Transforming Effective Face-to-face Teaching Strategies to the On-line Format

Dr. Karyn Turla and Dr. Tara Allen combined have over 50 years of teaching experience, both at the undergraduate and professional levels. Many of the courses they teach are taken by students who are required to take professional board exams to receive licensure. It is the instructors’ responsibility to assure that students are well prepared for these exams regardless of teaching format. Both Karyn and Tara have spent a considerable amount of time and effort to determine the best practices to achieve high levels of student engagement, understanding, and learning in the Face-to-Face format. In this PROFFCourse, the facilitators will discuss teaching strategies that have worked well, what they learned moving to the on-line course format in the spring of 2020, and what they see doing differently going forward to assure the success of their students.

Event Details

• Presenters: Karyn M. Turla, Ph.D. and Tara J. Allen, Ph.D.
• Thursday, July 16 from 10:00 -11:00 AM
• Format: Zoom synchronous presentation
• Academic Unit: Division of Biological Sciences, School of Biological & Chemical Sciences

Event format descriptions are available at UMKC PROFFCourses.

Registration Link

After signing up for this event, you will receive an email confirmation. Prior to the event, you will receive a second email containing the Zoom invite link.

Brief Bio Karyn Turla:

Karyn M. Turla, Ph.D., Teaching Professor, Division of Biological Sciences, School of Biological & Chemical Sciences

Karyn is from a small town nestled in the Allegheny Mountains in central Pennsylvania, and is a first generation college student. In 1987, Karyn received a B. S. in Biology from Pennsylvania State University with an emphasis in Vertebrate Physiology. In 1992, Karyn received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan Medical School, Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology. Her thesis was entitled “Distribution and Regulation of Renal Mineralocorticoid and Glucocorticoid receptors. During her graduate training, Karyn had the honor and opportunity to work with Dr. Arthur Vander in the development of her teaching skills. Working with Dr. Vander, who had a true passion and skill for teaching, was the beginning of her love for teaching. Following her graduate education, Karyn pursued two Post-Doctoral fellowships at the Dartmouth Medical School where she continued her studies in renal physiology and immunology. During this time, Karyn also sought out opportunities to teach. It was through these experiences that her desire to become a college teaching professor were solidified.

Karyn’s first teaching assignment was at Friends University in Wichita KS. For 19 years she taught undergraduates, both majors, and non-majors. She was the Director of the Health Science program, and developed a novel Service abroad experience for health science majors. While at Friends, she was awarded the W. A. Young Excellence in Teaching Award. Karyn joined the UMKC team in 2015 where she teaches physiology to professional students and undergraduates. In 2016 and 2018, she was awarded, by the first year pharmacy students, the runner up award for Excellence in Teaching. In 2017 and 2019, she was awarded, by the first year pharmacy students, the Excellence in teaching award. Karyn feels at home here at UMKC, and looks forward to working with all of her students.

Brief Bio Tara Allen:

Tara J. Allen, Ph.D., Teaching Professor & Academic Advisor,  Division of Biological Sciences, School of Biological & Chemical Sciences

Tara is from a small town in Illinois and is a first-generation college student. She received her B.S. degree with majors in both Biology and Chemistry from the University of Evansville in 1996 and then a Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2000. The title of her thesis was “Characterization of Vascular Smooth Muscle Oxidative Metabolism Using 13C Isotopomer Analysis of Glutamate.” Her research interests include the cardiovascular system, atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus. It was during her graduate work, when she served as a Teaching Assistant for the undergraduate physiology lab and tutored extensively, that she realized her passion for teaching. This focus on teaching has driven her professional pursuits. At William Jewell College, where she worked from 2000-2013, she received tenure in 2006, reached the rank of Professor in 2010 and served as an Endowed Biology Department Chair (2007-2013). She also directed the Premedical Advisory Program, coordinated the Oxbridge Molecular Biology Major, mentored many students in research projects, and directed a science summer science camps for middle school girls and boys. She has taught a wide variety of courses including Anatomy, Physiology, Pathophysiology, General Biology, Histology, Cell Biology and in the General Education program. While at William Jewell, she was chosen as the Academic Advisor of the Year in 2006 and received the Distinguished Teacher Award in 2013. She began at UMKC as a Teaching Professor in 2013 and teaches Human Anatomy, Physiology and Pathophysiology to undergraduates, graduate, medical and dental students. She joined the academic advising team in the School of Biological & Chemical Sciences in 2018. Tara was named the Dental Hygiene Lecturer of the Year in 2015 and received the Provost Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2018.