Dr. Lisa Elfring

Dr. Lisa Elfring and Dr. Amy Graham discuss their pathways from research into teaching by being guided by what motivated them. Lisa also shares insights into how she likes to be called in the academic world, how teaching has shaped her as a parent (and vis versa), advice for developing a personal teaching style, strategies for soliciting student feedback, and some funny stories of the inevitable moments of running into students off campus. 

Lisa Elfring is a Specialist in the Molecular and Cellular Biology department, where she focuses her efforts on improving teaching and learning of biology and other science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines. Since 2016, she has served administratively as the Associate Vice Provost for Instruction and Assessment, leading the Office of Instruction and Assessment (and now, co-leading the University Center for Assessment, Teaching, and Technology. She has been at the University of Arizona since 1998 and has taught nearly ten thousand biology majors, biology graduate students, secondary biology teachers-in-training, and working biology teachers, as well as, occasionally, medical students. Away from work, she is a parent of three daughters and three rescue dogs. Between the job, the family, and the dogs, her hobbies are mostly restricted to reading and cooking.