Franziska Lang

My name is Franziska K. Lang. I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Chemical Education Division of Purdue’s Chemistry Department. Through this program I have been able to combine my passion for teaching science and my belief that we must support instructor development in order to create effective, evidence-based teaching environments where Purdue students can thrive. In my Ph.D. work, I have employed qualitative research methodology to investigate biochemistry instructors’ approaches to teaching and the challenges they face trying to implement evidence-based practices. It is only through dialogue between researchers and practitioners that we can understand the obstacles that instructors face and establish a fruitful foundation to promote student-centered learning in higher education.

I have taught a range of courses, including in chemistry, biology and professional development. Currently, I am the instructor for CHM695 “Teaching in Chemistry”. The goal of this course is to equip new chemistry graduate students with the knowledge and skills necessary to meet one of our key Boilermaker goals: excellence in teaching. My course helps students put education theory into practice, reflect on the development of their teaching, and establishes a platform to connect them with their community. Students also find support in advancing their teaching skills through the use of a peer observation system, which I developed and am now implementing for the first time in the Chemistry Department at Purdue.

With defending my Ph.D. this semester, I am looking forward to my next challenging endeavor. I hope that my next position will allow me to combine my passion for effective science communication with my experience training instructors in order to improve learning environments for students.CLOSE