Julie Collins

Julie strives to bring humanity and humor to her work helping instructors create meaningful learning environments where students feel connected, engaged, and capable. With an interdisciplinary background in STEM and the humanities, Julie especially values the motivation that unexpected connections can bring to a classroom. In pursuit of those connections, she is eager to learn about each instructor’s unique expertise and identify the best pedagogical practices that resonate with their personal teaching style. In grad school, Julie explored student identity development during game-based learning exercises and the application of narrative models in education research. In her current work as an instructional designer with the Center for Teaching, Learning & Mentoring, Julie is especially curious about student group dynamics, case-based curricula, and questions of equitable assessment. She is deeply grateful for the chance to continue learning alongside her fantastic colleagues in the Center. When not at work, Julie can usually be found crocheting baby blankets for friends – an activity often made aerobic by the intervention of her four cats.