Hi everyone! My name is Yasmin, and I am a second-semester sophomore in the Frederick Honors College. I am in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences majoring in Neuroscience and Economics with a minor in Chemistry and a certificate in Conceptual Foundations of Medicine. I am from Altoona, Pennsylvania which is about two hours outside of Pitt. One of my passions outside of my schoolwork is learning languages and traveling – I am fluent in French and Farsi and have been working on Italian and Spanish for some time now!
During my freshman year, Honors Introduction to Biology I and II taught by Dr. Swigonova, posed one of the greatest challenges in my academic career and because of that I was left with a profound understanding and passion for the subject. The course itself often expanded beyond normal introductory material and the span of new vocabulary was at times overwhelming. Through experience, I found that the best way to learn and retain these scientific terms was to create concept maps which allowed me to make connections between terms. Another effective learning method I used when studying for cumulative exams was vertical integration which entails mixing concepts from all chapters, regardless of chronology to ensure that I genuinely had a grasp on the topics.
My CUTF project aims to enhance student’s learning and retention through helping students to consolidate definitions after lectures and to conceptually sort out terms based on their relationships to each other. In collaboration with Dr. Swigonova, I have been creating TopHat exercises for the students to fill out concept maps for every week of lecture material such that they may make cross-chapter conceptual associations. I have also been creating exercises for students to match terms to their definitions, specifically including terms I have observed being confused in class as well as in my personal experience. As the content begins to accumulate, especially before the final, I will make vertical integration TopHat exercises using especially confounding terms from a wide range of chapters.
I feel that this project is important because it provides students with a platform to an online study guide that they may access after the week of lectures. The exercises will allow them to concretely organize the vast amount of conceptual material in the course, as well as helping them to identify points of weakness or confusion.
My ultimate passion is healthcare, and I am currently on the Pre-Medicine track, however through my time as a UTA for Honors Biology I have been introduced to the world of teaching which is a genuinely enjoyable experience. The feeling of seeing a student’s confusion fall away or to watch a concept to “click” in someone’s mind is truly wonderful. With CUTF I hope to significantly augment the students’ learning experiences and further explore my newfound excitement for teaching.
