Adult Learning Theory, TiLT, and other accessibility standards. Here is a sample learning module, created with Articulate Storyline:
Below is the typical format I used to didactic courses. The emphasis is on consistency, organization, and clarity.
| Title | Description | Notes: |
| Learning Objectives | Learning objectives should be downloaded and read first | LOs should always be specific and start with ‘action’ words. “Know x” is not a good action word. It is too vague. |
| Powerpoint | Powerpoint should be downloaded and ideally printed/uploaded to a note taking app before lecture | Some images are copyright McGraw Hill Connect |
| Lecture part 1 | Ideally, lectures are partitioned into short videos | Some images are copyright McGraw Hill Connect |
| Lecture Part 2 | Videos should be divided by topic | Some images are copyright McGraw Hill Connect |
| Worksheet/ assessment | The worksheet and any formal assessments should be consistent with all materials in this module |
I created many entirely original lectures to address issues I saw in standard lecture formatting.
I also created some physical models for lab in response to issues related to anatomy comprehension. When I see an issue, I like enjoy using my creative skills to find solutions.
