CTL Staff

Bruce Lenthall is the Executive Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, Advisor on Educational Initiatives to the Vice Provost for Education, and an adjunct associate professor in the Department of History. He earned his Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Pennsylvania in 1999 and his B.A. from Carleton College. Prior to returning to Penn, he taught in the history departments at Bryn Mawr College and Barnard College. In his own teaching and research, he explores 20th-century U.S. cultural, political and social history, as well as the history of media. He is the author of a book on radio in the United States in the 1930s, Radio's America: The Great Depression and the Rise of Modern Mass Culture (University of Chicago Press, 2007).

Ian Petrie is CTL's Director of Graduate Student Programming and Pedagogy. He took a B.A. in History from Queen's University and an M.A. in Chinese history from the University of British Columbia. He completed his doctorate in South Asian history at the University of Pennsylvania in 2004. From 2004 to 2009 he taught Western Civilization, South Asian History, Islamic History, and African History at Saint Joseph's University. His current research concerns the history of technology and labor history as viewed through the study of multinationals in late colonial India. With students, he also has researched the history of a ship which transported indentured laborers from India to Guyana. He teaches courses on the global history of medicine and technology for the History and Sociology of Science department and on the Indian Ocean for South Asia Studies. In 2023 he is teaching HSOC 0490: Comparative Medicine, one of the two gateway classes to the popular Health & Societies major. He hopes this does not make it less popular. To make an appointment, use this Calendly link.

Catherine Turner is Director of Faculty Programming and Pedagogy of the Center for Teaching and Learning, with primary responsibility for programming for faculty. She earned her B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed her Ph.D. in American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. From 1998 to 2007, she taught English and American Studies at College Misericordia where she also served at Honors Co-Director. Her teaching and research focuses on the business of publishing, taste, and public policy. She is the author of Marketing Modernism Between the Two Wars(University of Massachusetts Press, 2003) and co-editor with Greg Barnhisel of Pressing the Fight: Print, Propaganda and the Cold War (University of Massachusetts Press, 2010). Her current research examines the intersections between the publishing industry, literacy programs, and public policy during the 1920s and 1930s. She teaches a variety of courses on American literature in the English department.

Jessica Morris is Director of Instructional Design and Technology for both the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Online Learning Initiative. She earned her M.S. in Instructional Technology Management at La Salle University and her B.A. in Urban Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds a graduate certificate in Training and Educational Technology from George Washington University and has over a decade of experience in designing online learning content, assessments, and interactive tools. Jessica supports faculty in integrating instructional technologies in ways that promote meaningful learning experiences and innovative teaching practices in both online and classroom-based learning environments.

Jennifer Round is Associate Director of Faculty programming and Pedagogy. She completed her Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at Yale University and a Postdoctoral Teaching Fellowship at Davidson College. Prior to coming to Penn, Jennifer was an Associate Professor at Ursinus College, where she taught Biology and Neuroscience while supporting undergraduate research on synapse formation in the vertebrate nervous system. Jennifer is also the recipient of a Charles E. Kaufman New Investigator Award from The Pittsburgh Foundation in recognition of her ability to integrate teaching and research in a liberal arts environment. At Penn, Jennifer teaches in the Biology department. Her interests include active learning, inclusive pedagogy, teaching with primary literature, and development of course-based research experiences.

Karen Lagasse is Associate Director of Graduate Student Programming and Pedagogy. She holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Ph.D. in Biophysical Chemistry from Dartmouth College. Before coming to Penn, Karen served as the Chemistry Learning Strategies Lecturer at Cornell University, where she supported students’ development of scientific and quantitative problem-solving skills. Her teaching background includes General Chemistry at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Norwich University, and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Karen is dedicated to utilizing active learning to foster quantitative problem-solving skills and promote equity in student outcomes. 

Michelle Johnson is Associate Director of Inclusive and Equitable Teaching. She is finishing her PhD in History and African American Studies at Yale University. Her research and teaching focuses on education inequality and civil rights in the urban North in the mid-20^th century. Prior to coming to Penn, Michelle was a Graduate Fellow at the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning at Yale where she facilitated workshops on anti-racist pedagogy, teaching as embodied practice, and inclusive and equitable teaching. She is dedicated to supporting instructors in understanding inequities in education and working with them to create more welcoming learning environments for all students.

Jakob Murphy is the Administrative Coordinator for the Center for Teaching and Learning and Online Learning Initiatives. He joined the University of Pennsylvania in 2023, having previously served as the Assistant for Development and Meetings at the American Philosophical Society. Jakob holds a BA in Theatre Arts from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and an MA in Art History from Temple University.