My approach to teaching is inherently intertwined with and influenced by my scholarship interests and background in learning and cognition. This leads me to implement evidence-based practices in the classroom and seek out opportunities to improve my teaching and learn about the most recent research in the field. A variety of techniques have been identified in the empirical literature that support learning, memory, and long-term consolidation of content, and these techniques are widely implemented in all of the courses I teach.
During my time at Agnes Scott, I have had the opportunity to teach a range of students, including majors and nonmajors, across all levels, in a variety of classes.
I regularly teach the following courses: Introductory Psychology: Biological Foundations and Cognitive Processes, Research Design and Methods, Animal Behavior, Animal and Human Learning, Professional Development in Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience, Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, Directed Research, and Honors Thesis.
Previously taught courses at Agnes Scott College: Global Gateways, Introductory Psychology: Development, Social Behavior, and Individual Differences, Applied Research Skills, and Research Statistics.
Teaching such a range of courses has allowed me to explore and develop specific elements of my teaching philosophy in varied class sizes and levels ranging from Summit courses to large introductory courses to small research capstones. Like many others, I also had the experience of shifting to online learning in 2020-21 which has continued to shape my teaching philosophy. Through all of this, I have identified several consistent themes that define my approach to teaching. I was also grateful to be nominated and receive the Vulcan Teaching Excellence Award for Agnes Scott College for the 2022-23 academic year.
Teaching Themes:
- Evolving and Adapting Teaching Strategies
- Providing a Challenging Learning Environment
- Working Together to Learn More
Evolving pedagogy
In my tenure review materials, I discussed my commitment to continuously evolving and adapting my teaching strategies to best fit our students and pedagogical practices. That commitment has perhaps never been more apparent than teaching through the Covid-19 Pandemic. Like most in Higher Education, I had to quickly adapt all of my courses to be online. While the workload of radically transforming in-person course content to an online format cannot be understated, this also necessitated a shift in the nature of the relationship between faculty and student. Although I’ve always been committed to ensuring the well-being of my students, this role took on greater depth as I felt the responsibility of caring for students and being a source of stability through an unpredictable time. I made many adjustments not only to the coursework itself, but also seeking opportunities for students to find connection to one another. On a personal note, all of this transition took place while also caring for three young children (ranging from 9 months to 4 years old at the start of the Pandemic) who were also suddenly without childcare. Because the effects you are having on the other side of a computer screen are so hard to assess, I will share quotes from students that amplify some of what I was trying to do during this time.
Student comments during Spring/Fall 2020:
Dr. Perdue was patient and kind with how she handled this course and the transition to online learning. She made fair choices that allowed the course to stay engaging without being overwhelming. (PSY480, Spring 2020)
Dr. Perdue is a wonderful professor. She does an amazing job explaining topics while keeping students engaged. She laid out the course clearly and has taken extra care to interact with her students during the online period, which has meant the world to me. (PSY207, Spring 2020)
Everything was thoroughly explained and written down so we could refer back to it. In the beginning, it took some time to get adjusted to the format but Dr. Perdue was especially effective in answering any questions and constantly seeking feedback to make things easier and more accessible. (PSY/BIO285, Fall 2020)
Professor Perdue actually adjusted the course to fit an online format, listened to our feedback, and answered any questions we had. She was by far the best online class I had. (PSY/BIO285, Fall 2020)
As stated previously, Professor Perdue adjusted very well to an online format and the fact that the vast majority of the time, she was teaching to a collection of black screens. She found ways to get us to connect with each other and the material at the same time, such as small group discussions or the concept map teams, made learning the material fun, and genuinely cared about our performance in the class. This was a really interesting class and I would definitely have her as a professor again! (PSY/BIO285, Fall 2020)
