With less than two weeks remaining in the Spring 2022 semester, my project mentor, Dr. Scott Nelson, and I are wrapping up the UHC Organic Chemistry II Case Study Supplement and working with students to prepare for their final examination. We are also reflecting on the integration of the Case Study Supplement with the course…
Category: Chancellor’s Undergraduate Teaching Fellowship
Teaching as Learning: Patchworked Aspirations
Pieces of work aren’t always about perfection—sometimes, they’re about practice, problem-solving, and learning the processes. Before this experience, I understood teaching as something instructors did to convey information. My previous understanding was two-dimensional and lackluster. After spending more time analyzing Dr. Lotz’s teaching style, diagnosing my own, and putting together a lesson plan for a…
CUTF Update: A Lesson In Student Discussion
Over the past two and a half months, Professor Shannon Reed and I have worked together to reshape the Readings In Contemporary Fiction course. Together, we have added two new readings from author V.E. Schwab: The Near Witch and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. My intention in adding these readings was twofold: first, I…
CUTF Learning Through Teaching: Carrying On With the Case Study
As a member of the high school Class of 2020, my transition to college was anything but smooth and typical. I drove through a parking lot for graduation, gave a valedictory address from my living room, and spent my first year at the University of Pittsburgh at home, 212 miles away from the Cathedral of…
Together We Are Stronger Than the Sum of Our Parts (A Chancellors Undergraduate Teaching Fellowship Update)
Teaching is a collaborative process. As a Chancellors Undergraduate Teaching Fellow, I work directly with Dr. Tae Min Hong to develop materials for the Honors Physics 2 class. I also collaborate with my fellow Undergraduate Teaching Assistants- Ethan Lilie, Eli Ullman-Kissel, Quincy Bayer, Yiru Wang, and Natan Herzog, with the Graduate Teaching Assistant- Francis Burk,…
Learning Truth Through Teaching Myth
Through my classes with Dr. Andrew Lotz, I progressively began connecting more and more with him. I’ve taken a handful of his classes—each captivating me more than the last. The content of his courses is calculated and wonderfully planned. Supplemental to his course materials, though, Dr. Lotz’s teaching style and gripping vocal lectures left marks…
CUTF: Deconstructing the Cell for First-Year Bioengineering Students
Hi everyone! My name is Reetwan Bandyopadhyay and I am a senior majoring in Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh. I’m also pursuing a minor in Chemistry and a certificate in Conceptual Foundations of Medicine through the department of History and Philosophy of Science. For my project for the Chancellor’s Undergraduate Teaching Fellowship, I will…
Engineering Intuition, a Chancellors Undergraduate Teaching Fellowship for PHYS 0476
Our world contains many forces that we can feel – but we can’t see. Gravity is a good example because there isn’t anything that we can visually perceive to be holding us down and yet we remain on the earth due to the force of gravity. We do have the ability to view and perceive…
Kicking Off the CUTF: Synthesizing Knowledge through Case Study Problem-Solving
Hello all! My name is Mike Sobol, and I am thrilled to be participating in the Spring 2022 Chancellor’s Undergraduate Teaching Fellowship. I am a sophomore in the University Honors College pursuing dual degrees in Neuroscience and Politics & Philosophy. This semester, I am working with Dr. Scott Nelson as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA)…
CUTF: The College Audience In “Readings In Contemporary Fiction”
Hello! My name is Sabrina, and I am a sophomore here at Pitt. I am currently double majoring in English Writing (Fiction Track) and Psychology. This semester I am working on my CUTF project with Professor Shannon Reed in the “Readings in Contemporary Fiction” class. Together, we have revised the syllabus to include readings catered…