Recombinant Teaching: STEM Education Office Hours with Dr. Justin Shaffer
This is a call-in advice show for instructors, professors, TAs, and administrators in STEM higher education. Host Dr. Justin Shaffer, with over 13 years of experience teaching more than 10,000 students, answers listener-submitted questions on STEM pedagogy, student success, academic careers, and related topics. Each episode provides practical and actionable strategies to improve STEM education.
Episodes
STEM Course Design Series: Feedback, Reflection, and Iteration
In this final episode of the STEM Course Design Series, Justin discusses the importance of getting feedback on your teaching, reflecting on said feedback, and iterating to improve you and your students’ experiences and success. Just dives into student midcourse and end-of-course feedback, peer observation protocols, and keeping a teaching journal, and more.Here is an article Justin wrote discussin
STEM Course Design Series: Labs and Online Courses
We’ve covered how to handle traditional face-to-face classes, but how do you use structure in labs and online situations? In this episode of the STEM Course Design Series, Justin discusses how to use high structure in labs, online synchronous, and online asynchronous courses and just how important it is. Listen in for his thoughts on lab prep, online proctoring, breakout rooms, and more!Want to be
STEM Course Design Series: After-Class Homework and Practice
You've had students prepare before class, had a great lesson during class, but now what to do after class? In this episode of the STEM Course Design Series, Justin breaks down after-class homework, practice quizzes and exams, draft project assignments, and more.Want to be a part of the show? Submit a question!Check out Justin's book on High Structure Course Design to learn more about after-class h
STEM Course Design Series: In-Class Teaching and Engagement
How do you plan timing for a lesson, balance active learning with lecture, and get students engaged and excited to be in class? Listen to this episode of the STEM Course Design Series to get answers to these questions and more!Check out the lesson plan template here on Justin’s website.Here is a link to the DART decibel-analysis tool. And a link to the active learning meta-analysis paper by Scott
STEM Course Design Series: Pre-Class Reading and Assignments
What do you do when students don’t want to read before class? On this episode of the STEM Course Design Series, Justin breaks down the critical importance of pre-class reading and assignments and how to develop them do that your students actually do read before class.Check out the reading guide template and samples here. And check out Justin’s paper on the efficacy of reading guides.Want to be a p
STEM Course Design Series: Syllabus and Course Schedule
On today's episode in the STEM Course Design Series, Justin tackles the importance of the syllabus and the course schedule by looking at how to put them together, what to add to them, and how to handle them when things go awry (snow day!).Here is a link to the student-centered syllabus rubric tool developed by Michael Palmer and a link to the study on STEM syllabi from Brian Sato.Check out the syl
STEM Course Design Series: Choosing Course Materials
How do you pick course materials that are worth it for you and your students? In this episode of the STEM Course Design Series, Justin gives his advice and thoughts on this question through discussing the pros and cons of paid vs OER materials, how to use rubrics to choose a textbook and courseware, and what to think about with adopting AI tools for your courses.Check out the textbook and coursewa
STEM Course Design Series: Summative Assessment
In this episode of the STEM Course Design Series, Justin goes over the big picture of summative assessment design and how to make sure they are aligned to your learning objectives. Justin also discusses a few types of assessments including traditional quizzes and exams, group quizzes, and how to make your assessments authentic and gives examples of how he uses them in his STEM courses.Here is a re
STEM Course Design Series: Backward Design and Learning Objectives
As we continue on in the STEM Course Design Series, in this episode Justin gives an overview of the critical importance of starting your course design experience with learning objectives and backward design. Justin also discusses how to write SMART learning objectives, how to scale them up and down Bloom's taxonomy, the importance of both content- and skills-based LOs, and how to unpack LOs.Here i
STEM Course Design Series: Overview
In this episode Justin walks you through the basics of high structure course design, what it is, where it came from, and how to start thinking about designing or re-designing your own courses. This episode will serve as a foundation for future episodes in the series.Check out Justin's book on High Structure Course DesignCheck out Justin's card decks to help with course design and student learningH
STEM Course Design Series: Intro
This is an introduction to the forthcoming summer STEM course design podcast series! Listen in over the next two months to learn all about STEM course design and how to give your courses a strong foundation so that your students can have an outstanding experience.Want to be a part of the show? Submit a question!Learn how you, your department, or your institution can work with Justin to improve STE
How do I get my students to care about the topics in my class?
Taylor Darwin joins the show to talk with Justin about how to engage your students in the classroom – not necessarily about what to do in a typical 50 minute class, but rather how to engage them in the subject matter writ large (especially if it is a mandatory class that they have little interest in).Want to be a part of the show? Submit a question!Learn more about expectancy value theory here.Che
What is the best way to form student groups?
Justin is joined by SPECIAL GUEST HOST Kelsey Metzger Metzbertsel to answer an age-old question about the best way to form student groups! Justin was sure glad to have Kelsey as a group partner to work through this toughie!Want to be a part of the show? Submit a question!Kelsey Metzger – Dr. KJAM to her students – is a professor in the Center for Learning Innovation and the director of faculty dev
My students are resistant to active learning!
