Diane Ebert-May

Diane Ebert-May is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Plant Biology at Michigan State University, affiliated with the College of Natural Science. She leads research in biology education, focusing on learner-centered pedagogy, faculty professional development, and curriculum transformation.

• Education: Ph.D. from the University of Colorado

Her research examines how professional development programs like FIRST IV sustain learner-centered teaching in early-career faculty, impacts of reformed introductory biology curricula on student performance, and model-based pedagogy for complex biological systems. She also investigates pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in instructors and graduate teaching assistant (TA) professional development models.

Recent publications track longitudinal impacts of teaching reforms, climate change effects on alpine ecosystems, and assessment protocols for three-dimensional STEM learning. Her work emphasizes institutional alignment with faculty values and organizational structures supporting educational innovation.

She teaches a seminar for postdoctoral fellows and graduate students titled Pathways to Scientific Teaching, and her lab collaborates on NSF-funded projects, including DUE 1623834 and CCLI Phase III (DUE 0817224). Current studies analyze teaching practices across diverse institution types and their effects on student learning outcomes.