Teaching in focus: Jenna Usprech

Name:

Jenna Usprech

My pronouns:

she/her

Title:

Assistant Professor of Teaching

Faculty/Department/Unit:

School of Biomedical Engineering

Location:

Vancouver

Year I started working at UBC:

2019

What first motivated you to become an educator?

As a student I enjoyed teaching and tutoring friends and classmates one-on-one. Teaching was a way of helping others (and myself) understand concepts – it felt like a powerful way to connect even at a young age. Teaching was also one of the most rewarding aspects of graduate school for me and I developed the confidence and skills to take it seriously as a potential career during that time.

Tell us more about your work.

I teach courses in the School of Biomedical Engineering (SBME) on a variety of topics, spanning from a cellular bioengineering lab course, to biomedical engineering design courses and courses on science communication, and professionalism and ethics. This reflects my diverse interests and desire for life-long learning. I also work on educational projects, like integrating environmental sustainability into our biomedical engineering design curriculum (small TLEF) and a Students-as-Partners funded project on improving an inclusive design project.

What inspired your particular approach to teaching?

Enthusiastic and caring teachers, who have a knack for making their students think critically, have inspired my approach to teaching. My dad is the perfect example of that type of teacher. I’d like to think that at minimum, I bring genuine care and enthusiasm for what I do to the classroom. I care about the content that I’m teaching and also care for the wellbeing and learning of the students that are in the classroom.

What have you learned while teaching that has surprised you the most?

Just how important it is for students to connect with their peers and instructor(s) and that this is challenging, but not impossible, to facilitate virtually. I’ve also learned that any class is influenced by external factors (like geopolitical issues or a global pandemic, for example), so being aware of those factors and acting with compassion can go a long way to helping make classrooms more accessible and equitable, and in promoting student wellbeing.

What impact do you hope to have on your students?

I hope that the critical thinking, decision making, communication, and research skills I teach students prove valuable for them in their future careers and lives. In terms of ethics and professionalism, I hope that students continue to reflect and make meaning of this content as they mature. I also hope that my students look back on their time in my courses fondly, as times where they felt supported to explore and be challenged.

Are there any colleagues or mentors you’d like to acknowledge and why?

There are so many! I’d like to thank my early mentors when I joined UBC, Claudia Krebs and Cal Roskelley (who I taught my first UBC courses alongside) and Agnes D’Entremont who have mentored me in all aspects of educational leadership. I’d also like to acknowledge my colleagues who teach design courses with me in the SBME and who I’ve worked closely with on other projects – Robyn Newell, Negar Harandi, Calvin Kuo, and Sharareh Bayat.

Learn more:

https://bme.ubc.ca/?directory=jenna-usprech