Providing Opportunities
for Students
Rosemary Carlson
Associate Professor
Science & Mathematics
West Campus
CELT Coordinator
Providing Opportunities for Students is Key
according to Oklahoma CASE Carnegie U.S. Professor
of the Year (2013), Mary Wells Phillips.
When Professor Mary Phillips enters a room, the
atmosphere of the room is immediately changed by the
enthusiasm and energy that seems
to buzz around her at all times.
Her vision, her curiosity, and her
dedication to helping her students
achieve personal and academic
success led to her being honored
as the Oklahoma CASE Carnegie
U.S. Professor of the Year for 2013.
Phillips describes her 32 years of
teaching biology at Tulsa Community College as a privilege and she
credits her effectiveness as a
teacher to her own curiosity, love
of learning, and the constant evolution of her teaching skills.
have the freedom to express their own questions and to
begin to seek answers for themselves.
Students encounter diverse learning opportunities
when they enroll in a biology course taught by Phillips, including demonstrations, case studies, on-line multi-media,
student presentations, and discussions. Phillips also involves students in short-term and long-term servicelearning projects because “students seem to enjoy citizen
science projects, service learning projects, and/or volunteer
opportunities to learn biology.”
Engaging students through hands-on laboratory and
field experiences allows them to model what scientists actually do. Over the years, Phillips has enjoyed traveling with
groups of students both locally and internationally to exotic
locations such as Belize and Costa Rica. “Traveling with students is a great way to interact
and get to know students and for
students to see instructors in a
new light (e.g., before my first cup
of coffee),” according to Phillips.
“There are many serendipitous
moments to mentor and connect
with students. Students have
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