Stefanie R. DeVito

Biological Sciences

Stefanie R. DeVito

Associate Professor

sdevito@udel.edu

302-831-3868

Office: 402G Harker ISE Lab

Resources and Links

Stefanie Devito's Google Scholar Publications

Education

B.S. - State University of New York at Binghamton
M.S. - University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY
Ph.D. - University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY
Postdoctoral - University of Kansas

Teaching

BISC207 - Introductory Biology I - Integrated with Chemistry
BISC208 - Introductory Biology II - Integrated with Chemistry
SCEN130 - The Science of Learning for Peer Mentors
SCEN330 - Practicum in Peer Mentoring
BISC106 - Elementary Physiology
BISC367 - Science Communication and Infectious Disease
BISC306 - General Physiology
UNIV100 - First Year Experience

Research Interests

My research interests focus on scientific teaching and improving undergraduate biology education. My interests in improving undergraduate experience focus on (1) increasing student support through implementation and pedagogical development of undergraduate peer mentors to support student learning, and (2) strengthening student scientific communication skills in alignment with Vision and Change. Having a biochemistry and general chemistry education background, I am also focused on integrated biology and chemistry for freshman, and designing and measuring the effectiveness of activities and labs that are centered around the interdisciplinarity of biology and chemistry.

Laboratory Science: My earlier research interests were focused on how viral infection altered the kinetic rates of metabolic pathways of the host cell.

Current Projects

Designing a podcast project to enhance students' science communication skills

Traditional summative assessments in freshman introductory labs typically focus on evaluating students' ability to communicate science to other scientists. In alignment with Vision and Change, the integrated introductory biology and chemistry courses also strive to strengthen students' science communication skills. Our podcast science communication project is designed to complement scientific posters in our lab curriculum by introducing students to the significance and skills required to communicate science to the general public. In our podcast project, students are introduced to the fundamentals of science communication through a partnership with the University of Delaware Student Multimedia Design Center. Students then research a topic or problem of interest adjacent to their inquiry-based lab project, and script a podcast segment that presents the current science to a general audience. We are currently exploring how this project influences perceived student ability in science communication, and assessing how student ability in scientific communication improves as a result of this assignment.

Expand

Implementation of Peer Mentors in Integrated Introductory Biology and Chemistry

Peer mentors are undergraduates who assist students in learning and group work in class. The use of peer mentors increases the capacity for active learning activities in large classes. We are currently working on expanding the use of peer mentors, and training them in pedagogy in order to better serve our students during class.

Collapse

Colleges