Katherine Ryker awarded the 2023 Michael J. Mungo Undergraduate Teaching Award

Dr. Katherine Ryker is an assistant professor of geoscience education in the College of Arts and Sciences and has been with the university since 2018. Her research focuses on discipline-based education research, and she eagerly shares her strategies for outstanding teaching with faculty and graduate students at seminars with the Center for Teaching Excellence. She models scientific thinking for her students rather than viewing herself as the sole dispenser of knowledge, never lecturing for more than 15 minutes in a class session and encouraging social learning through think-pair-share activities. Dr. Ryker emphasizes inquiry-based, active learning that is designed to increase student motivation by making geology accessible and relevant.Text...