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Strand Named Ohio Project Kaleidoscope STEM Educator of the Year

WOOSTER, Ohio � Stephanie Strand, associate professor of biology at ������˾��, was selected as the , an award honoring her excellent and innovative teaching practices among other attributes, as announced at the fifth annual Ohio-PKAL Conference on May 18.
Ohio-PKAL is a regional network of an American Association of Colleges & Universities (AACU) initiative by the same name. PKAL, founded in 1989, is an organization focused on transforming undergraduate STEM teaching and learning by �empowering an extensive network of faculty and administrators committed to the principles, practices, and partnerships that advance cutting-edge, integrative STEM higher education for all students,� according to the AACU website.
Strand was �shocked� to receive the honor because she �doesn�t think what (she does) is extraordinary� and simply wants to provide �students the very best experience possible.� That guiding principle has led to a constantly evolving teaching style, instead of the familiar patterns some faculty revert to, in hopes of reaching her vision of students �being invested in their education and taking ownership of what they�re learning.�
Strand�s innovative pedagogy practices include �building community among the students� and �giving students a lot of choice in what they�re doing in class.� Her classes frequently include small group work (rather than lengthy lectures), which creates a level of comfort and support for all students and ultimately leads to engaging peer discussions and what she calls �active learning.� She also helps facilitate learning by offering students� options whether in assignments, reading topics, or even tests in an attempt �to tap into their personal interest about a subject.�
�Often during assignments, they have a choice of things to read or questions to answer, where I tell them to go out and do a little research on something that interests them from the article. I�m starting to teach in a module format, so I give students a list of different topics that we could potentially cover in class. And on exams, I�ve always built in an opportunity for students to have a choice in the kind of questions they answer, thinking that everybody has interests and strengths in what they learn. I really want students to showcase what they�ve learned,� Strand further explained.
As a passionate advocate for best practices in teaching, Strand intentionally shares her ideas not only within her department, but across campus. She co-leads a weekly faculty discussion group, in which they seek out ways �to help students feel more included and to grasp the information and make it relevant in their lives.�
Strand also does a lot within the local community, serving as a mentor at Expanding Your Horizons and , a pair of summer conferences promoting the interest of science to middle-school girls, and helping organize the ������˾�� Science Café, an annual series of lectures about scientific topics of interest to the general public.
Strand, whose own research interests as a microbiologist focuses on how microorganisms interact with the host organism that they might be on or in, doesn�t think this award would have been possible without ������˾���s passionate, thoughtful students. �I think it�s my students that made me a better teacher. Watching and listening to what they say and making changes every year, and trying something new, then watching and listening again, and making modifications. I really am the teacher I am because of them,� she said.

Posted in Faculty, News on June 5, 2019.