Petra Kranzfelder

Petra Kranzfelder is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her work bridges entomology/aquatic ecology research with STEM education reform, focusing on evidence-based teaching practices to enhance equity in undergraduate and graduate science education.

• Education: BA (Biology/CA Studies/Spanish) from Colorado College; MS/PhD (Entomology) from University of Minnesota
• Research Interests: Active learning implementation, MSI STEM education, instructor discourse analysis

Her Kranzfelder Lab develops tools like the Classroom Discourse Observation Protocol (CDOP) to assess teaching practices. Recent work addresses pandemic-era remote teaching challenges and barriers faced by underrepresented students. She teaches introductory biology courses and trains graduate teaching assistants.

Publications emphasize pedagogical innovation, with over 20 articles in journals like CBE-Life Sciences Education and BioScience. Research spans from insect biodiversity studies in tropical estuaries to modern STEM education equity initiatives.

Grants/Labs: Leads NSF-funded projects on MSI education; affiliated with Biology Education Research group. Current focus includes adapting COPUS protocol for online learning and developing follow-up discourse analysis frameworks (FUDOP).