Teaching & Mentoring
At the undergraduate level, I teach and assist classes on psychology and aging, including my own seminar, "HE 1150 – Aging and the Media". At the graduate and post-doctoral level, I have taught academic skills workshops as a 2020 - 2022 Graduate Lead Fellow with the Cornell Center for Teaching Innovation (CTI).
HE 1150 – Of Gray Hairs and Silver Screens: Aging and the Media
An undergraduate seminar taught at Cornell University in Fall 2022 and Spring 2023, designed & instructed by me.
Fall 2022, Spring 2023 3 Credits, Grated
How is aging portrayed around the world and how has older adults’ image changed over time? How do biased depictions shape our choices and attitudes from a young age? Using examples from classic and contemporary media, the first half of this course will examine cultural, historical, and social differences in the perception of old age. The second half of the course will address the way biopsychosocial changes influence older adults’ engagement with information and the media (such as advertisements or COVID-19 news coverage). We will review and discuss media excerpts, scholarly papers, and op-eds, and learn how to write for both scientific and lay audiences.
Teaching Experience & Training
TEACHING FELLOWSHIP & TRAINING
2023 – 2024 University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) Program, Tilburg University
2022 WRIT 7100 – Teaching Writing, Cornell University
2020 – 2022 Center for Teaching Innovation (CTI) Graduate Student Fellowship ($4,000)
2021 – 2022 Graduate Lead Fellow, Center for Teaching Innovation, Cornell University
2021, 2022 Ivy+ Teaching Transformations Summit, online
2020 Teaching and Learning in the Diverse Classroom, Cornell University online course
PUBLICATIONS ON TEACHING
Nolte, J., & Turker, H. B. (2021). Teaching students how to effectively take notes. In K. Armstrong, L. Genova, J. W. Greenlee, & D. Samuel (Eds.), Teaching gradually: Practical pedagogy for graduate students, by graduate students (pp. 18–24). Stylus Publishing. [Link]
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2023 – 2024
880441-M-18 – Master’s Thesis
Master’s thesis supervision, this supervisor, Tilburg University
2024
800957-B-6 – Statistics for Pre-Master’s “Comm. & Info. Sciences”
Lecture + tutorial course, co-instructor of record, Tilburg University
8800666-M-6 – Risk Communication
Lecture course, co-instructor of record, Tilburg University
2023
95001-B-6 – Research Sem. for Pre-Master’s “Comm. & Info. Sciences”
Lecture + tutorial course, co-instructor of record, Tilburg University
880099-M-6 – Digital Food Marketing
Lecture course, co-instructor of record, Tilburg University
HE 1150 – Of Gray Hairs and Silver Screens: Aging and the Media
First-year writing seminar, instructor of record, Cornell University
2022
HE 1150 – Of Gray Hairs and Silver Screens: Aging and the Media
First-year writing seminar, instructor of record, Cornell University
HD 3290 – Self-regulation Across the Lifespan
Lecture course, teaching assistant, Cornell University
Writing a Diversity Statement
Workshop, instructor of record, Cornell University Center for Teaching Innovation
Developing a Teaching Portfolio
Workshop, instructor of record, Cornell University Center for Teaching Innovation
2021
Designing Learning Activities
Workshop, instructor of record, Cornell University Center for Teaching Innovation
Engaging Your Students in the Humanities and Social Sciences
Workshop, instructor of record, Cornell University Center for Teaching Innovation
GET SET Teaching Conference
Conference co-organizer and co-host, Cornell University Center for Teaching Innovation
2020
COGST 1101-001 – Introduction to Cognitive Science
Lecture course, instructor: Roy Moral, (then) Ph.D. student, Cornell University
Equitable Access in the Online Classroom
Workshop – Center for Teaching Innovation, Cornell University
2019
HD 2180 – Human Development: Adulthood and Aging
Lecture course, teaching assistant, Cornell University
HD 3290 – Self-regulation Across the Lifespan
Lecture course, teaching assistant, Cornell University
Mentoring
2023 - 2024
Raf Schumann, Tilburg University M.Sc. ’24 (expected)
Thesis title: “Fifty Shades of Red: The Influence of Saturation and Value of the Color Red in Instagram Advertisements on Emotional Responses and Purchase Intention”
2022 - 2023
Lauren Mei, Cornell University ‘22
Project title: “The Role of Verbatim versus Gist Formatting in Adult Age Differences in Intentional Information Avoidance“
Biology Summer Internship Program, Cornell (BioSIP; $1,600, PI: Lauren Mei)
CALS Alumni Association Award, Cornell University ($1,200, PI: Lauren Mei)
2019 - 2021
Stephanie L. Deng, Cornell University B.Sc. ‘21
Hunter R. Rawlings III Cornell Presidential Research Scholar; project title: “Age Differences in the Avoidance of Decision-Relevant Health Information“ ($5,000, PI: S. Deng ‘21)
Selected speaker – CURBx 6th annual research forum, Cornell University
“Best Poster“ award – CURB 6th annual research forum, Cornell University
Senior Urie Bronfenbrenner Award for Achievement in Research, Cornell University
Alan D. Mathios Research & Service Grant ($1,495, PI: Stephanie Deng ‘21)
SRNDNA Diversity Summer Research Award ($2,000, PI: Stephanie Deng ‘21)
2013 - 2014
COMENIUS Peer Mentoring Program
Peer Mentor & Peer Mentor Instructor, Heidelberg University, Germany
Evaluations
Classroom & Workshop Evaluations
Summary/excerpts of evaluations until Spring 2023 [Link]
What My Students Say About Me
"I was at your CTI [Cornell Center for Teaching Innovation] workshop on Monday, and I just wanted to thank you for such a great presentation! I learned a lot, and the workshop was so professional that, at first, I thought you were already a Professor!"
"Diversity Statement Workshop" attendee (2022)
"Julia is intelligent, respectful, and inclusive. Many meetings, Julia would start by reminding us to include our pronouns in our Zoom names. I think this goes to show her inclusivity and respect for all students. Julia is intelligent and resourceful and was able to remember studies and anecdotes that helped me remember course content. Julia is also extremely helpful and quick to respond by email."
"Introduction to Cognitive Science" student (2020)
"I think Julia is a very kind, responsible, and intelligent TA [teaching assistant]. I appreciate how she reads comments out loud, giving a voice to those who don’t have/don’t use mics. I also really appreciate [t]he way she grades homework assignments, attendance, and other graded parts on canvas, as her feedback and notes of every grade are extremely organized and helpful. I like how she writes the specific date that the grade was updated and what days are reflected in attendance and discussion posts. I wish all of the TAs would grade like she does, as it is extremely clear and straightforward. She also offers valuable insight at almost every meeting on psychology and the psycological aspects of cognition, which really helped in many of the units."
"Introduction to Cognitive Science" student (2020)
How I Teach
Backwards Course Design
I work backwards from the learning objectives I am pursuing. Learning objectives are based on a hierarchy of action verbs: "By the end of this course or course session, students will be able to understand/ analyze/ apply [...]."
Active Learning
I include between 2 and 4 active learning exercises per workshop or course session. Activities like gallery walks or think-pair-share provide breaks, foster social connections, and allow students to retrieve and apply knowledge.
Backstage Agenda
I plan out sessions using a detailed timetable: "How long does this section take? Do I have enough activities? Did I leave time for questions?" I also include reminders and keep track of timing that needs adjustment.
Psychology of Learning
I draw on evidence-based learning principles such as the "testing effect", context-dependent memory, and different note-taking techniques (Nolte & Turker, 2022) to help my students retain course content.