I am an Assistant Director of Graduate Student Programs and Services at the Center for Teaching & Learning, Columbia University. With a background in anthropology, health education, and architecture, I bring a unique, interdisciplinary perspective to teaching and learning.
model: PhD studio
I hold a Ph.D. in Architecture (UC Berkeley, 2017) and a Master’s degree in Teaching and Curriculum (University of Rochester, 2011). The expertise I possess on theories of learning and methods of teaching, evaluation, and curriculum design is complemented by 5 years of experience teaching across a variety of disciplines at Berkeley. I have taught an introductory course on the social cultural basis of architecture, a survey course of cultural landscapes from 1900 to the present, a reading and composition seminar focused on the topic of sustainability in environmental design, and two courses–one a small seminar and another a large undergraduate course– on college health promotion. In addition to these teaching experiences, I have participated in design reviews (“crits”), read papers and delivered presentations at academic and professional conferences, and authored publications on the topics of pedagogy, design practice, and institutions of higher education.
Vassar College
What ties my diverse academic experiences together is my commitment to making college campuses healthy, productive, and inclusive for all students. My favorite tool to meet these goals is perhaps the most ubiquitous object–the chair. In each class I teach or office hour meeting I host, I pay careful attention to what sociologist Donna Huse terms the “physical context of learning,” including how resources like furniture or computer screens are distributed and made accessible throughout the room, how bodies–students and instructor alike–are positioned to maximize supportive and productive interaction (including eye contact, body language, and proxemics), and the extent to which the room invites choice, movement, and opportunities for postural variation. In this way, I see the built environment as fundamental to the communication and achievement of each of the three pillars of instructional design: learning objectives, instructional activities, and assessment.
Please feel free to browse my CV or contact me directly.
