Betsy C. Brantley

Professor of Biology




A native of Pensacola, Florida, I'm happy to be back home in the sunshine state and teaching at Valencia. I started teaching anatomy & physiology part-time while working as a programmer at the University of Virginia and Dartmouth Medical School. Nothing against programmers, but I found teaching much more interesting and fun... and have been teaching full time ever since.... first in Michigan, and now at Valencia.


My bachelor's degree is in Anthropology and Zoology from Duke University. I completed my master's degree in Biology from University of West Florida and also hold an associate’s degree in nursing. Though I don't currently practice nursing, I do keep my Florida RN license active.



Contact

West Campus
HSB 138
407-582-5149
bbrantley3@valenciacollege.edu

Hours



Summer 2022 all office hours will be online.

*Monday 12-2pm

*Tuesday 9am-12:30pm

*Wednesday 8-9:30pm

*Thursday 9-11am

*Friday 9-10am

*Thursday 9am-12noon

*Friday 9-10am

Teaching Philosophy:
My teaching philosophy could be summarized into three points:
1. Keep learning
2. Keep trying new technologies and techniques
3. Stay excited about your subject

My primary teaching philosophy is to never discourage learning… in students, in fellow faculty, and in myself. For my students, I encourage good study habits (not trying to cram three weeks of material into one all-night study session) and connection to everyday situations. For myself, I’m constantly reading new texts and articles to stay up to date on life science developments.

One non-technological technique I utilize quite often is cooperative learning. As a teacher, I may be the one in front of the class, but I’ve found that I’m not necessarily the best one to re-iterate material. My physiology students can support that idea as well. They have confirmed that they do learn best when they have to teach it to others. In all my classes, students work in small groups and submit common work. I also use frequent assessment tools, both formal and informal, to find which areas need more review.

Giving students the chance, the encouragement, and the tools they need to succeed is what I think teaching is all about.