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.
