Minna Ng

The mission of the Duke Team-Based Learning Lab is to identify teaching practices that enhance learning for all students. The Duke Team-Based Learning Lab prioritizes collaboration and inclusiveness.

Our goals include identifying factors that improve team dynamics, increase a student's sense of belonging, and promote a positive learning environment. We focus primarily on active learning strategies in STEM courses. The lab's aim is also to mentor undergraduate students, whose active contributions shape the research program.

Fellowships, Gifts, and Supported Research

Course Enhancements to the Undergraduate Neuroscience Major Gateway Course: Biological Basis of Behavior · August 20, 2024 Awarded by: David L. Paletz Innovative Teaching Fund · $600.00

Impacts on Student Self-Efficacy and Engagement in Neuroscience Research · May 1, 2024 Co-Principal Investigator · Awarded by: Center for Applied Research and Design in Transformative Education (CARADITE), Duke University · $3,000.00 Undergraduate research experiences are associated with many positive outcomes, including greater academic achievement, increased self-efficacy and motivation, improved scientific identity, and greater retention and completion rates in STEM education. Importantly, these high-impact learning activities show even greater benefits for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Thanks to generous funding from three donor families, the Duke Neuroscience major has recently established a new teaching laboratory (https://psychandneuro.duke.edu/neuroscience-teaching-lab). The Neuroscience Teaching lab will bring hands-on laboratory experiences to our gateway, core, and methods courses with the goal of introducing first and second- year students to neurobiology research as well as increasing student interest and engagement in course- and apprentice-based research projects. While the Neuroscience Teaching Lab is physically located in the Duke Institute for Brain sciences, it can also serve as a mobile laboratory, bringing hands-on active learning experiences to our neuroscience classrooms. Through increased exposure to the tools and techniques of neuroscience research in introductory and core courses, we hope that our students will enter into labs earlier in their academic career and be more likely to benefit from the positive effects of these high-impact learning activities. Here, we describe our initial progress to date, designing and implementing lab activities for several neuroscience courses, as well as our long-term plans for tracking the impacts of the Neuroscience Teaching Lab on student self efficacy, career goals, and post graduation plans.

Neuroscience Service Learning Course Support Funds · January 2023 Awarded by: Duke Service Learning

Neuroscience Service Learning Course Enhancement Activity · January 2023 Awarded by: David L. Paletz Innovative Teaching Funds, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

Understanding the student experience in STEM courses during the pandemic: a comparison of traditional face-to-face versus online course versions · 2021 - 2022 Awarded by: Carry the Innovation Forward, Duke Learning Innovation

Impacts of Collaborative Learning in STEM · 2020 - 2021 Awarded by: Bass Connections

Neuroscience & Nutrition Course Development Grant · January 2019 Awarded by: Bass Connections

Collaborative Learning in STEM: Impacts on Student Motivation, Retention, and Self-Efficacy · 2019 - 2020 Awarded by: Bass Connections

Arts & Sciences Assessment Mini-Grant · August 2015 Awarded by: Trinity College, Arts & Sciences

Active Learning Faculty Fellowship · June 2015 Awarded by: Duke Center for Instructional Technology

External Relationships

University of Hartford

This faculty member (or a member of their immediate family) has reported outside activities with the companies, institutions, or organizations listed above. This information is available to institutional leadership and, when appropriate, management plans are in place to address potential conflicts of interest.