Bio

The Cooper Lab investigates how instructors make decisions when teaching. We are interested in understanding 1) the different strategies instructors choose to implement, 2) why instructors implement these strategies, 3) how the instructor’s knowledge about teaching, learning, and science motivates their decision-making. Our work focuses on understanding instructor reasoning in contexts where students engage in scientific practices, including inquiry courses, course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), and lecture courses.

Dr. Cooper earned her B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Arizona, her M.S. in Biology from San Francisco State University, and her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona, where she conducted research in biology education. As a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Georgia, she served as the principal investigator (PI) on an NSF-funded project that characterized the specialized knowledge CURE instructors rely on to support students through various research challenges.