Recombinant Teaching: STEM Education Office Hours with Dr. Justin Shaffer

Justin Shaffer | STEM Education Expert and Professor
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This is not your typical higher education interview podcast. Recombinant Teaching: STEM Education Office Hours is a call-in advice show dedicated to YOU, the instructors, professors, TAs, and administrators in the trenches of STEM higher education. Whether you are teaching a large gateway STEM course or a small senior seminar, this show is for you. With over 13 years of experience and having taught more than 10,000 students, your host, Dr. Justin Shaffer, has seen it all. Each week, he (and sometimes with guest co-hosts) unpacks your listener-submitted questions to provide practical and actionable strategies on STEM pedagogy, student success, academic careers, and everything in between. Let’s work together to keep on improving STEM education. Have a question? Click the "Submit a Question" link to be featured on the show.

  1. 2d ago ·  Bonus

    STEM Course Design Series: Intro

    This is an introduction to the forthcoming summer STEM course design podcast series! Listen in over the next two months to learn all about STEM course design and how to give your courses a strong foundation so that your students can have an outstanding experience. Want to be a part of the show? Submit a question! Learn how you, your department, or your institution can work with Justin to improve STEM education together. www.recombinanteducation.com

    6 min

  2. May 20

    How do I get my students to care about the topics in my class?

    Taylor Darwin joins the show to talk with Justin about how to engage your students in the classroom – not necessarily about what to do in a typical 50 minute class, but rather how to engage them in the subject matter writ large (especially if it is a mandatory class that they have little interest in). Want to be a part of the show? Submit a question! Learn more about expectancy value theory here. Check out this paper on how utility value can improve student outcomes in introductory biology. Dr. Taylor Darwin is a faculty member in the Department of Mathematics at Tarleton State University and an experienced mathematics educator whose work spans secondary, two-year, and four-year institutional contexts. Her professional background integrates teaching, research, and large-scale institutional change aimed at improving student access and success in mathematics. Dr. Darwin’s research centers on improving mathematics learning experiences for rural and underserved populations, designing and evaluating corequisite models, and supporting systemic reform in developmental education. She also explores emerging areas in mathematics education, including the use of artificial intelligence to support personalized learning and faculty professional development, as well as collaborative university–school partnerships that elevate teacher leadership and context-responsive instructional design. Her research agenda is informed in part by her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Southern California, where she deepened her expertise in learning sciences and technology-enhanced education.   Across her previous roles and in her teaching experience, Dr. Darwin has focused on designing active learning environments and supporting faculty in shifting from traditional lecture-based instruction toward more student-centered, interactive approaches. Her work has contributed to multiple grant-funded initiatives focused on STEM access, equity, and innovative approaches to teaching and learning. Learn how you, your department, or your institution can work with Justin to improve STEM education together. www.recombinanteducation.com

    16 min

  3. May 13

    What is the best way to form student groups?

    Justin is joined by SPECIAL GUEST HOST Kelsey Metzger Metzbertsel to answer an age-old question about the best way to form student groups! Justin was sure glad to have Kelsey as a group partner to work through this toughie! Want to be a part of the show? Submit a question! Kelsey Metzger – Dr. KJAM to her students – is a professor in the Center for Learning Innovation and the director of faculty development at the University of Minnesota Rochester where she was a founding faculty member. Across her efforts in research, teaching, and service, Kelsey’s core value is using evidence to advance knowledge and practice in support of equitable and inclusive student learning, development, and wellbeing. Learn more about the CATME grouping tool here. Learn how you, your department, or your institution can work with Justin to improve STEM education together. www.recombinanteducation.com

    14 min

  4. May 6

    My students are resistant to active learning!

    Justin is joined by Lauren Stoczynski to discuss the age-old question of how to handle student resistance when it comes to active learning and structured course design. While a tough nut to crack, I guarantee you won't face any resistance with enjoying this episode! :) Want to be a part of the show? Submit a question! Lauren Stoczynski is an assistant professor of biological and environmental sciences at Le Moyne College. Learn more about Lauren on her LinkedIn page. Check out Episode 4 for an overview of high structure course design. I have lots of papers on the literature page of my website about student resistance and other barriers to using active learning and evidence-based course design. Learn how you, your department, or your institution can work with Justin to improve STEM education together. www.recombinanteducation.com

    13 min

  5. Apr 29

    How can we support students in service and community learning?

