Discover the techniques and practices of outstanding teachers at UBC

Dr. Joanne Fox

Professor of Teaching, Michael Smith Laboratories and Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Vantage One Program, SCIE113 First-Year Seminar in Science

Why did you choose this slide?

I chose a picture because I don’t use slides in my class. My class is a first-year seminar where student discussion and other student-centred learning activities drive the content.

What are you aiming to convey with it?

This picture shows students at the centre, and it shows me in the background (as a facilitator and guide of learning). Students learn from each other and from engaging in the learning environment that we have carefully constructed. It also shows first-year science students doing peer review of each other’s writing.

How do you think it contributes to student learning?

We have shown (and published) how this unique first-year seminar results in significant learning gains – in first-year science students writing skills and their ability to construct their own evidence-based arguments.

View Dr. Joanne Fox’s one-minute presentation on their teaching practice.