Timothy Keebler
Climate 102: Extreme Weather
Despite being the only GSI for the 238 student course, Timothy wasn’t deterred. Instead, the challenge permitted him to convey his true devotion to and high caliber of teaching and supporting his students. Aware that such a large class would have a diverse set of backgrounds among students, Timothy also knew that weather was universal. Acknowledging this, he taught meteorology in a clever way: by connecting the lecture material to real-life experiences that every student could share. He led a class session in the Big House football stadium, where students were able to take measurements to determine the warmest part of the stadium at 10:30 AM, applying and demonstrating course material in the process. This approach allowed students to collect their own data, giving them a unique experience where they could take what they learned firsthand and apply those skills to their everyday lives. Since the class was so large, Timothy used the Echo360 lecture platform to engage students in real time, adjusting lectures as needed to clarify topics that weren’t taught clearly. The interactive features of the platform provided useful checkpoints for students to build skills immediately instead of trying to learn while studying later on their own. Through a semester full of complications, unpredictability, and distress, Timothy remained astute and flexible to combat these difficulties.