    Brian Shmaefsky joins to show to share how he engages his students through community work and asks Justin how to do this in a way to match students interests and motivations. Listen in for some great examples of community-based learning that Brian is doing! Want to be a part of the show? Submit a question! Brian Shmaefsky is an environmental scientist who’s spent more over 30 years making complex STEM topics accessible, relevant, and engaging for diverse student communities. His work bridges classroom teaching, public outreach, and environmental justice, with a focus on helping learners see how science directly connects to their lives and communities. Learn more about Brian on his LinkedIn page. Learn about the great community-based work that Lisa Corwin is doing at the University of Colorado. Learn how you, your department, or your institution can work with Justin to improve STEM education together. www.recombinanteducation.com

    15 min

  6. Apr 22

    How can courses be designed to support neurodivergent learners?

    Justin is joined by Christin Monroe to discuss how courses can be designed best to support neurodivergent learners. This is not Justin's area of expertise, so it was a good challenge to think through this idea together with Christin! Want to be a part of the show? Submit a question! Dr. Christin Monroe holds a PhD in Chemistry from Princeton University and is an Educational Research Associate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning. Her work is grounded in education research and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), with a focus on partnering with faculty to use evidence-based, data-informed approaches to examine and improve teaching and learning. Learn more about Christin on her LinkedIn page. Check out this infographic on neurodiversity from Landmark College. A great article from Northern Illinois University about teaching for neurodiverse learners. Learn how you, your department, or your institution can work with Justin to improve STEM education together. www.recombinanteducation.com

    13 min

  7. Apr 15

    How can structure help everyone thrive in college STEM courses?

    Jessamyn Neuhaus joins the show to ask Justin how adding structure to college STEM courses can help everyone, students and faculty alike, do better and feel like they belong. Lots of great tips and advice in this one! Want to be a part of the show? Submit a question! Jessamyn Neuhaus is Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning and Professor of Education at Syracuse University. Jessamyn holds an PhD in history and has over twenty years of college classroom teaching experience. She is the author, most recently of Snafu Edu: Teaching and Learning When Things Go Wrong in the College Classroom (University of Oklahoma Press); editor of Picture a Professor: Interrupting Biases about Faculty and Increasing Student Learning; and author of Geeky Pedagogy: A Guide for Intellectuals, Introverts, and Nerds Who Want to Be Effective Teachers (West Virginia University Press). Check out all that Jessamyn is up to at her website and on her LinkedIn. Check out Episode 4 of this podcast for Justin's overview of high structure course design. Read Mike Wilton's paper showing that belonging improves when adding structure to intro bio. Check out Inclusive Teaching by Kelly Hogan and Viji Sathay. Learn how you, your department, or your institution can work with Justin to improve STEM education together. www.recombinanteducation.com

    15 min

  8. Apr 8

    How do you help faculty who can't/won't use active learning?

    Justin is joined by Kate Ireton Walker to answer Kate's question of how to approach faculty who are reluctant to using active learning in their courses. Want to be a part of the show? Submit a question! Kate Ireton Walker is a Biology Instructor at the University of Arkansas. Her teaching philosophy centers on innovative, student-centered learning strategies that advance science education initiatives aligned with AAAS Vision and Change. She mentors faculty across disciplines to integrate best practices in cross-curricular teaching. Her research investigates science communication. Currently this includes examining how students from diverse academic backgrounds articulate and internalize complex scientific concepts. You can find her on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ireton-walker   Check out Episode 2 of this podcast for Justin's discussion with Carter Moulton on how to use active learning in large classes. Here is a link to the paper Justin referenced on barriers to using EBIPs for community college biology faculty. Here is another paper on the "tyranny of content coverage" and how to overcome it to use EBIPs in your courses. Learn how you, your department, or your institution can work with Justin to improve STEM education together. www.recombinanteducation.com

    13 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

This is not your typical higher education interview podcast. Recombinant Teaching: STEM Education Office Hours is a call-in advice show dedicated to YOU, the instructors, professors, TAs, and administrators in the trenches of STEM higher education. Whether you are teaching a large gateway STEM course or a small senior seminar, this show is for you. With over 13 years of experience and having taught more than 10,000 students, your host, Dr. Justin Shaffer, has seen it all. Each week, he (and sometimes with guest co-hosts) unpacks your listener-submitted questions to provide practical and actionable strategies on STEM pedagogy, student success, academic careers, and everything in between. Let’s work together to keep on improving STEM education. Have a question? Click the "Submit a Question" link to be featured on the show.

Information

  • Creator
    Justin Shaffer | STEM Education Expert and Professor
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Justin Shaffer | STEM Education Expert and Professor

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