Brian D. Strahm - Postdoctoral Associate, Cornell University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Teaching Philosophy and Experience 1:1 or 1,000:1? I believe that education in the sciences at large research universities can and should have student-to-teacher ratios of both types. There is little doubt that the most effective educational opportunities I have ever had came during times of individual instruction. Inevitably, these encounters rarely occur in the classroom, but rather during an office visit or accompanying the hands-on experience of laboratory and field work. In the context of student populations that reach into the tens of thousands at a given university, however, this approach to education only works with students that have already been attracted to a particular discipline. Recruitment of new students into the fold requires a different approach. Large introductory-level survey courses that expose vast portions of the undergraduate population to the fundamental concepts of a particular discipline can, and have, successfully served as such a tool. I am fortunate to have participated in the teaching and development of an internet-based “Introduction to Environmental Science” course at the University of Washington that had enrollments reaching nearly 1,000 students/quarter (mean enrollment >700 students over nine quarters). This class was not only successful at drawing students into an academic department for additional coursework, but in some cases into a new major within the department, allowing for more personal educational opportunities as their coursework continued to progress. The techniques used to initially appeal to students, however, will not always ensure their continued participation. The most important way to retain students is to develop a program that is both adaptive and engaging. As an extension of my experience with the large, internet-based “Introduction to Environmental Science” class, I have had the opportunity to utilize these same techniques as an instructor in the University of Washington’s Center for Learning and Undergraduate Enrichment (CLUE). By providing the opportunity for interaction in small group settings, and using that time to relate course material to regional and current events, the students were provided with a course that both reacted to their immediate needs and helped them identify more directly with the material. Similarly, I have also had the opportunity to develop a small, lecture-based version of the same class that involved the use of field trips to provide students with hands-on experience to illustrate course concepts. Such methods proved invaluable at maintaining student engagement throughout the quarter, as reflected in their course evaluations, and can similarly be used to ensure continued student involvement within an academic discipline as well. Please feel free to visit my class website for a better idea of my approach to introduce a broad topic to a broad audience: ESRM 100 (Summer 2007) - Introduction to Environmental Sciencehttp://soilslab.cfr.washington.edu/esrm100/http://soilslab.cfr.washington.edu/esrm100/http://depts.washington.edu/clue/index.phphttp://depts.washington.edu/clue/index.phpBrian_D._Strahm_-_Teaching_files/ESRM100%20Evaluation.pdfBrian_D._Strahm_-_Teaching_files/ESRM100%20Evaluation.pdfhttp://soilslab.cfr.washington.edu/ESRM100/2007Summer/shapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1shapeimage_1_link_2shapeimage_1_link_3shapeimage_1_link_4shapeimage_1_link_5shapeimage_1_link_6
Phone: 607.254.4286 Fax: 607.255.8088 Email: bds92@cornell.edumailto:bds92@cornell.edushapeimage_2_link_0
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Postdoctoral Associate

Cornell University, Department of

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

E343 Corson Hall

Ithaca, NY 14853