Teaching and Mentorship

I employ evidenced based practices in the education of undergraduate students both individually, through research mentorship, and in the classroom. I aim to empower students as scientists from day one while remaining flexible in both pedagogy and one-on-one time to meet students where they are. I love this work and hope to do more of it during my postdoctoral work and beyond.

Robbie teaching ECOL 1000

Recent Teaching Experiences

Population Biology of Infectious Diseases - TA and Lab Coordinator
Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia
Spring 2021
  • Led lab sessions including both mathematical/computational exercises and paper discussions
  • Adapted previously in-person content to an online format
  • Redesigned and implemented online rubrics using eLC/d2L

Ecology - Teaching Assistant and Instructor of Record
Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia
Spring 2021
  • Led hybrid in-person/online lab sessions
  • Coordinated activities of primarily asynchronous students
  • Taught fundamentals of data management and analysis in excel and scientific writing

Biological Inquiry - Lead Instructor
Department of Biology, Oglethorpe University
Spring 2020
  • Developed lectures and activites for 2 90 minute class periods per week
  • Implemented and oversaw 4 student-directed inquiry-based lab modules
  • Redesigned entire course to be taught online mid-semester using a combination of interactive asynchronous and synchronous tools

A fortuitous chain of events led me to take on the role of Instructor of Biology at Oglethorpe University in Spring 2020. While I feared I would be in over my head I found myself supported by a fantastic team in Biology and in the sciences more generally at Oglethorpe. I saw this as a first opportunity to implement some of the active learning and evidenced based teaching practices I had studied. With only a few weeks to prepare for the semester I chose to focus on interspersing short lectures with collaborative exercises. These exercises mere meant to help students develop their critical thinking and understanding of biological principles while also emphasizing their identity as practicing scientists even as early undergrads.
This semester also saw the rapid transition to online learning that we all experienced in the Spring of 2020. As my students found themselves across the country and with inconsistent access to internet and quiet study space I transitioned the course to a largely asynchronous format utilizing a mix of technologies including Moodle, Voicethread, and good old YouTube. But after a week I heard from a number of students that they were struggling to learn in this format and were missing the normalcy and rhythm of meeting twice a week. For the remainder of our time I transitioned to a "hybrid" format in which I prepared the same asynchronous course material and also hosted a synchronous class where I went through the asynchronous materials with students and led "in-person" discussions in place of the moodle boards and VoiceThread discussions.
While it was quite a whirlwind, it was also an extremely meaningful experience for me and confirmed my interest in seriously pursuing undergraduate teaching. I am supremely indebted to both my colleagues at Oglethorpe, and my students for their support and patience during such a challenging semester.

Field Program in Environmental Problem Solving - Teaching Assitant
Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia
May 2019
  • Developed and implemented group based synthesis projects to improve student engagement with environmental stakeholders
  • Advised students and managed student experiences in a travel intensive study-away course
  • Facilitated positive and educational interactions between students and environmental stakeholders

This teaching gig had me driving a large passenger van all over the state of Georgia as students met with stakeholders in the Georiga-Alabama-Florida water wars. As a disease ecologist by training, water resources and environmental policy is pretty far outside my comfort zone...meaning I learned just as much as, if not at times more than, the undergrads in the course. As the TA my role was primarily to support the students and the 2 awesome faculty members developing and leading the class. It was really a masterclass in flexible and resilient teaching and I learned so much about how courses can be carefully yet radically altered while keeping core objectives in view. I found my niche in connecting with and supporting the students in the course, taking the many casual conversations in our many hours a day together as informal mentorship opportunities. While I did work with faculty to develop and lead synthetic concept map and graphical abstract design it was really these personal connections and chats about majors, career aspirations, and science, that I found most rewarding.