Testimonials

“What I got out of the fellowship was the training I desired, in addition to the networking and support that were crucial to making me a more effective and confident instructor.”
—Lara Goudsouzian

“Interacting with other experienced educators using student-centered approaches at a diversity of institutions reinforces the realization that higher education is undergoing a sea change, from being a place that delivers teaching to a place where student learning and development occurs. And that’s exciting.”
—Kelsey Metzger

“Before PALM, I had very little experience with small colleges and the types of students that attend them. With the fellowship, I was able to deepen my relationship with a teaching mentor at a nearby college, and we designed a course-based undergraduate research experience around my own research (which was an incredible opportunity for any professor, let alone a postdoc). This experience has made me a more confident teacher, and I know it will strengthen my application when I enter the job market.”
—Teresa Lee

I applied because I had been asked to implement a learning assistant (LA) program and I had absolutely no idea how to do it. The resources and connections provided by the PALM network were invaluable in helping me learn how I should be training LAs at Baylor and in helping to support the Baylor LA program through facilitating connections into other professional societies. These connections have helped me refine and improve our program much beyond the scope of our initial project. Additionally, it has provided a new avenue of discipline-based education research for me, and my PALM mentor is now my research mentor and collaborator. I would highly recommend participating in the PALM network as the benefits you receive from participating in the program are far more than what you can think of or imagine.”
—Michael Moore

“I applied to be a mentor because I was really excited about the collaborative teaching opportunity that the program offered. I was happy to share what I knew about using animation and video to model biological processes, and enjoyed the opportunity we both had to explore the pedagogical research and work together to design a new long-term assignment that would solidify student learning.”
—Le Pauliulis

“I applied for the PALM grant so that I would have the opportunity to learn from experts on active learning through immersion and really see it in action at my mentor’s campus. An unexpected bonus is my awesome relationship with my mentor who is always willing to be a sounding board and a supportive listener, while also helping me see bumps in the road before I get to them. I have redesigned our major’s biology course with great success, and look forward to expanding into other classes at our campus. Involvement with the PALM program has been a positive influence in my development, and made all the difference in the successful expansion of active learning in the biology program where I teach.”
—Ami Wangeline

“Utilizing active learning techniques in the classroom in alignment with Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education was always something that I wanted to do, but I just didn’t know how. Through the PALM network, I have been able to form a collaboration with a fabulous mentor who has successfully transformed her classrooms to this model. Not only have I learned a lot about incorporating these activities into my classroom, but it has also allowed me to meet other amazing biology professors and take new ideas back to my home institution.”
—Calli Versagli

“There is a lot of information out there on effective pedagogy in the sciences. PALM was an opportunity to be mentored by someone, locally, who has navigated some teaching strategies and successfully implemented them in classes. PALM also exposed me to a network of colleagues with a shared interest in student learning. Overall, it is a great learning experience to discuss biology and teaching with faculty from other institutions.”
—Jason Chan

“The PALM Fellowship gave me the resources and connected me to the expertise I needed to develop my own active teaching and learning practice and become a better educator. The fellowship helped me develop relationships with like-minded colleagues and be part of a community of inclusive, evidence-driven practitioners.”
—Stephanie Levi Blumer