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Presenters
2009 Graduate Student Instructor Colloquium
Creating Learning Opportunities
September 12, 2009
Room 2.224, Robert A. Welch Hall
Daniel Spikes
Sessions: Welcome and Introduction, Panel: The GSI Perspective and Experience
Daniel Spikes is a second-year PhD student in the Department of Educational Administration with a concentration in educational policy and planning. He taught middle school English while completing a master's program in educational leadership at Stephen F. Austin State University. He was an assistant principal at Lufkin High School before beginning his doctoral work at UT Austin.
Spikes works as a GRA for the Neighborhood Longhorns Program in the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, and he is the president of the Graduate Student Assembly.
Courtney Brannon Donoghue
Session: Panel: The GSI Perspective and Experience
Courtney Brannon Donoghue is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Radio-Television-Film, focusing on global media, film, television narrative, and transnational cinema. Her dissertation concerns practices of transnational networks in the global film industry, based on a case study of the media conglomerate Sony. She is investigating its partnerships and strategies within various levels of national (Brazil) and regional (Western Europe) film markets. She holds a master’s degree from UT Austin in media studies with a specialization in the Brazilian film industry.
Brannon has been a teaching assistant and discussion leader for RTF 305: Introduction to Media Studies, RTF 316M: Race and Representation, and RTF 317: Narrative Strategies in Film and Television. She was an assistant instructor for narrative strategies and was coordinating editor of the peer-reviewed film and television journal The Velvet Light Trap.
In teaching for three semesters, Brannon has tried out several lecture, assignment, and participation formats. One of the most effective strategies was incorporating contemporary real world information and experiences in lectures and assignments. She will share strategies for designing written assignments, examinations, and classroom exercises when you’re working without a teaching assistant.Sean McCarthy
Sessions: Panel: The GSI Perspective and Experience, Writing Your Mind: Pedagogical Uses for Mind Mapping in Classroom and Research Practice
Sean McCarthy is a doctoral candidate in the Department of English with a concentration in digital literatures and literacies. His research focuses on the use of social media applications in the formation of community—specifically, how non-profit organizations use virtual environments such as Second Life. He is an assistant director of the Computer Writing and Research Laboratory, which comprises a series of networked classrooms and research groups dedicated to implementing technology into the teaching of writing and rhetoric. He teaches courses on writing in digital environments such as blogs, wikis, interactive maps, and virtual environments. McCarthy is a fellow of the MacArthur funded Globalkids.org initiative, where he promotes events in Second Life that educate young adults on issues relating to global justice.
Cathy Setzer
Session: Panel: The GSI Perspective and Experience
Cathy Setzer is a fourth-year PhD student in the College of Communication with a concentration in political communication. She has taught American government at the University of New Orleans and teaches for the Department of Government at Austin Community College. She has been a graduate research assistant at UT Austin’s Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Participation.
Setzer’s passion for involving young people in the political process spurs her research and her teaching. Her teaching philosophy is to set a good example, show interest in the subject matter, and to exhibit a passion for learning. Her principal teaching objectives are to foster a love of learning, to show respect for students, and to prepare them for the world outside of school.
Malcolm Wardlaw
Session: Panel: The GSI Perspective and Experience
Malcolm Wardlaw is a doctoral candidate in the McCombs School of Business with a concentration in finance. He has worked for McKinsey & Company and R7 Solutions, and he spent time in Los Angeles pursuing a career in comedy writing. His research focuses on the effects of changes in bank health on the investment behavior of existing borrowers.
Wardlaw has taught undergraduate business finance and financial modeling, and he is a staff writer for the Texas Travesty. He has also recently presented on the development of financial economics at Austin’s upstart NerdNite series.
Julie Zuniga
Session: Panel: The GSI Perspective and Experience
Julie Zuniga, an assistant instructor in clinical nursing at UT Austin, is a PhD student in the School of Nursing. Her research focuses on infectious diseases and vulnerable populations. She worked in the high tech field before working on an RN license. She worked in the areas of internal medicine and infectious disease at Brackenridge Hospital. She is a member of the Texas Nurses Association and Sigma Theta Tau, the nursing honor society.
Cynthia Londeore
Session: Kinesthetic Teaching for Everyone
After completing a bachelor’s degree in genetics in 2000, Cynthia Londeore spent five years as a lab technician for the USDA, working on wheat improvement. In fall 2006 she entered UT Austin’s graduate program in the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, joining the lab of Robert Jansen, where she studies chloroplast gene expression. When she began work as a TA in her second year, she was surprised to discover how enjoyable teaching can be. She has developed several interactive activities for use in her classroom, and she is looking forward to sharing her experience with other graduate students.
Sarah Jones
Session: Inquiries into Clicker Pedagogy
Sarah Jones is a second-year doctoral student in the Department of Educational Psychology with a concentration in learning, cognition, and instruction. Her experiences as an elementary school teacher inform her work on pedagogy. Her research focuses on faculty development, including developing faculty and graduate student learning communities. She is interested in pioneering best practices for integrating clickers and other educational technologies into classroom instruction. As a graduate research assistant with the Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment, Jones works with graduate students to improve their teaching. She is creating a database of resources on the scholarship of teaching and learning for faculty and graduate student consulting.
Jason Crandall
Session: Inquiries into Clicker Pedagogy
Jason Crandall is entering his third year in the Department of Educational Psychology. His research focuses on faculty development and teacher training. He has been a TA, tutor, writing consultant, academic mentor, and LSAT instructor. He is using clickers in LSAT classes, studying the impact of various methods on students and instructors.
Camilo Guerrero
Session: Inquiries into Clicker Pedagogy
Camilo Guerrero is an officer on active duty in the United States Air Force. He is an assistant professor at the United States Air Force Academy, pursuing a doctoral degree at UT Austin in the Department of Educational Psychology. His research focuses on the scholarship of teaching and learning, addressing especially technology, pedagogy, and the development of a sense of classroom community.