Rebekah Oliver, NDSU associate professor of practice in plant sciences, has joined the Office of Teaching and Learning as a faculty teaching fellow for the 2021-2022 academic year. Faculty teaching fellows provide support and leadership with teaching and learning in collaboration with the director of the Office of Teaching and Learning to advance a culture of learning improvement at NDSU.
As a fellow, Oliver will develop knowledge and skills in promoting student learning, develop instructional materials that can support improvement of student learning at NDSU, share instructional expertise to support use of best practices in NDSU classes and provide guidance to the director and staff of the Office of Teaching and Learning.
“I've been blessed with incredible mentors and excellent professional development opportunities, including the Gateways program at NDSU,” Oliver said. “This fellowship is an opportunity to share with and learn from others who are passionate about excellence in teaching and learning.”
Oliver’s goal for the fellowship is to discuss strategies for metacognitive learning and how implementation can impact student success. Metacognitive instructors consider their own thinking and structure their classes to stimulate cognitive growth and connections in their students.
During the fellowship, Oliver will facilitate a fall semester 2021 book club on metacognitive theory and methods, using Saundra McGuire's book, “Teach Students How To Learn.” Participants will implement and evaluate the strategies in their classrooms during spring semester 2022. Book club participants also can learn about educational research from an expert in qualitative research during one of the meetings.
Oliver teaches genetics, world food crops and facilitates a thesis and a seminar class within the biotechnology major.
NDSU’s Office of Teaching and Learning creates and shares best practices to enhance inclusive learning and teaching.
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