John Ulici-petrut

Biography

My teaching philosophy has evolved from a combination of previous teaching experience and a well-formed knowledge base in a relatively large area of biology topics. Coupled with good communication skills and teaching methods, as well as a caring attitude towards students, my experience was further enhanced through training, teaching, research and supervision. Teaching is the central part of my academic life. I am continuously involved in initiatives that improve the quality of teaching. I see myself as a facilitator with the overall goal of developing in students the capacity for independent action, initiative and responsibility — through this constructivist approach, the students are able to reinforce the recently learned concepts. Through exercises, practical assignments, and written examinations, I encourage students to better understand the topics at hand and develop creative and investigative skills. I graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Cluj in 1989, and then 1996 I obtained the Ph.D. degree in Veterinary Sciences at USAMV Cluj, Romania. I have an extensive post-secondary teaching and supervisory experiences from the period between 1991 and 2002 with the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, USAMV Cluj. Later after my immigration to Canada in 2002, I continue teaching at the post-secondary level in the fields of animal care, biology, anatomy and physiology, initially at NAIT Edmonton, and later at Athabasca University since Jan. 2006.

Research Interest

During the period I have been with Athabasca University, I have completed major revisions for BIOL 230 and 235 including the addition of lab component for BIOL 230, and recently I have completed the development of a new course, BIOL 320 Comparative Anatomy of the Vertebrates, which includes supervised laboratory activities. My teaching responsibilities at AU consist of course administration, revisions and course developments; I coordinate few of the high enrolments courses at AU: BIOL 230 – Human Physiology BIOL 235 – Human Anatomy and Physiology BIOL 310 – Biology of Human Sexuality BIOL 320 – Comparative Anatomy of the Vertebrates BIOL 495 and BIOL 496 – Project in Biology