Stephen Thomas
- Michigan State University
- Website: www.zoology.msu.edu/all-faculty/stephen-r-thomas.html
- Twitter: Craniumation
I am an assistant professor at Michigan State University in the Zoology Department and an Assistant Curator of Science Education at the MSU Museum. I teach courses in environmental science and ecology, with a growing emphasis on teaching online courses and have been interested in improving pedagogical practice through digital engagement. One aspect I have been exploring is the use of comics in reducing student anxiety of science. In addition to teaching, I also freelance as a biological illustrator, and recently, I have been combining these interests to research visual communication of science. Using eye-tracking data, my collaborators and I explore how best to convey data on issues such as climate change. In the capacity of museum curating, I have been exploring the use of comics, touchscreen video games, and augmented reality.
My Posts
Using Art to Teach Science
Sunday, April 17th, 2011 | Craniumation
Hi All,
I’m interested in discussing how digital arts and media can be used to improve science education. I find the more I increase art and media in my classes, the more I see engagement from students and interest from faculty peers. Currently I teach with items and activities like comics, paper animations, student generated paper models and most recently working on augmented reality. I would love to brainstorm other options or discuss general theory about the benefits or detriments of cross-communication between arts/digital media and the sciences. Other topics might include overcoming subject anxiety, learning through a maker community, art and online pedagogy, etc…
Really looking forward to meeting and chatting!