Kasey Fowler-Finn, Ph.D.

Saint Louis University

fowlerfinn@slu.edu
Office: 314-977-7062
DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY

14 Nov 2016
Dear Reinert Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning,

I have known Justin Zweck since I joined the SLU department of Biology as an
Assistant Professor in 2014. Justin and I have met several times over the course of
this semester in order to discuss his professional goals, his teaching methods, and all
aspects of his CUTS portfolio, and I will continue to serve as a resource in this capacity
after the conclusion of the CUTS program. Some items we have discussed include
resume building, assignment design, teaching techniques, and assessment strategies.
In addition to discussing the contents of his teaching portfolio, Justin and I have talked
about strategies for job searching and balancing an increasingly heavy academic work
load.

Justin guest lectured in my Evolutionary Biology course, a 300-level core biology
course, on the subject Speciation. The lecture was well-received by students, and he
linked the topic to previous course content despite never having been in my
classroom. He also challenged the students with questions throughout to keep them
engaged, and designed a really nice active learning assignment. Students formed small
groups and generated hypotheses about patterns and rates of speciation for different
organisms, and then shared their findings with the class. Overall, the lecture was wellstructured, engaging, and informative.

Justins goal is to earn a tenure track position at a teaching university after his
anticipated graduation in May 2017. From conversation and observation of his
teaching, as well as lectures he has given in other settings, I feel he would thrive in
this setting. I recommend him for certification in CUTS.

Sincerely,

Kasey D. Fowler-Finn, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Biology
Saint Louis University
fowlerfinn@slu.edu
314-977-7062