What’s in your teaching DNA?

In biology, recombinant DNA involves combining DNA from different sources to achieve a desired outcome. At Recombinant Education, we help combine your unique academic strengths and STEM disciplinary knowledge with evidence-based educational strategies via workshops and consulting services to achieve positive outcomes for yourself, your students, and your institution.

Dr. Justin Shaffer is the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies and a Teaching Professor in Chemical and Biological Engineering and in Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. Justin has been a university STEM professor, discipline-based education researcher, and faculty and student mentor since 2012. Over the past 12+ years, Justin has taught 8500+ students using evidence-based pedagogies at a variety of institutions in several disciplines and formats and has worked with faculty to add evidence-based practices to their courses via workshops and 1:1 consulting.

Justin-Shaffer-Recombinant-Education

STEM teaching

  • Introductory biology
  • Anatomy and physiology
  • Chemical engineering
  • Biomedical engineering
  • Non-majors STEM courses
  • Multiple award winner for effective teaching
  • Four different types of institutions

course formats

  • Large and small classes (10 to 440 students)
  • Face-to-face, hybrid, and online
  • Synchronous and asynchronous online
  • Lab courses

professional development

  • Given workshops to faculty and future faculty on course design, active learning, assessment, and education research
  • Worked with many faculty one-on-one to implement evidence-based practices into their courses

education research