Katie Ansell
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Biography
Professor Ansell received her BS in physics and music from the University of Michigan in 2008, and completed her PhD at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2020. She works at the intersection of implementing new pedagogies in physics labs and evaluating their effects on students. While working on her PhD, she developed a new curriculum for Physics 211 labs that fosters the development of creativity and independent thinking, supported by practical and procedural experimental skills. This new curriculum has grown to include the algebra- and calculus-based Mechanics and Electricity & Magnetism courses, as well as leading to the growth of a Learning Assistant program in the Physics department and improved efforts to train Teaching Assistants in pedagogy.
Professor Ansell's work in Physics Education Research focuses on understanding how students take on expertise, how groups learn to work together, and how instructors, near-peers, and students navigate the ecosystem of introductory physics labs. As Teaching Faculty, she also applies principles from cognitive science, instructional design, and education theory to her teaching practices in large introductory courses.
Research Areas
Service on College Committees
- Core member, Grainger College of Engineering Laboratory and Design Community of Practice
Recent Courses Taught
- PHYS 101 - College Physics: Mech & Heat
- PHYS 102 - College Physics: E&M & Modern
- PHYS 211 - University Physics: Mechanics
- PHYS 212 - University Physics: Elec & Mag