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Focus on Faculty: Dr. Joyce Easter
Dedicated professor of chemistry has been a tireless advocate for innovative teaching at VWU for 24 years
University News | November 21, 2024
Dr. Joyce Easter, a distinguished professor of chemistry at 小奶猫直播 (VWU), has been a pivotal member of the university's academic community since 2000. With expertise spanning courses like Introductory Chemistry, Biochemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, and interdisciplinary offerings such as Human Nutrition and The Politics of Food, Dr. Easter has significantly enriched the curriculum during her 24-year tenure. She has also served as department chair, director of the Honors and Scholars Program, and dean of the Batten Honors College.
Hailing from northern New Jersey and the Finger Lakes region of New York, where she grew up on a small dairy farm, Dr. Easter pursued her academic journey at top institutions. She earned her B.S. in Biology from Cornell University and her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Duke University. Before joining VWU, she taught for five years at Eastern Illinois University.
Dr. Easter's teaching excellence has been recognized with prestigious awards, including VWU's Samuel Nelson Gray Distinguished Teaching Award and the United Methodist Church Exemplary Teacher Award. Currently residing in Virginia Beach with her husband, Loran, she continues to inspire students and colleagues alike.
Dr. Easter's research delves into natural product biochemistry with applications in pharmaceuticals. Key areas of her work include: identifying and isolating bioactive compounds, particularly toxins, from marine organisms like slugs, sponges, and algae; incorporating green chemistry principles into organic synthetic pathways for pharmaceutical production; utilizing supercritical fluid extraction techniques for purifying natural products; and exploring the use of agricultural waste as a starting material for pharmaceutical feedstocks.
A dedicated advocate for innovative teaching methods, Dr. Easter has contributed to curriculum reform for more than two decades. Her involvement with organizations like Project Kaleidoscope, the American Chemical Society, and the Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) Project underscores her commitment to enhancing STEM education. Notably, her leadership in POGIL has earned her acclaim for fostering student engagement and empowerment.
The POGIL Project, a nonprofit organization promoting active learning strategies, recently highlighted Dr. Easter's contributions. Marcy Dubroff, associate director of POGIL, praised her as integral to the project's success, acknowledging her dedication to professional development and innovative curriculum design.
Dr. Easter exemplifies the ideals of scholarship, teaching, and service, leaving an indelible mark on VWU and the broader academic community.
An Interview with Dr. Easter
Why did you choose chemistry as your field of study?
I was intrigued by science in high school as it was one academic area that was more challenging for me. I was, and still am, fascinated by the complexity of signal transduction and chemistry involved in a cell receiving a signal so that it can respond to its environment. I am impressed by the number of signaling systems that work to coordinate the different responses and different cells within a human body.
How would you describe your philosophy of teaching and learning?
My teaching philosophy focuses on student comprehension and conceptualization while providing an inclusive active learning environment. I strongly believe in utilizing an assortment of pedagogies and assessment techniques so that all students are able to engage in the course material. In several courses, I use guided inquiry and active learning strategies. Guided inquiry requires the development of materials that explain a particular concept(s), then lead the students through a series of questions or activities to reinforce the ideas or to develop their own theories. This approach engages the student in the thinking and problem-solving process during the class period rather than just writing notes from a lecture. This system allows students to absorb information, process information, and ask questions immediately during the class session.
Group work provides a setting for students to engage in peer teaching, which is another method to reinforce student learning since the process of teaching an idea reinforces the peer-teacher’s own understanding of that concept. In addition, students are developing their process skills, such as communication, team work, problem solving, and critical thinking.
Recently, I lead the effort in our department to integrate specifications grading on the majority of assessments in our lower-level courses (CHEM 120, CHEM 221/222, and CHEM 210) and to allow multiple attempts on some assessments to allow students to master material. The intent was to decrease the DFW rate in the courses and also support student mastery of the concepts in the course by replacing traditional exams with shorter assessments with multiple attempts and more flexible deadlines. The course now focuses on supporting each student while they reach mastery with the material and providing students with opportunities and choices to do this effectively. This change involved dividing the course into units, defining the student learning outcomes for each unit, developing multiple versions of each unit assessment, and then developing the course policies to provide a framework for students to be successful while keeping the instructor workload manageable.
How has involvement in professional organizations and projects enhanced your teaching?
Professionally, I have maintained activity in several national professional groups. In particular, my attendance at the Chemical Education sessions at national American Chemical Society meetings and my involvement in Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) directly enhances my effectiveness in the classroom. Many of the innovative techniques I incorporate into my own teaching are inspired by presentations and informal discussions at the PKAL and ACS meetings. Early in my teaching career, I was nominated for Project Kaleidoscope Faculty for the 21st Century – an organization focused on curricular change in science and mathematics teaching. During a PKAL national assembly, I was introduced to the guided inquiry pedagogy, which later became POGIL (Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning). I used guided inquiry in a few class sessions for a few years, but really transitioned to using it full-time in biochemistry.
I consistently work to improve my courses and especially work to enhance student learning. I regularly attend workshops on campus and at professional meetings to learn about curriculum reform and effective teaching pedagogies. I adapt the information learned from these experiences into my specific courses and then evaluate their effectiveness. The recommendation I remember most from a curriculum reform workshop early in my teaching career is that an instructor should modify at least 5% of a course each time it is taught, but no more than 50% to keep the workload manageable. While I usually stick to this formula, I was motivated to reform my biochemistry lecture and laboratory courses all in the same semester.
I had attended a POGIL advanced writing workshop in summer 2008, where I met other biochemists interested in writing POGIL activities for our courses. We co-wrote three activities during the workshop. I used those three activities in my 8 a.m. class that fall, and I was so amazed at the level of engagement by the students that I wrote an activity for each class session that semester. I have been using active learning in each class for Biochemistry since then, and I have transitioned to POGIL in Organic I, Organic II and Introductory Chemistry. I have written over 100 POGIL activities for use in these classes.
Share your professional affiliations, including POGIL, and their impact on your career.
I serve as co-principal investigator (PI) on the NSF S-STEM grant proposal entitled "STEM Scholars make an IMPACT: Integrating Mentoring, Programming, and Cohort Training" that was awarded this year. My involvement includes being on the selection committee to accept the scholars; recruiting, training and supervising the peer mentors; and teaching one of the courses. I’ve also been secretary/treasurer for Virginia’s Collegiate Honors Council (2011 - 2022).
I’ve attended the POGIL National Meeting each year since 2015 and I serve on a working group each year that tackles a particular goal to advance the strategic plan. I was part of the group that created the National Conference for Advancing POGIL practice and served on each of the conference planning committees since 2015, and was chair of the 2023 conference. I am currently serving on the working group that is developing a workshop for advanced POGIL practitioners. In January 2016, I attended the POGIL Facilitators Training Workshop and was a Facilitator in Training for the Summer Southern Regional POGIL workshop the following summer, and now am a trained facilitator for the POGIL Project. Each summer, I facilitate either a virtual or in person POGIL workshop.
What do you enjoy doing in your leisure time?
I am an avid reader. I often am reading two or more novels at a time, one audio book while driving, one on my Kindle app, and sometimes an actual book. In addition, I am a musician who has been ringing with the (VHC), a community ensemble, since 2002.