Professors Talk Pedagogy

Michelle Herridge: STEM and Beyond

Today our guest is Dr. Michelle Herridge, post-doctoral fellow in stem education with the Academy for Teaching and Learning at Baylor University. Dr. Herridge has earned her PhD at the University of Arizona in chemistry with a minor in teaching and teacher education. She has worked in discipline-based education research since 2013 and has a BS in chemistry and a BS in sociology from Clemson University and an MS in chemistry from Missouri State University. Her research explores assessment and instructional practices, primarily in chemistry education and professional development for graduate teaching assistants and new faculty. She has taught in a variety of courses including Baylor Interdisciplinary Core’s Natural World Sequence, a science and integration course for pre-service teachers. We are delighted to have Dr. Herridge on the show to discuss recent developments in discipline-based education research, what excites stem college instructors, and what it's like to teach outside your area of expertise.

Affordable Course Materials Fellows

Today our guests are Drs. Amy Fleming (lecturer in music theory), Andrea Shepherd (Clinical Instructor at Louise Herrington School of Nursing), and Karenna Malavanti (returning guest and senior lecturer in psychology and neuroscience) at Baylor University. All three of our guests are recent fellows in Baylor’s Summer Affordable Course Materials Program, which offers Baylor faculty the opportunity to re-evaluate their course materials with an eye toward replacing required course materials with low- to zero-cost materials, such as open educational resources or OERs, in order to reduce the per-class costs for our students. We are delighted to have Drs. Fleming, Malavanti, and Shepherd on the show to discuss the inspiration, challenges, and impact of adopting, adapting, or creating affordable course materials.

Kelly Jo Hollingsworth: Giving Students Your Best

Today our guest is Dr. Kelly Jo Hollingsworth, assistant professor of Elementary Music Education in the School of Music at Baylor University. In addition to her teaching in higher education, Dr. Hollingsworth has 17 years of teaching experience in early childhood and elementary school settings and worked with over 60 university students as lab students or interns in her classroom. Recently, Dr. Hollingsworth was recognized as Outstanding Faculty in teaching at Baylor. We are delighted to have Dr. Hollingsworth on the show to discuss the pedagogy of music, teaching future teachers, helping students take notes, what performing at Disney’s Magic Kingdom has to do with teaching, and much more.

Becca Cassady: Successful Teaching Philosophy Statements

Today, our guest is Dr. Becca Cassady, Graduate Writing Center program director at Baylor University. Dr. Cassady holds a PhD in rhetoric and composition from Baylor, with a dissertation exploring the ways writing consultants draw on prior knowledge when facing unfamiliarity in tutoring sessions. In her research, Dr. Cassady aims to identify ways to help writers and writing consultants approach writing as a subject to be studied and understood. In her current role, she directs a team of graduate writing consultants from across disciplines as they work with students on their writing and publications, offering feedback on writing projects and helping foster effective writing and publication habits. We are delighted to have Dr. Cassady on the show to discuss one growing area of her consultation work with graduate students: crafting teaching philosophy statements.

Mikeal Parsons: Faith Traditions and Teaching

Today, our guest is Dr. Mikeal Parsons, Professor and Macon Chair in Religion at Baylor University. Dr. Parsons is a New Testament Scholar specializing in the Gospels and the book of Acts through the lens of rhetoric and literary criticism. Author or editor of over 30 books, Dr. Parsons has served as co-director of a Wabash grant for graduate student teaching. More recently, Dr. Parsons is a co-Principle Investigator on another Wabash-funded teaching project focusing on Pedagogical Practices and Faith traditions. We are delighted to have Dr. Parsons on the show to discuss graduate student training in teaching, the implications of religious backgrounds for teaching, and much more.

Nicole Kenley: A Different Way to Assess Writing

Today, our guest is Dr. Nicole Kenley, lecturer and director of first-year writing in the English department at Baylor University. Dr. Kenley researches detective fiction, contemporary American fiction, gender studies, and the literature of globalization. Recently awarded a University Teaching Exploration Grant, Dr. Kenley is piloting and researching the effectiveness of portfolio assessment for first-year writing courses. We are delighted to have Dr. Kenley on the show to discuss the pedagogy of writing, training writing instructors, grading and assessment of student writing, and much more.

Mojgan Parizi-Robinson: Learning Assistants in the Classroom

Today our guest is Dr. Mojgan Parizi-Robinson, senior lecturer and director of the Learning Assistants program in Biology at Baylor University. Dr. Parizi-Robinson’s research focuses on intracellular signaling and pathways in wound healing and cancer. In addition to teaching human anatomy lecture and lab courses, she teaches a pedagogy course for biology learning assistants. This year (2022), Dr. Parizin Robinson was the recipient of the Collins Outstanding Professor award. We are delighted to have Dr. Parizi-Robinson on the show to discuss the role of struggle in learning, flipping her course, and teaching undergrads to help other students learn.

Trey Cade: Science as a Mystery Novel

Today our guest is Dr. Trey Cade, Director of the Institute for Air Science at Baylor University. Dr. Cade came to academia after serving in the U.S. Air Force, specializing in weather and space. In 2015, Dr. Cade was selected as Baylor Fellow, a program recognizing gifted teachers and devoted to pedagogical experimentation. We are delighted to have Dr. Cade on the show to discuss teaching complex science to non-science majors, using history to teach science concepts, and more.