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Tessa Andrews

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Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor
Ph.D. (2012) Montana State University

ANDREWS LAB WEBSITE

Research Interests

The Andrews Lab specializes in college biology education research. We are trained as both biologists and social scientists and are always recruiting individuals passionate about improving undergraduate STEM education through research. We study how college biology faculty can be best supported to help students learn in undergraduate STEM courses, especially at research institutions. Our research takes a systems approach to studying undergraduate teaching. That means that means that we consider multiple levels and interrelated factors that influences teaching that occurs in college classrooms. We consider cognitive, affective, social, cultural, and structural factors that influence how college instructors teach. Our ultimate goal is to improve learning and diversity in undergraduate STEM, and especially the life sciences.

 

Grant Support

  • National Science Foundation Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE)

 

Of note

  • Senior Advisor to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Convening about promoting the adoption of evidence-based teaching in colleges and universities
  • Lilly Teaching Fellow & CTL Innovative Teaching Fellow
  • Member of the Steering Committee for the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research
  • Manuscripts selected for Highlights Issue of CBE-Life Sciences Education in 2010 and 2012

 

Research Areas:
Selected Publications:
  • Ziadie MA, Andrews TC (2018) Moving evolution education forward: A systematic analysis of literature to identify gaps in collective knowledge for teaching. CBE-Life Sciences Education 17(1), ar11.
  • Auerbach AJ, Higgins M, Brickman P, Andrews TC (2018) Teacher knowledge for active-learning instruction: Expert-novice approach reveals differences. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 17(1), ar12.
  • Andrews TC, Conaway EP, Zhao J, Dolan EL (2016) Colleagues as change agents for undergraduate teaching. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 15 (2), 1-17.
  • Andrews TC, Lemons PP (2015) It’s personal: Biology instructors prioritize personal evidence over empirical evidence in teaching decisions. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 14(1), 1-18.
  • Leonard MJ, Kalinowski ST, Andrews TC (2014) Misconceptions yesterday, today, and tomorrow. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 13(2), 1-8.
  • Price RM, Andrews TC, McElhinny TL, Mead LS, Abraham JK, Thanukos A, Perez KE (2014) The Genetic Drift Inventory: A tool for measuring what advanced undergraduates have mastered about genetic drift. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 13(1), 65-75.
  • Kalinowski ST, Leonard MJ, Andrews TM, Litt AR (2013) Six classroom exercises to teach natural selection to undergraduate biology students. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 12(3), 483-793.
  • Andrews TM, Price RM, Mead LS, McElhinny TL, Thanukos A, Perez KE, Herreid CF, Terry DR, Lemons PP (2012) Biology undergraduate’s misconceptions about genetic drift. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 11(3), 248-259.
  • Andrews TM, Leonard MJ, Colgrove CA, Kalinowski ST (2011) Active learning not associated with student learning in a random sample of college biology courses. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 10(4), 394-405. 
  • Andrews TM, Kalinowski ST, Leonard MJ (2011) ‘Are Humans Evolving?’ A classroom discussion to change students’ misconceptions about natural selection. Evolution: Education and Outreach, 4(3), 456-466.
Events featuring Tessa Andrews
Articles Featuring Tessa Andrews

The University of Georgia has honored Dr. Tessa Andrews among four faculty members with its highest accolade for teaching, the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Professorship.



Dr. Tessa Andrews of the UGA Genetics Department is on a research team from the University of Georgia that will join 103 institutions from across the country to form a collaborative learning community that seeks to foster inclusive undergraduate science…

The Diversity Research and Scholarship Grant program is a collaboration between the Office of the Provost, the Office of Research and the Office of Institutional Diversity. A total of 28 scholars working in a wide range of fields, including anthropology,…

Dr. Tessa Andrews, Department of Genetics, received a Richard B. Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 2020. Russell Awards recognize outstanding teaching by faculty early in their academic careers. Award recipients receive $10,000. The…

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