Overview
Julie Reynolds has a Ph.D. in biology but, through a series of unexpected events, became an expert in writing pedagogies. She spent 5 years learning to teach writing as a postdoctoral fellow in Duke University’s first-year writing program before transitioning to the biology department where she has taught science writing and writing-intensive courses to thousands of undergraduates and graduate students. With over a decade of funding from the National Science Foundation, her disciplinary-based education research has focused on how writing assignments can promote deep, conceptual learning, especially in large science courses. Dr. Reynolds is also a writing coach and has helped hundreds of scientists across the country to increase their productivity while reducing stress associated with writing.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
Diversity of undergraduates in STEM courses: individual and demographic differences in changes in self-efficacy, epistemic beliefs, and intrapersonal attribute profiles
Journal Article Studies in Higher Education · January 1, 2024 Across undergraduate STEM learning contexts in several countries, students’ intrapersonal attributes of epistemic beliefs, self-efficacy beliefs, intrinsic motivation, and sense of identity have been found to influence learning and to change in response to ... Full text Open Access CiteBeyond Content, Understanding What Makes Test Questions Most Challenging
Journal Article BioScience · March 1, 2023 When students answer test questions incorrectly, we often assume they don’t understand the content; instead, they may struggle with certain cognitive skills or with how questions are asked. Our goal was to look beyond content to understand what makes asses ... Full text CitePostsecondary Faculty Attitudes and Beliefs about Writing-Based Pedagogies in the STEM Classroom.
Journal Article CBE life sciences education · September 2022 Writing is an important skill for communicating knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and an aid to developing students' communication skills, content knowledge, and disciplinary thinking. Despite the importance of writing, ... Full text Open Access CiteRecent Grants
Collaborative Research: Accelerating the Pace of Research and Implementation of Writing-to-Learn Pedagogies Across STEM Disciplines
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2015 - 2021The COMPASS PROJECT
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Howard Hughes Medical Institute · 2014 - 2020Determining the relative impact of community, mentoring, and research on STEM persistence and literacy
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Howard Hughes Medical Institute · 2015 - 2018View All Grants