Out of all of the online courses that I’ve taken due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this course offered by Dr. Bonnie Perdue has been the MOST effective, accessible, and successful learning experience. I believe that Dr. Perdue deserves recognition for all of the hard work that she put into the modules – she organized weekly schedules and instructional videos that students could follow, and she was readily available to meet with students (she even designated Tuesday as a day for students to ask as many questions as they wanted on a collaborative Google doc!). Furthermore, with weekly check-ins through activities known as SEL (Socioemotional Learning Task), I felt that Dr. Perdue was an empathetic and thoughtful professor who actually considered the well-being of each and every one of her students. Despite the struggles that she might have faced this semester due to the pandemic, she still gave 110% of herself into this course and to her students. She was beyond accessible by offering closed captions for her LIVE lectures, sending weekly emails on the things that were due for the following days, and being flexible when students needed extra support. Furthermore, activities such as the Learning Teams were extremely effective because it allowed students to reconnect and not only talk about the weekly academic subject, but also check-in with each other and socialize, despite the distance. I loved how the structure of this course was planned out, because it honestly gave me an easy to follow schedule – which I desperately needed with this pandemic climate and lack of structure in my own work/study/personal life. I hope that other professors can follow in Dr. Perdue’s footsteps and take the time to make the virtual classroom an accessible, empathetic, and educational setting for all. Thank you for a wonderful semester. (PSY315, Fall 2020)
Many of the lessons I learned during the Pandemic were important for me to carry forward as the college transitioned back to in person learning. Although I remain committed to creating a challenging learning environment (see next theme), I also intentionally integrate elements of compassionate pedagogy into my classes. For example, I have modified syllabi to have more language to express excitement for material and breakdown perceived barriers between faculty and students. I also cultivate an environment of communication around issues beyond my explicit course content such as discussions of the importance of visiting office hours (which I have shifted to calling “Student-Faculty Conversation Hours”). Another element of compassionate pedagogy is to increase flexibility in my course design to support the whole student. One example of a shift I’ve made in the last few years is to allow two 72 hour grace periods per semester on the submission of work with no questions asked and no need to notify me. This creates little additional work for me and has not led to an increase in overall late submissions, but I’ve had many students express gratitude for the recognition that some additional space is needed and available.
Challenging and Engaging Learning Environment
I am firmly committed to providing an engaging and supportive environment, but one that also challenges each student to achieve their full potential. Research in the domain of cognition and learning leads to a number of practices that can benefit and enhance student learning.
One such practice that I initiated early in my teaching career, and continue today, is to begin each class with a quiz. Students often express resistance when first learning of the practice, but by the end of the semester, most students greatly appreciate the act. I do this for several reasons. It is an evidence-based practice with a growing scientific literature that supports the idea that retrieving, or trying to remember, information is the best way to learn it and retain it. Long-term retention is critically important to carrying the lessons learned in the classroom to whatever comes next for students. Frequent, low-stakes quizzing has been identified as a key way to achieve this. These quizzes occur each class meeting and are low stakes because they receive partial credit for simply being present and these quizzes do not make up a large portion of the overall grade. This technique establishes a need for completing reading assignments and reviewing previous material which I expect of all students. It also serves as a useful metric for students (and for me) to monitor their progress prior to exams or major assignments and to creates an opportunity to meet early and often to address any concerns. Finally, it allows me to draw a connection between previously covered material, reading assignments and what will be discussed. See student comment regarding attendance quizzes:
-We ALWAYS knew what to expect prior to each class meeting. There was no reason not to know. For example, we always had attendance quizzes (only 1 question, but you were able to get 2 points – 1 for correct answer, 1 for showing up to class). This quiz question would be based on whatever reading we were working on for that week. You had read the chapter in order to be prepared for the quiz. This was very scary at first but I was so surprised how frequently I would do well on these quizzes. (PSY315 – Cognitive Neuroscience)
I also set and adhere to high expectations for the quality of work produced in each class. Over the years, I have created and adapted various rubrics for course assignments to fully align student expectations of workload with my own expectations of what should be produced. In addition, I have worked to break down papers into smaller components to allow students the chance to fully develop their ideas with feedback from myself and peers. I have also implemented a scaffolded approach to writing research papers across several courses. My courses now require a number of smaller assignments to be completed across the semester. They begin with a single research article citation and annotation. Then they create an annotated bibliography, followed by a synthesis matrix that identifies common themes across their annotations. Finally, we use this to create a research paper outline and paper that moves beyond simple summarization of articles and creates a more synthesized and cohesive final paper.
