Teaching

Natural Science: Biology is one of the several courses to fulfill a general education requirement for undergraduate non-science majors at The University of Akron. The University of Akron is an urban university and traditionally has a high minority and non-traditional student population. The total enrollment each semester was usually around 600 students, most of which were in their freshman year with an undeclared major. Graduate Teaching Assistants conducted the laboratory portion of the course and typical teaching load would consist of three sections per semester with roughly 30 students per section. Thus, over my tenure as instructor for the Natural Science: Biology Lab, I was responsible for approximately 500 students. In addition to laboratory instruction, I was asked to lecture to the entire class on several occasions.

Aquatic Ecology is offered to both undergraduate science majors and graduate students fall semester at The University of Akron. The course is designed to cover the abiotic conditions of aquatic habitats, the diversity and ecology of aquatic organisms, and the function of aquatic habitats. My role in the course was as instructor for the laboratory portion of the class. I was responsible for introducing the concepts and relating them to the topics discussed in the lecture portion of the course. I trained students in the current analytical techniques and instrumentation. While the class size was small (~ 15 students) the requirements for the laboratory portion were extensive. As instructor, I organized and helped lead field trips to nearby lakes (including a boat trip 5 miles into Lake Erie ). Student learning was assessed with practical examinations and the completion of a research paper. My duties also included helping students obtain and understand the relevant literature and critiquing initial drafts of their papers. 

Undergraduate students are required to take at least one 4-hour science course that includes laboratory experience. The Marine Environment I covers major topics in marine sciences: The fall course (MARS 1010) focused on physical ocean processes, general chemistry and geology. The class was at or near full enrollment (300) and a graduate laboratory assistants were responsible for three sections of 20 students each semester. My duties included introducing the lab (including how the exercises relate to the learning objectives) and assessing student understanding through weekly quizzes, periodic homework assignments and research papers. At least one of my students from the fall semester made and effort to enroll in one of my spring semester labs and three students expressed interest in majoring in Marine Sciences.

MARS 1020 is the second course in the Marine Environment series and is offered in the spring. This course concentrates on biology of marine organisms (from bacteria to fish), ecology, and environmental issues. Like MARS 1010, many students were majoring in business, social sciences and education and almost all were in their first or second year. Teaching responsibilities included three laboratory sections with approximately 20 students in each section. Like MARS 1010, we used multiple approaches to assess student mastery of the material, including weekly quizzes, periodic homework assignments and research papers. A designer fish assignment (described below) challenged the students to relate the morphological structure of fish to their habitat and behavior. 

Marine Biology (MARS 3450L) is an intensive class for Junior and Senior undergraduate science majors. The course requires completion of introductory biology and chemistry classes with lab sections. As a laboratory instructor, I am responsible for two laboratory sections (with 20 students each). My duties include introducing the material and relating exercises to the learning objectives. Students are assessed through weekly lab reports that summarize the concepts and their experiments results. Additionally, Teaching Assistants facilitate student-led discussion sessions. The course also includes a field trip to Sapelo Island, where students are introduced to the geology and biology of a coastal salt marsh.

• Responsible for approximate 650 students (both graduates and undergraduates) at two universities.

• Weekly quiz writing, administration, and grading.

• Short lectures explaining the lesson concept and linking the lab to the lecture themes.

• Assisting students with both laboratory and lecture material.

• Meeting and assisting students during office hours.

• Proctoring lecture exams.

Matt First's Teaching Portfolio