TEACHING

Teaching Philosophy
Teaching is not the simple conveyance of knowledge from one individual to another.  It is a journey by which teacher and students explore and learn from one another.  On this journey, teachers serve as guides that aid in the development of independent learning and critical thinking skills that will benefit students for the remainder of their lives.  Independent learning and critical thinking stems from the exploration, comprehension, and challenge of ideas. In order to develop critical thinking/problem solving skills, everyone needs to participate.  From my perspective, this includes being prepared for class each day, providing simple and meaningful explanations for complex biological processes, as well as guiding and participating in class discussions.  To encourage student understanding and/or discussion, I have found it helpful to relate topics to real-world situations, research experiments or computer models.  To aid in the comprehension and challenge of this information, various avenues have and continue to be taken such as written papers, oral presentations, group discussion, or practical application.

AS 482 - Dairy Cattle Production and Management (3) Integration and application of basic nutrition, health, genetic, and reproductive principles to maximize dairy cow health and productivity. Insights into current dairy related issues.  Pre-req: Completion of AS 320 (reproduction) and AS 340 (genetics) or consent of instructor. 2 hours and 1 lab. Fall semester MW 8 – 8:50 AM; F 8 – 9:50 AM.

AS 681 - Advanced Topics in Animal Health and Well-being (1-4) Recent advances and concepts, research techniques, and current problems associated with animal health and behavior. May be repeated. Primary instructor: Dr. Lin.