Shanna Shaked

Shanna Shaked is a leader at UCLA in the use of evidence-based teaching techniques, serving as the Senior Associate Director of their Center for Education, Innovation and Learning in the Sciences, and as the co-founder and director of their undergraduate learning assistant (LA) program. She has also pioneered a range of interdisciplinary teaching collaborations with faculty across the UCLA Physical and Life Sciences. After earning her B.S. and B.A. in Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics from the University of Arizona, she received a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from the University of Michigan and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Ithaca College.  Her research experience ranges across astrophysics, biophysics, environmental physics, pollutant modeling, sustainability, and ultimately physics education research.

At UCLA, Dr. Shaked has initiated a range of evidence-based teaching techniques, such as an interdisciplinary undergraduate Learning Assistant program to promote active learning and inclusivity in large lecture courses. She has extensive experience with the following classroom technologies and activities: clickers with peer instruction, pre-lecture assignments and interactive videos, collaborative workshop discussions, weekly quizzes, real world application group projects, online discussion forums, collaborative office hours, and mid-quarter student feedback. Dr. Shaked also regularly implements pre- and post-tests and surveys to assess the effectiveness of such educational interventions.

Dr. Shaked is an HHMI/National Academies Summer Institute Fellow and a regular participant in national physics conferences, such as AAPT and Learning Assistant Alliance conference. The overall focus of Dr. Shaked’s efforts in CEILS is to identify and address the educational needs and interests of Physical Science faculty, and in so doing, support the academic success of all UCLA students.

Building on her training and experience in teaching middle and high school science, Dr. Shaked has worked with other faculty and in her own courses to mentor UCLA undergraduates to present science to more than 2,000 K-12 and community college students and at multiple outreach events per year. She has also aided faculty in successfully designing broader impact components for NSF grants, integrating faculty research into effective outreach activities.