Dr. Eric J. Simon will present practical ways to promote and practice relevant skills in introductory courses, emphasizing process of science skills that will help all students.
Join Dr. Lourdes P. Norman-McKay to explore ways to shape students' STEM identity as a means of encouraging success and retention of underrepresented groups in STEM disciplines.
Join Dr. Justin R. St. Juliana for a presentation on online labs, including the pedagogy behind online biology labs, how to incorporate and implement them into your course, and how to keep your students engaged.
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Meet Greg Podgorski, author on Biological Science
What course(s) do/did you teach?
Greg: General Biology – Majors; General Biology – Nonmajors; Genetics; Developmental Biology; Microbiology
What is a challenge that you’re currently facing in the classroom? How did/do you try to overcome this challenge?
Greg: Helping students who struggle to understand biology. Additionally, increasing course structure.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned in the past few years regarding teaching biology?
Greg: The importance of focusing on clearly articulated learning objectives.
What is one best practice that you use that you think works well and you would want to share with others, whether it's in a classroom setting, working in groups, or working one-on-one with a new teaching technology?
Greg: Creating a course structure that encourages understanding biology for most students.
What are you most proud of in your career?
Greg: Hearing from students who have gone on to careers in biology, medicine, and related fields who have told me of the importance of courses I’ve taught.
In your opinion, what is higher education going to look like in the next two to three years?
Greg: Generative AI is likely to be transformative in positive and negative ways that are difficult to predict precisely.
The 8th Edition of Biological Science is being released this year. What excites you the most about this revision?
Greg: The suite of new features, particularly “Biology in Numbers,” coupled with the solid core of a text that illustrates what we know about biology and how that knowledge was gained.