"The process behind finding the answer is just as important as the answer. Students must learn how the things that they learned are important." - Lan Xu
Making Connections
Jarett C. Bies, AgBio Communications
Professor Lan Xu in her office.
Plant Ecology Professor Lan Xu Teaches Discovery
South Dakota State University plant ecology assistant professor Lan Xu knows that the key to teaching students well is to engage them with facts. But she also knows that there is more to teaching science than simply teaching facts. She knows there are greater discoveries, and greater connections, at hand.
“The process behind finding the answer is just as important as the answer,” said Xu. “Students must learn how the things that they learned are important.”
Because she teaches biology courses that range in level from introductory to graduate, for her teaching to be effective, Xu’s approach must resonate with students of many backgrounds, abilities, and knowledge bases.
Nathan Baker, a senior wildlife and fisheries sciences major who once took a Xu-taught introductory biology class, said he clearly remembers her teaching method.
“She made everyone part of the class. She called on everyone. I found that stimulating,” said the Loup City, Neb., native. “She reminded us that we were all going to be in the workforce soon, so we needed to possess a wide array of knowledge.”
Baker said the “full-spectrum” approach to biology made a difference. “She used so many different assignments, for different learning styles, to help you,” he said. “And she would meet with you outside of class, if you needed more help.”
Xu consciously makes her teaching personal. She kindles interest, fans intellectual curiosity, and tries to spark her students on a one-to-one level.
Born in Beijing, China, Xu grew up in the city of Datong, in the Shanxi province. She joined the SDSU biology-microbiology staff as an assistant professor in 2004. She says her goal is to encourage her students.
“I believe my primary role is to ignite the learning engine of each student,” said Xu. “But the ignition switch is not the same for every student. So I use an innovative variety of assignments to connect students to topics.”
To be sure, though, there is more to Xu’s teaching style than engagement. An SDSU award-winning and nationally recognized professor, she has both a broad grasp of and a deep respect for teaching.
“She is a great teacher, and she does important research that supports our mission as a land-grant university,” said Tom Cheesbrough, head of the Biology-Microbiology Department in the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences. “She helps Extension educators. She does many things with the team that teaches Biology 101 and 103 (the first and second survey courses in biology for non-majors). She does things that she doesn’t have to do.”
Her students certainly seem to appreciate her methods. When he was a first-year student, senior range science student Shane Deranleau, Newell, was enrolled in one of Xu’s classes. It was one of her first teaching assignments at SDSU.
“Her class was about more than botany,” said Deranleau. “She made us understand plants are just the beginning, and she showed the connections biology has to everything else. All the quizzes and (teaching) techniques made you pay attention.”
To get students to think beyond textbooks, Xu uses computer-based exercises and projects, hands-on learning, animated videos, and writing assignments. And her Web pages are not just electronic slates of lecture notes; her pages engage students with videos, games, and fun facts.
Xu’s work has garnered both university awards and national attention. At SDSU, in 2007, for excellence in teaching, she won a prestigious F.O. Butler Foundation award. On the national level, the U.S. Center for Education Policy Research named her Biology Survey II course as one of the best in the nation. In addition, SDSU staff and faculty nominated her for the USDA 2007 New Teacher award, and she is up for the award again in 2008.
But Xu doesn’t measure her teaching by outside awards or honors. Instead, she said the feedback of her students is primary. “I’m open to feedback. In fact, I require it from all my students,” she said. “The expectations are high.”
And, regardless of the level, the expectations remain the same. Deranleau said Xu helped every student in his introductory course strive towards excellence.
“She did not make excuses for any student, or let us make them,” he said. “She would push each of us.”
Pushing, though, is just one metaphor for Xu’s teaching—she also pulls, cajoles, and carries. Regardless of the class size or student experience, she tries to provide what her students need. To Xu, providing what’s needed means bringing her students a sense of energy, clarity, and understanding.
“I like to show that I enjoy teaching—it makes students excited. That’s how learning takes place,” she said. “Teachers, in some ways, are outsiders to students. Learning really takes place internally, so I use a wide range of assignments to break through, to connect.”
When Xu speaks of “connection,” though, she speaks of more than the ability to relate the facts of science to her students—she speaks of the greater connection between the students and their worlds. It is this connection that seems to provide Xu her own fulfillment.
“The big reward is when students understand a university education is not about grades,” she said. “When the connection happens, and you see that light bulb go on over their heads, that makes me smile.”
Related Links
SDSU Biology and Microbiology Department