The May 3rd DOLCE began with Dr. Laci Gerhart-Barley’s (Department of Evolution and Ecology) presentation on “Integrating Online Citizen Science Tools in College Courses.” Dr. Laci Gerhart-Barley, a recent recipient of the ASUCD (Associated Students, University of California, Davis) Excellence in Education Award, shared her experience as a Sacramento region coordinator for the City Nature Challenge. Students in her class participated in the City Nature Challenge and were proud to discover that they contributed over 75% of observations in the Davis township! Before her class, a majority of her students had never used iNaturalist. Her talk illustrates an effective way of scaffolding the introduction of new technologies to promote student learning and engagement.

Dr. Amanda Crump, Department of Plant Sciences, also joined us to discuss her recent research on critical thinking and flipped classrooms. Crump argues that flipping her own classroom and stepping away from the podium allowed her to better understand student perspectives. Her talk provides a thoughtful example of not only integrating reflection into classroom activities to support authentic and meaningful student learning, but also integrating self-reflection into one’s teaching practices.