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DESIGNING A COURSE

Building a college-level psychology course to be engaging and accommodating
for students with various learning styles and disabilities
August 2023 - Present 

PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY

While teaching a Personality Psychology course at University at Albany, SUNY, I designed and presented 55-minute lectures to 200+ undergraduate students enrolled in the course.

Example title slide I designed for a Personality Psychology lecture

MY TEACHING METHODS

During the Fall 2023 semester, I worked as the instructor of record for a Personality Psychology course of 200+ undergraduate students. Below are aspects of my course I designed to accommodate students and meet their various learning needs.

University at Albany lecture center
University at Albany lecture hall

Designing a user-centered learning experience:

  • Displaying subtitles under my lecture slides

  • Using the microphone when speaking in the lecture hall

  • Speaking clearly; avoiding slang, abbreviations, & idioms

  • Providing high-contrast materials with large fonts

  • Using gender-inclusive language

  • Encouraging but not requiring participation during class

  • Giving open-note and collaborative quizzes

    • Students may refer to their course materials and may work together to complete their quizzes.

  • Posting all course content, including lecture slides, on our learning management system (LMS)

  • Offering guidance and support for students struggling with mental health issues

I believe I best support my students by...

  • Offering annonymous surveys to students where they can provide honest feedback about the course

  • Reviewing students' feedback, summarizing key points, and sharing them with the class

  • Adjusting my teaching style and course content, as neccessary, based on results from the feedback surveys

"Professor Laks is a wonderful person
who made going to class very fun. She has a fantastic, bubbly personality which helped with overall engagement. Her powerpoint slides were always well organized and reasy to read, I never felt confused when taking notes."

UALBANY COURSE EVALUATIONS

Purple and gold University at Albany logo

"[Ms. Laks] listened and asked for our feedback often, and she did things like using a microphone with closed captions for students. She really thinks about how she can best support students from every angle."

"[Ms. Laks] is open to feedback from her students, something that demonstrates her interest in the student's academic experience, as well as showing she is dedicated to growing as an instructor. Not only is she open to feedback from her students, but she makes sure all voices are given proper thought, and works to implement feedback as soon as she can."

"The format of the class made
things very simple and accessible, which helped a lot with some other course loads I dealt with throughout
the semester."

"[Ms. Laks'] prompt email responses,
clarity in teaching, and the remarkable
extra credit opportunities together create a dynamic and stimulating learning environment. These elements of her teaching style significantly contribute to a more comprehensive and enjoyable learning experience."

The following are direct quotes from course evaluations completed by my undergraduate students enrolled in my Fall 2023 Personality Psychology course.

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