Shawn Weatherford

Biography

I am originally from Corapeake, North Carolina, located in the rural northeastern section of the state. I was selected as a North Carolina Teaching Fellow to attend Elon University, where I took advantage of opportunities including studying abroad in London England for a 14 week semester. In 2001, I accepted a high school physics teaching position at Walter M. Williams High School in Burlington, NC. In 2005, I enrolled in the PhD program at NC State and joined the Physics Education Research Group, where my research focused on developing sense-making activities for computational modeling labs in introductory calculus-based physics courses. In 2011, I accepted a tenure-track position at Saint Leo University where I currently teach physics and general science courses in the University Explorations program, and advise universities across Florida on the use of SCALE-UP, a learning space designed for facilitating active learning in large-enrollment courses.

Research Interest

I'm interested in the design and use of learning spaces to enhance the quality of active learning experiences. I'm also interested in infusing role playing through historical debates in science courses as an exercise to humanize the scientific enterprise. I enjoy thinking about how to improve student learning in physics through the careful implementation of interventions inspired by physics education research. I also focus efforts on providing avenues for experiential learning by mentoring physics students interested on working through physics projects. I also work towards developing opportunities for institutional partnerships which enhance STEM on campus and in the K-12 community.