Stephanie Gutzler
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, Senior Academic Professional Biology- Education
Ph.D., Biology, Georgia State University, 2009
B.S, Biology, Neumann University, 2003
B.S., Psychology, Neumann University, 2003
- Specializations
Biology Education Research
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
- Biography
Research interests:
- Assessment of programmatic changes in the Biology undergraduate curriculum - Currently, we are collecting data to determine the effects of decoupling laboratory courses from lecture classes at the Introductory level (BIOL2107 & 2108).
- Assessment of implementation of active learning pedagogies in both lecture and laboratory settings - I am working in collaboration with Dr. Aakanksha Angra to analyze the effects of inquiry-based teaching methods on students' content understanding and retention as well as higher-order cognitive skills in student writing in our Introductory Biology labs.
- The effects of mentorship on teaching self-efficacy - I am passionate about developing professional developing and pedagogy-based training for our graduate teaching assistants (GTAs). Recently, I have worked - with the help of many colleagues - to provide mentorship at multiple levels for our GTAs, inclusive of Peer and Faculty mentorship. We are studying how different aspects of mentorship impact how confident GTAs feel in their abilities to independently instruct laboratory classes.
Born in Philadelphia, Stephanie attended Villa Maria Academy High School and remained in the area to attend Neumann University, in Aston, PA. At Neumann, she was mentored by Drs. Kurt Wallen (Psychology) and Mac Given (Biology) who encouraged her curiosity in Neuroscience and Endocrinology. In 2002, she headed to Emory University to participate in a Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE). It was then that she knew she wanted to pursue her graduate studies in Atlanta. Following completion of her undergraduate program, she came to Georgia State and joined the laboratory of Dr. Elliott Albers, then in the Biology Department. During her graduate studies, Stephanie thrived as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) in the Anatomy and Physiology labs under the direction of Dr. Ann Massey (now at UGA) and Ms. Kathy Rockwell. Her career focus at this time shifted from research-based towards the idea of working with and teaching students.
In 2010, Dr. Gutzler was hired as the Laboratory Coordinator for the Introductory Biology lab courses for majors (BIOL2107/2108). Working with Dr. Matthew Brewer, she revitalized the curriculum in those courses, publishing a lab manual and developing workshops for GTAs. Over her 9 years working in the labs, Dr. Gutzler became an active member of professional organizations, including the Society for College Science Teachers of which she serves on the board. In 2018 and 2019, she served as a Co-Leader for the Discovery Station component of the Atlanta Science Festival's Discovery Day held here at Georgia State.
In 2019, Dr. Gutzler was hired as the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Biology. In this position, she promotes science literacy and community engagement among our undergraduates. Dr. Gutzler is also committed to continuing the College's efforts to provide opportunities for undergraduates in Biology to develop the career-based skills necessary for readiness and competitiveness in today's job market.