Faculty Spotlight - John Bacheller

Biology Department
Dale Mabry Campus
Course Range: Traditional, Blended, Hybrid, Online

"I teach for success, not mediocrity."

Capital Course:
Bio 1 (BSC 1010) is the gateway course to the cell and molecular side of Biology. As a survey course it builds the foundation upon which many higher level courses are constructed. For many students this course either stimulates their interest in the content area or scares them away. I enjoy the challenge of providing the spark of passion to fight (work) for understanding (instead of watching their flight from the seemingly impossible to learn).

Optimized Advice:
Start with the basics and add as you go. Your courses should evolve as you learn new techniques and software, and as you learn how your students learn. Utilize the resources available through CITT and your colleagues. Never be satisfied with what you have (course wise).

Teachable Moment:
Student questions that make me think or that show me the student is thinking beyond the basics. Memorizing the content is only the first step in the process of learning. Understanding what you know and applying the knowledge for greater understanding is the true measure of success. These types of questions provide me with the opportunity to encourage this type of behavior, and to model critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Teaching Philosophy:
Teaching is doing the best I can every day to reach every student through a wide variety and combination of learning modalities and pedagogies. In non-school of education language this means challenging each student at their level, and through their learning style(s), to work as hard and as effectively as they can to learn and successfully demonstrate their understanding of the content.

This requires:

1. establishing clear and consistent instructor expectations
2. presenting content in a clear and logical manner, through multiple learning modalities when possible
3. assessing student and class understanding (assessing learning outcomes “on the fly”) and adjusting lessons and re-teaching as necessary
4. working with students on an individual or small group basis to find the correct explanation of a concept that leads to understanding
5. providing students with the skill set necessary for success in an academic environment, and hopefully the “real” world at large

Techno Tool:
I utilize a wide variety of technology tools but my current “best tool ever” is SCORM based learning modules uploaded to Blackboard. SCORM stands for Sharable Content Object Reference Model and is a collection of standards and specifications that allow learning modules generated with 3rd party software to integrate into several LMSs including Blackboard. I am currently using Lectora Inspire to build visually and intellectually engaging learning modules with embedded quizzes that record the student grades in the Blackboard grade book.

Student Success:
Highly detailed lecture notes (PowerPoint) with links to animations, videos, and more detailed/alternative explanations of course content. Students find these notes to be visually stimulating and to provide them with multiple layers of information on content in one, easily accessible location.