Biography
Dr. Petra Kranzfelder received a BA in Biology, Central American Studies, and Spanish from Colorado College, and MS in Entomology and PhD in Entomology from the University of Minnesota. She completed a Postdoctoral Associate position in Biology Education Research at the University of Minnesota. Trained as an entomologist and aquatic ecologist, she shifted from studying interactions of insects in rivers and estuaries to interactions of instructors and students in the college science classroom. Her current research focuses on how instructors use evidence-based teaching practices in college science classrooms to engage all students in learning, especially for those that have been historically underrepresented in the sciences. She teaches undergraduates courses in introductory biology and graduate teaching assistant training courses in teaching and learning in the sciences.
Research
The overarching focus of the Kranzfelder lab is developing evidence-based knowledge, practices, and assessments to improve biology (and STEM) teaching and learning at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, especially at Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs).
Select Publications (since 2015):
Pusey, T., Presas Valencia, A., Signorini, A., Kranzfelder, P. Breakout Rooms, Polling, and Chat, Oh COPUS! The Adaptation of COPUS for Online Synchronous Learning. *Research & Practice in Assessment, *18(1) https://www.rpajournal.com/the-adaptation-of-copus-for-online-synchronous-learning/
Dulai, K., Kranzfelder, P., Signorini, A., Pusey, T., Presas Valencia, A., Urbina, C., Oviedo, N. J. (2022). Collaborative Teaching Plus (CT+): A Timely, Flexible, and Dynamic Course Design Implemented during Emergency Remote Teaching in an Introductory Biology Course. *CBE-Life Sciences Education*, 21(4), ar61 https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.21-08-0199
Denaro, K., Kranzfelder, P., Owens, M., Sato, B., Zuckerman, A., Hardesty, R., Signorini, A., Aebersold, A., Verma, M., Lo, S. (2022). Predicting Implementation of Active Learning by Tenure-Track Teaching Faculty Using Robust Cluster Analysis. *International Journal of STEM Education*, 9(1), 49 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-022-00365-9
Donham, C., Pohan, C., Menke, E. J., Kranzfelder, P. (corresponding author) (2022). Increasing Student Engagement Through Course Attributes, Community, and Classroom Technology: Lessons from the Pandemic. *Journal of Microbiology Education (JMBE), **23*(1), e00268-21 https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00268-21
Donham, C., Barron, H. A., Alkhouri, J. S., Changaran Kumarath, M., Alejandro, W., Menke, E. J., Kranzfelder, P. (2022). I will teach you here or there, I will try to teach you anywhere: perceived supports and barriers for emergency remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. *International Journal of STEM Education, *9(1), 1-25
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-022-00335-1
Alkhouri, J. S., Donham, C., Pusey, T. S., Signorini, A., Stivers, A. H., Kranzfelder, P. (2021). Look Who's Talking: Teaching and Discourse Practices across Discipline, Position, Experience, and Class Size in STEM College Classrooms. *BioScience, *71(10), 1063-1078. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biab077
Kranzfelder, P., Bankers-Fulbright, J., Garcia-Ojeda, M. E., Melloy, M., Mohammed, S., Warfa, A.-R. (2020). Undergraduate Biology Instructors Still Use Mostly Teacher-Centered Discourse Even When Teaching with Active Learning Strategies. *BioScience, 70(10)*, 901–913. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biaa077
Kranzfelder, P., Lo, A. T., Melloy, M. P., Walker, L. E., Warfa, A.-R. M. (2019). Instructional practices in reformed undergraduate STEM learning environments: a study of instructor and student behaviors in biology courses. *International Journal of Science Education*, 41(14), 1944-1961 https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2019.1649503
Kranzfelder, P., Bankers-Fulbright, J. L., Garcia-Ojeda, M. E., Melloy, M., Mohammed, S., Warfa, A.-R. M. (2019). The Classroom Discourse Observation Protocol (CDOP): A quantitative method for characterizing teacher discourse moves in undergraduate STEM learning environments. *PLOS ONE*, 14(7), e0219019. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0219019
Kranzfelder, P., Ferrington, L. C., Jr. (2018). Chironomidae (Diptera) species diversity of estuaries across a land use gradient on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. *Revista de Biología Tropical, *66(3), 1118-1134. http://dx.doi.org/10.15517/rbt.v66i3.31927
Kranzfelder, P., Ekrem, T., Stur, E. (2017). DNA Barcoding for Species Identification of Insect Skins: A Test on Chironomidae (Diptera) Pupal Exuviae. *Journal of Insect Science*, 17(6), 111. https://doi.org/10.1093/jisesa/iex075
Kranzfelder, P., Ferrington, L. C., Jr. (2016). Temporal and spatial variability of Chironomidae (Diptera) species emergence in a Neotropical estuary. *Freshwater Science*, 35(2), 631-643. https://doi.org/10.1086/685907
Kranzfelder, P., Anderson, A. M., Egan, A. T., Mazack, J. E., Bouchard, R. W., Jr, Rufer, M. M., Ferrington, L. C., Jr. (2015). Use of Chironomidae (Diptera) surface-floating pupal exuviae as a rapid bioassessment protocol for water bodies. *JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments)*, (101), e52558. https://doi.org/10.3791/52558
Kranzfelder, P., Ekrem, T., Stur, E. (2015). Trace DNA from Insect Skins: A Comparison of Five Extraction Protocols and Direct PCR on Chironomid Pupal Exuviae. *Molecular Ecology Resources, *16(1), 353-363. https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.12446
Kranzfelder, P. and Ferrington, L. C., Jr. (2015). Characterization of Chironomidae (Diptera) Surface-Floating Pupal Exuviae Sample Sort Time from Coastal Tropical Aquatic Systems. *Environmental Monitoring and Assessment*, 187(3), 70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-4313-0
Mazack, J. E.,*Kranzfelder, P., Anderson, A. M., Bouchard, R. W., Jr, Perry, J., Vondracek, B., Ferrington, L. C., Jr. (2015). Survivorship and Longevity of Adult *Diamesa mendotae* Muttkowski, 1915 (Diptera: Chironomidae) at Controlled, Sub-Freezing Temperatures. *Aquatic Insects*, 36(1), 35-42. https://doi.org/10.1080/01650424.2014.990040
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