Another consistent finding in the realm of learning and memory research is that one can improve later recall of information by spacing out studying over multiple, temporally distinct instances. Based on this finding, I build many opportunities for “spaced practice” in my classes. By doing so, students are better able to solidify that knowledge for the long-term and develop skills more effectively. For example, in a new course created in 2021 (PSY208-Applied Research Skills), we intentionally integrated spaced and repeated experience into practice. We designed the course so that students would repeat the same series of learning three times across the semester. First, they learn about survey research, then correlational, and finally experimental. For each of these sections, they produce portions of an APA style paper with each iteration building in a new skill. This repeated and spaced practice helps to prepare students for success in their capstone research course.
Working Together to Learn More
The professor undoubtedly plays a critical role in establishing the classroom environment, but I believe even more meaningful learning experiences can be developed when instructors expand beyond the unidirectional transfer of knowledge model. Not only do I learn a great deal from my students, but there is also great value and importance in the role that peers play towards one another in the learning process. My policies and assignments are geared towards challenging students, but I also try to create a classroom environment that allows students to support one another. By creating this type of community in the classroom and incorporating elements of universal design, students begin to work together and become active agents in learning, rather than more passive recipients of knowledge.
Working in a group is an important skill for students to acquire during college and provides an excellent way to enhance learning. Students often find groupwork challenging, but with the right support and tools, it can be an enriching and important experience. In my introductory courses, I frequently have students reflect on a question individually, then discuss in a smaller group, and then discuss as a whole class. This gives each student a chance to develop confidence in expressing her thoughts and getting feedback from others without the pressure of necessarily having to speak to the whole room. As courses become more advanced, groupwork becomes a formal part of the graded course, often in the form of a semester-long project. However, to provide support for the process, I have each group create a contract at the beginning of the semester that outlines schedules, division of responsibility, expectations, and ramifications of failing to meet expectations. Students have a clear idea of what is expected from group members and this has made groupwork far more productive as they learn to rely on one another and clearly communicate expectations and feedback.
In December of 2021, I attended a professional development workshop on Problem- and Project-Based Learning at Agnes Scott. Following this workshop, I created a new assignment for my Cognitive Neuroscience course. Students work in a group to identify a “brain-enhancing product” that is marketed to consumers. For example, cognitive training apps, essential oils, CBD, and brain stimulation helmets. Many of these do have some origin in neuroscience research, but the marketing promises far outweigh the established efficacy. After choosing a topic, students first review the literature individually to determine what the actual research supports in terms of the beneficial effects of these practices. Then students are grouped with others who have the same interest to identify a specific problem within their topic to try to create a solution for their specific problem. They might try to address the lack of education or knowledge on a topic, they might address the ethical considerations, or they might take on issues related to inequitable access to these products. Students have generated a variety of solutions ranging from information pamphlets, mock apps, and consumer rating guides. The problem space and the solution space are left very open for students to define, and this has yielded some really remarkable projects. It has been an effective way to take disciplinary content and engage with it in a broader context that connects to capitalism, accessibility, scientific literacy, and ethics. They also practice group skills in a more open, exploratory learning environment. I still provide regular check-ins and opportunities for reflection on the groupwork process itself to ensure that it is overall an enriching experience to work with others in this way.
Overall, I am grateful for the opportunity to teach as a profession and hope that my practice ultimately engenders learning, confidence, and growth in each of my students.
