Catherine Dossin Garners Inaugural Graduate Student Instructor Award
left to right: Dr. Lynn Jones Eaton, Catherine Dossin and Mark Decker
Catherine Dossin receives GSI Award
Catherine Dossin, Ph.D. candidate in Art History, was presented with the inaugural Graduate Student Instructor Award to acknowledge her outstanding work in teaching and learning. Dossin is coordinating the development of an interactive Web site for Classics CC 306M—Intro to Medical & Scientific Terminology, which satisfies the liberal arts requirement for pre-med majors.
“The GSI Award was created to recognize a TA or AI that has made an especially significant contribution to the undergraduate classroom experience and functioned well beyond their role as a GSI,” explained Mark Decker, Coordinator of the GSI Program. Dossin took the opportunity to expand her professional skills through the ASPECTS Program, and presented a poster session at the 2006 GSI Colloquium, “Using Assessment to Improve Teaching and Learning.” She was a panelist at the recent colloquium, sharing her experiences with new GSIs.
Dossin relates that at first, she was intimidated by the size of the class, which can reach an enrollment of up to nine hundred students. Since the class was paper-based, she was concerned that the body of Dr. Doig’s vast knowledge and work be preserved and made available to other educators and the public.
Dossin’s vision was to apply instructional technology skills she acquired through the ASPECTS program to incorporate art, mythology, history, medical terminology, and class management in one manageable, easy to use space, and would also function as a repository for Doig’s work.
GSI Award created by Rejina Thomas
Dossin also recognized the challenge of creating a sense of community in such a large class—to engage the students through visual aids, interactive assignments, audio and other resources. “Professor Doig is so good at connecting mythology to the present day by relating it to concrete, contemporary examples in the students’ world,” says Dossin. “I felt that I could enhance this by furnishing examples of art to allow visual comparisons and relationships.”
Carol Ancelet, Grant Administrator for Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services (LAITS) relates, “Catherine Dossin first came to me to inquire about the Liberal Arts IT Grant program. She was very enthusiastic about this program, and expressed her eagerness in making all of these unique class materials available to the students online. Because of her efforts and enthusiasm, Professor Doig was awarded a 2007-08 Liberal Arts IT Grant for this project.”
Suloni Robertson, an artist assisting in the project says, “Catherine is enthusiastic, motivated, and the driving force behind getting this project produced. She cares about making the courseware more understandable and stimulating for the students through a visually engaging Web site. Through Catherine’s joint effort with LAITS staff, students will have a rich resource for learning about “The Classical World in Medical Technology.”
Professor Doig is delighted with the project. “I want to expose future doctors of the world to as much culture, history, and art as possible. This course may be the only opportunity we have to connect how works of Thucydides and Greek and Roman mythologies inform the practice of medicine today.” Doig cites the example of the modern-day eruption of Mt. St. Helens, which resulted in the creation of the longest word in the English language. “The word describes an infection of the lungs due to ultra-fine silica dust from volcanic fallout. This condition was documented in historical examples long before the word was coined, which allows me to demonstrate a direct connection with ancient Mt. Vesuvius and the city of Pompeii.” With the new Web site, Doig will be able to illustrate this connection with artistic examples.
“All the credit goes to Catherine,” says Doig. “It is her enthusiasm and energy which has made this project possible.”
“This has been a wonderful journey for me,” says Decker, “being involved with Catherine and her commitment to creating a quality learning experience for students at UT-Austin. This project impacts the full range of educational activity. Not only will these students benefit, so will current and future educators, and the public.”
Decker notes that the journey includes connections with the community, in that the award itself was designed and created by Rejina Thomas, a well-known award-winning artist and activist in the Austin community. Dossin adds, “What is particularly interesting is that she has been working with John Yancey, Chair of the Art and Art History Department,” further illustrating the community aspect.