Dr. Elizabeth Karcher
Associate Professor
Animal Sciences, College of Agriculture
Dr. Elizabeth Karcher, Associate Professor of Animal Sciences in the College of Agriculture, teaches a variety of courses ranging from Introduction to Animal Agriculture to Food Security and Environmental Challenges in Vietnam. In addition to her course load, she promotes undergraduate learning outside of the classroom as a mentor and by organizing undergraduate conferences. Karcher works with students as an undergraduate research mentor and as the Animal Sciences Coordinator of Undergraduate Programs to enhance undergraduate educational experiences. She also leads two study abroad programs and organizes a two-day undergraduate program in the annual Tri-State Dairy Nutrition Conference. Additionally, Karcher co-coaches the Purdue North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge Team, for which she serves as a mentor and works with students to practice and apply concepts taught in her Dairy Farm Management course.
She co-organizes a virtual teaching seminar for NACTA members and also organizes teaching symposiums for the Poultry Science Association and American Dairy Science Associations annual meetings to share teaching effectiveness and initiate educational development opportunities for instructors. To engage and stimulate student interest in on-campus and study abroad programming, Karcher has given four invited talks at professional association annual meetings centered on teaching. She also organized the Animal Sciences Assessment Team in Fall 2021 to create recommendations for an assessment plan of the newly revised undergraduate curriculum. She is currently chairing a 2022 Poultry Science Symposium that will focus on the scholarship of teaching and learning.
Karcher has published 20 articles in educational journals and received over $400,000 in funding to support her programs to improve teaching and learning. In response to the online learning transition, Karcher studied the impact of both synchronous and asynchronous online teaching strategies on the development of her students’ situational and individual interest in her Introduction to Animal Agriculture course. Results suggest that synchronous remote formats are associated with greater student interest and intrinsic motivation over asynchronous formats. A manuscript from this work has been accepted for publication in The NACTA Journal.
Karcher continuously works to develop professionally as an IMPACT fellow, completing programs such as the Growing Intercultural Leaders Program and accepting a role in the LEAD21 program.
The following table maps Dr. Karcher’s teaching excellence evidence to evaluation activities.
Activity | Example Evidence |
---|---|
Mentoring and Advising Learners Beyond the Classroom, e.g., undergraduates, graduates, interns, residents | Promotes undergraduate learning outside of the classroom as a mentor and by organizing undergraduate conferences Co-coaches the Purdue North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge Team, for which she serves as a mentor and works with students to practice and apply concepts taught in her Dairy Farm Management course |
Professional Development | IMPACT Fellow Growing Intercultural Leaders Program LEAD21 program |
Curriculum Development and Teaching Innovations | Animal Sciences Coordinator of Undergraduate Programs to enhance undergraduate educational experiences Leads two study abroad programs Organizes a two-day undergraduate program in the annual Tri-State Dairy Nutrition Conference Organized the Animal Sciences Assessment Team in Fall 2021 to create recommendations for an assessment plan of the newly revised undergraduate curriculum |
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning | Undergraduate research mentor Co-organizes a virtual teaching seminar for NACTA members Organizes teaching symposiums for the Poultry Science Association and American Dairy Science Associations annual meetings to share teaching effectiveness and initiate educational development opportunities for instructors Four invited talks at professional association annual meetings centered on teaching Chairing a 2022 Poultry Science Symposium that will focus on the scholarship of teaching and learning Published 20 articles in educational journals and received over $400,000 in funding to support her programs to improve teaching and learning Studied the impact of both synchonous and asynchonous online teaching strategies on the development of her students’ situational and individual interest in her Introduction to Animal Agriculture course |