General Education Featured Faculty
Lisa W. Kay
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
● What General Education course(s) are you teaching? In what Element?
I teach STA 215, Introduction to Statistical Reasoning, which is in Element 2, Quantitative Reasoning. I have taught several other courses in the mathematical sciences in the past.
● Why do you enjoy teaching in our General Education program?
I enjoy getting to introduce a subject I love to students who may not realize how useful statistics and data science can be. More generally, I love teaching and getting to know a new group of students every time I teach a General Education class.
● As a faculty member, what is your role in teaching students in General Education courses?
I think our General Education faculty have a tremendous responsibility in that we are supposed to help students develop the knowledge and skills they need to become well-rounded citizens. In the Introduction to Statistical Reasoning course, I work with students to build the foundational quantitative skills they need in the future. Not only will many of the students need these skills for other courses or their careers, but they will need them every time they encounter information related to data for the rest of their lives.
● How do you facilitate connections with students in your General Education courses?
I promote collaboration among the students by employing various group activities in class. I build personal connections with my students by being approachable and communicating regularly with them. I often send emails to the class, and many of those emails include links to cool visualizations, fun statistics resources, or timely articles. I also reach out to individual students who have been struggling and might need some extra support.
● What are some exciting plans you are working on to continue enhancing your General Education courses?
I have been working with several of my colleagues to redesign STA 215 through the EngaGE program. We are emphasizing active learning and the use of technology. We have also created an opportunity for some of our faculty members to learn from each other through team teaching this semester.
Published on January 19, 2023