Working with you to make new pathways possible.

Trail Build, LLC, assists academic institutions and professional societies in the implementation, evaluation, and assessment of initiatives and programs that promote evidence-based learning strategies, diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM and professional healthcare education.

Services

Programmatic Improvement

  • External grant evaluation
  • Programmatic and curricular evaluation
  • Quantitative and qualitative assessment
  • Strategic planning and leadership
  • Initiative development and implementation

Professional Development

  • Inclusive teaching and advising workshops for educators
  • Diversity and equity training for staff and students
  • Evidence-based active learning mentoring and workshops
  • External teaching evaluation and feedback
  • Individual coaching

Katie was phenomenal to work with in developing our NSF proposal. In the early stages of development, she listened to our ideas, reviewed our skeleton outline, and provided a unique and experienced perspective that complimented our core team. Throughout the next months, Katie would regularly check in and flexibly worked with us to round out the proposal. In the final stages, she provided detailed feedback that helped us more clearly communicate our ideas. I am excited to hear back on our proposal. Regardless of the outcome, I will be reaching out to work Katie on future projects.

Heather Bergan-Roller, PhD, Northern Illinois University

A workshop conducted by Dr. Katie Johnson titled Inclusive Practices for Diverse Student Populations for the faculty within the School of Nursing at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville was very engaging and helped us learn strategies to cultivate and implement changes in the classroom to have an immense impact on student experience, success, and retention. It was an opportunity to recognize the power we have as educators to positively influence our students. By changing ourselves in even the smallest way, we can have a profound effect on our students. Dr. Johnson used excellent examples and allowed us to have an open discussion regarding ideal changes to implement.

Chaya Gopalan, PhD, SIU-Edwardsville, School of Nursing

About

Katie Johnson, Ph.D., is known for her interactive teaching style and pragmatic leadership. She is an experienced practitioner and evaluator of evidence-based and inclusive teaching practices. She has received numerous honors for her work. Dr. Johnson advises and serves on various national STEM educational initiatives and committees, and she has established a large and diverse network of collaborators and contributors. Dr. Johnson assists institutions with developing innovative solutions to curricular, assessment, financial, and work environment challenges.

Prior to becoming an independent consultant, Dr. Johnson was Chair and Associate Professor of Biology at Beloit College. She earned her Ph.D. in the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics at Vanderbilt University. She majored in chemistry and minored in European Studies while earning her B.S. from Beloit College.

Recent Publications and Presentations

Johnson, K.M.S. Putting the guidelines to work: Moving from physiology undergraduate curricular guidelines to program development and improvement. (In press, Advances in Physiology Education)

French, M.B., Choate, J., Zubek, J., Bryner, R.B., Johnson, K.M.S., and Luttrell, M.J. Professional skills for physiology majors: Defining and refining. (In press, Advances in Physiology Education)

Johnson, K.M.S., Stieben, M., and Wick, S. Implementing Evidence-Based Teaching Practices: Support for Educators through the Promoting Active Learning & Mentoring Research Coordination Network (PALM Network). Invited Talk. APS Live, May 26, 2020.

Johnson, K.M.S. and Halperin Kuhns, V. Student Support. Mentoring Q&A, The Physiologist Magazine, July 2020.

Johnson, K.M.S. Strategies and tips for inclusive advising. Physiology Education Community of Practice (PECOP) Blog, Life Science Teaching Resource Community (LifeSciTRC.org). March 2020.

Halpin, P.A., Donahue, A.E., and Johnson, K.M.S. Undergraduate biological sciences and biotechnology students’ reflective essays focus on descriptive details of experiential learning experiences. Adv Physiol Educ. 44(1):99-103, 2020.

Johnson, K.M.S., Briggs, A., Hawn, C., Mantina, N., Woods, B.C.  Inclusive practices for diverse student populations: Experimental Biology 2017. Adv Physiol Educ. 43(3):365-372, 2019.

Johnson, K.M.S. Engaging inclusive practices in an active learning classroom. Adv Physiol Educ. 42(2):207-210, 2019.

Gopalan, C., Halpin P.A., and Johnson, K.M.S. Benefits and logistics of nonpresenting undergraduate students attending a professional scientific meeting. Adv Physiol Educ. 42(1):68-74, 2018.

Johnson, K.M.S. Inclusive Practices for Diverse Student Populations. Plenary. APS Institute on Teaching and Learning, Madison, WI, June 18-22, 2018.