Justin is joined by Lauren Stoczynski to discuss the age-old question of how to handle student resistance when it comes to active learning and structured course design. While a tough nut to crack, I guarantee you won't face any resistance with enjoying this episode! :)Want to be a part of the show? Submit a question!Lauren Stoczynski is an assistant professor of biological and environmental scienc
How can we support students in service and community learning?
Brian Shmaefsky joins to show to share how he engages his students through community work and asks Justin how to do this in a way to match students interests and motivations. Listen in for some great examples of community-based learning that Brian is doing!Want to be a part of the show? Submit a question!Brian Shmaefsky is an environmental scientist who’s spent more over 30 years making complex ST
How can courses be designed to support neurodivergent learners?
Justin is joined by Christin Monroe to discuss how courses can be designed best to support neurodivergent learners. This is not Justin's area of expertise, so it was a good challenge to think through this idea together with Christin!Want to be a part of the show? Submit a question!Dr. Christin Monroe holds a PhD in Chemistry from Princeton University and is an Educational Research Associate at the
How can structure help everyone thrive in college STEM courses?
Jessamyn Neuhaus joins the show to ask Justin how adding structure to college STEM courses can help everyone, students and faculty alike, do better and feel like they belong. Lots of great tips and advice in this one!Want to be a part of the show? Submit a question!Jessamyn Neuhaus is Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning and Professor of Education at Syracuse University. Jessamyn holds
How do you help faculty who can't/won't use active learning?
Justin is joined by Kate Ireton Walker to answer Kate's question of how to approach faculty who are reluctant to using active learning in their courses.Want to be a part of the show? Submit a question!Kate Ireton Walker is a Biology Instructor at the University of Arkansas. Her teaching philosophy centers on innovative, student-centered learning strategies that advance science education initiative
STEM or STEAM? Does the "A" belong?
Justin is joined by Jane Harrington to figure out how the "A" (ART!) fits into STEM education.Want to be a part of the show? Submit a question!Jane Harrington, PhD, is a former microbiology professor and founder of MedMicroMaps, a company that provides XR gaming for STEAM experiences.https://www.linkedin.com/in/medmicromaps/https://www.medmicromaps.comLearn how you, your department, or your instit
How do I know if things in class are actually working?
Justin is joined by Eleanor Sayre to discuss how to tell whether something you do in class is working (or not). This is a nice short intro to SoTL and DBER!Want to be a part of the show? Submit a question!Dr. Eleanor Sayre (zaposa.com) is a physicist and learning scientist. She helps university faculty get started in education research and the scholarship of teaching and learning, including 1:1 c
How do I teach STEM students AND business students in the same class?
Justin is joined by Pankaj Mehrotra to figure out how to teach both health sciences and business students about biotechnology - in the same class!Want to be a part of the show? Submit a question!Pankaj Mehrotra is an instructor at the University of the People in Pasadena, CA. Check out Pankaj's publication on his biotechnology course here.Check out CourseSource where you can publish peer-reviewed
What are the foundational skills students need to succeed?
Justin is joined by Colleen Kelley to discuss the importance of foundational skills that lead to student success. What skill do you think they focus on? Hint: you just used that skill as you are perusing these show notes!Want to be a part of the show? Submit a question!Colleen Kelley, PhD, is a retired chemistry professor and current elementary school science teacher. You can learn more about her
How can I use high structure in an exercise physiology course? [International edition!]
Justin answers a question from a sports science faculty member in Portugal about how to apply evidence-based STEM education principles to an exercise physiology course.Want to be a part of the show?http://recombinanteducation.com/podcastOur question comes from João Paulo Brito at the Sport Sciences School of Rio Maior | Polytechnic Institute of Santarém, Portugal.ORCiD - 0000-0003-4357-4269 | CIEN
My students don't come to class prepared!
Justin answers a question from a biology faculty member about getting their students to prepare ahead of time for a flipped classroom. Could it be that the word "flipped" is contributing to the issue?Want to be a part of the show?http://recombinanteducation.com/podcastOur question comes from Shaun Martins who is a biology professor at Cabrillo College in California.https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsh
How can I use active learning in large classes?
Carter Moulton joins the show and Justin answers the question about how to help faculty use active learning in large classes. TLDR - yes, you can!! :)Want to be a part of the show?http://recombinanteducation.com/podcastCarter Moulton is a faculty developer at the Colorado School of Mines and the creator of the Analog Inspiration card deck.https://www.analoginspiration.ai/Listen to Carter on the Te
What to do about genAI? Ah!
Justin tackles a question about how to handle genAI with take-home assignments.Want to be a part of the show?http://recombinanteducation.com/podcastLearn how you, your department, or your institution can work with Justin to improve STEM education together.www.recombinanteducation.com
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