Dr. D'Antonio's Teaching Philosophy & Experience
I am incredibly passionate about teaching, outreach, and science communication. My primary job as an educator is to provide my students with an inclusive, welcoming, and critical learning environment. I develop my courses so that students are given opportunities to try new things, potentially fail, and then be given the chance to use what they learned to try again. I believe that every one of my students has the capacity to learn. I strive to challenge my students' view of what outdoor recreation is and how outdoor recreation is managed by providing them with engaging, meaningful, and challenging classroom discussions, case studies, and active-learning exercises. I attempt to include field experiences in the classroom whenever possible and ensure that my students can apply the knowledge they learn in my class to real-world scenarios. In my classroom, I allow the material covered and the way in which it is presented and explored to be tailored to the desires and needs of each class of students. In this way I ensure that the information remains relevant and engaging to each unique group of students, their experiences, and perspectives. |
Associate Professor
Oregon State University:
At Oregon State University, I teach numerous classes in the new undergraduate Tourism, Recreation and Adventure Leadership (TRAL) major. These courses include:
Teaching Accomplishments:
At Oregon State University, I teach numerous classes in the new undergraduate Tourism, Recreation and Adventure Leadership (TRAL) major. These courses include:
- TRAL 351: Outdoor Recreation Management on Public Lands
- TRAL 357: Parks and Protected Areas Management
- TRAL 456: Planning for Sustainable Recreation
Teaching Accomplishments:
- Since 2019, I have served as the Gene D. Knudson Forestry Chair which was "was established to recognize and reward outstanding teaching, advising, and mentoring of undergraduate students, and visible leadership of undergraduate education".
- In 2021, I received the Aufderheide Excellence in Teaching Award.
- 2020-2021 Inclusive Excellence @OSU Fellow
Postdoctoral Teaching Associate
Utah State University:
After completing my Ph.D. at Utah State during the summer of 2015, I accepted a Postdoctoral Researcher and Teaching Associate position in my department. My primary responsibility during this postdoc was teaching.
During my one-year postdoc I taught four courses, including a field methods course I designed:
After completing my Ph.D. at Utah State during the summer of 2015, I accepted a Postdoctoral Researcher and Teaching Associate position in my department. My primary responsibility during this postdoc was teaching.
During my one-year postdoc I taught four courses, including a field methods course I designed:
- ENVS 4500/6500: Human Behavior in Wildlands
- ENVS 3300: Fundamentals of Recreation Resource Management
- ENVS 4130/6130: Recreation Policy and Planning
- ENVS 4550: Recreation Use Monitoring and Assessment.
Instructor
Utah State University:
While a graduate student at Utah State University I was instructor for two courses:
I received the 2013-2014 Graduate Teacher of the Year Award for the Quinney College of Natural Resources.
While a graduate student at Utah State University I was instructor for two courses:
- ENVS 4000: Human Dimensions of Natural Resources. This course was required for all College of Natural Resources undergraduates and focuses on teaching students how to use social science and apply human dimensions principles to natural resource-related problems and issues.
- ENVS 4500: Human Behavior in Wildlands. A key course in the Recreation Resource Management degree program, and a course I continued to teach during my postdoc.
I received the 2013-2014 Graduate Teacher of the Year Award for the Quinney College of Natural Resources.
Teaching Assistant
Utah State University:
I began TAing at Utah State University after the first year of my masters degree. I was the TA for one of my major professor's main undergraduate course (ENVS 4500: Human Behavior in Wildlands) for four years during my time at USU.
Penn State University:
While completing my undergraduate degree at Penn State I was lucky enough to be chosen as an undergraduate TA. I taught one lab section each semester of my senior year for two courses: an introductory course in Biology (BIOL 110) and a course in ecology focusing on populations and communities (BIOL 220).
I began TAing at Utah State University after the first year of my masters degree. I was the TA for one of my major professor's main undergraduate course (ENVS 4500: Human Behavior in Wildlands) for four years during my time at USU.
Penn State University:
While completing my undergraduate degree at Penn State I was lucky enough to be chosen as an undergraduate TA. I taught one lab section each semester of my senior year for two courses: an introductory course in Biology (BIOL 110) and a course in ecology focusing on populations and communities (BIOL 220).
Middle School and High School Science Teacher
After graduating from Penn State, I thought that I might want to change career paths and become a high school biology teacher. Instead of going back to school and getting a teaching certificate, I moved to Wisconsin and taught in an international private school. The school taught Cambridge Curriculum and middle school and high school science teachers did not need teaching certificates as long as they had a science degree and significant background knowledge in their subjects. As such, I taught Biology and Chemistry (including A levels) to 6th through 12 graders for two years before heading to Utah for graduate school. I loved my job as a science teacher; it was one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences I have had in my life so far.