The CUTF semester is coming to a close! This semester has taught me so much, especially about how hard our teachers work to help further our learning. I have spent countless hours designing my model, let alone printing and gluing together all 40 sets of the model, on top of writing the in-class activity that my students would use. The sheer amount of work and manhours devoted to this have given me a deep appreciation for anyone who has designed educational materials – it’s hard work! But worth every second.
My model of the retinal circuitry (pictured here) was presented to Dr. Fanselow’s Functional Neuroanatomy class on Friday, November 3rd. I gave a brief presentation on what the project is and how to use it. We handed out the activity that I wrote, and the other TAs, Dr. Fanselow, and I circled the room, answering questions as they arose. It was extremely nerve-wracking, but every bit of confusion that my students faced was exactly what I wanted them to be confused by and learn through! I’m so happy that it worked, and it was better than imagined. I have received feedback from many students, and every student has said how helpful it was, and that they did better on the exam testing this material than they could have anticipated. Hearing back from these students has been extremely rewarding, as they are who I was doing it all for!
The biggest thing I learned from this experience (besides highlighting the importance of time management) was how much work is put into even a small tool that is used once a semester. Dr. Fanselow has several other 3D models that are used in a similar way during her Functional Neuroanatomy class, and as a student, I never could have appreciated the amount of labor that went into creating these models. Now I do. I also realized that it never really felt like work – it was my passion project all semester, and I’m sorry to see that it is complete. I learned a lot about how a student learns in the classroom and how best to design materials or an activity to promote student learning. As a peer tutor with the Study Lab, I am accustomed to catering to an individual student’s learning styles, but doing so to a classroom full of different students who are helped or confused by different things is a completely new skillset, which I will continue to develop moving forward.
Looking towards next semester, I will expand on the work I’ve done this semester with the CUTF; Dr. Fanselow and I will continue to work together to create educational materials for Neuroanatomy students. My experience this semester has provided me with a great foundation for continuing my growth in how best to promote student learning in a lecture hall. My time with the CUTF has taught me so much and has been extremely fulfilling. My project is one of the coolest things I’ve ever done, and I am so excited to continue to build on the foundation that my work with the CUTF laid. This is Lia, signing off!