TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Course Development and Design:

I developed four neuroscience courses. The first class was a two-credit class called nervous systems taught within our senior seminar subheading. This two-credit senior level class is designed as a capstone to provide students with a cursory background in neuroscience discussing modern issues in neuroscience. This class (BIOL 4930) will transition to three credits this year.

I created a graduate level class entitled readings in neurobiology under BIOL 8070. The goal of this course was to read primary literature in neurobiology. Graduate students learn about current techniques and theory in neuroscience. They learn how to interpret, present, and discuss articles.

I taught Neurobiology (BIOL 4210), a course that had not been taught at Clemson for decades. This version of Neurobiology was designed to provide fundamental insight into the nervous system. I designed several aspects focused on fundamental principles of neuroscience. It provided a broad background in neurobiology. Topics include neuroanatomical structure-function; conduction in the neuron; neurite growth and development; neuromuscular junction; chemistry, physiology, and pharmacology of specific neurotransmitters and receptors; visual process; axoplasmic transport; hypothalamic-pituitary regulation; theories of behavior; theories of learning and memory.

I was requested to create an additional neuro class due to the success of the other course and to grow the neuroscience footprint as we recruited additional neuro-related faculty. To this end, I created Neurobiology of Disease, BIOL 4210/6210. This course was fully vetted by the university approval process and approved using the curriculog system. The goal of this course was to complement neurobiology and to build on this by using diseases of the nervous system to provide unprecedented insight into how the nervous system functions under physiological as well as pathophysiological conditions. This course provides students with unprecedented insight into how the brain functions by examining processes related to normal physiological states and how processes go awry in a wide range of diseases and disorders of the nervous system. Neurobiology of Disease integrates the underlying principles of development, organization, and behaviors of cells with pathophysiological states.

Introduction to Neuroscience. This course is under development for approval in 2026. The goal of this course is to create a large lecture style course that provides students with an introduction to the nervous system that emphasizes the structure and function of the human brain. Topics covered include the function of nerve cells, senses, learning and memory, and general brain diseases.

Courses Taught (4000 is senior level, 6000 is graduate level)

2013/2014 BIOL 4610/6610 Cell Biology, 200 students. Course design includes honors sections, graduate, and undergraduate students. No TAs or graders.

BIOL 8420 Understanding Cellular Processes, ~100 students. Course is designed for graduate students that will become teachers.

2014/2015 BIOL 4620 Cell Biology Lab, 162 students

BIOL 4930 Senior Seminar (Nervous Systems), 16 students

BIOL 8070 Journal Club, 10 students

BIOL 8420 Understanding Cellular Processes, ~100 students

2015/2016 BIOL 4200/6200 (Revitalized and first time offered in decades) Neurobiology, 80 students. Graduate and senior level course taken by students in Biological Sciences, Psychology, Bioengineering, Genetics and Biochemistry, and Chemical Engineering. Following years had pre-requisites of Physics and Biochemistry.

BIOL 4930 (Nervous Systems) Senior Seminar, 18 students

2016/2017 BIOL 4200 Neurobiology (Pre-requisites added), 44 students

BIOL 4930 (Nervous Systems) Senior Seminar, 16 students

2017/2018 BIOL 4200 Neurobiology 33 students

BIOL 4930 (Nervous Systems) Senior Seminar, 15 students

2018/2019 BIOL 4200 Neurobiology 44 students

BIOL 4930 (Nervous Systems) Senior Seminar, 18 students

BIOL 8710 (Special Topics: Principles of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology), ~6 students, Provided 3 guest lectures (Organized by Drs. Bain and Dou)

Biology 8710 (Special Topics: Literature in Developmental Neurobiology)

2019/2020 BIOL 4200 Neurobiology, 45 students

BIOL 4930 (Nervous Systems) Senior Seminar, 18 students

BIOL 8710 (Principles of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology), ~6 students,

Provided 3 guest lectures

2020/2021 BIOL 4200 Neurobiology, 73 (Course redesign to be delivered online using new textbooks)

BIOL 4930 (Nervous Systems) Senior Seminar, 18 students

2021/2022 Sabbatical Harvard School of Medicine/Boston Children’s Hospital

BIOL 4210/6210 Neurobiology of Disease, ~33 students (Class size capped at 30)

2022/2023 BIOL 8710 was converted into 8010 Concepts in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Core Course. This is a team-taught course which I served as the instructor of record and organized. I taught ~3 lectures.

BIOL 8070 Journal Club, 10 students Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Journal Club

BIOL 4210/6210 Neurobiology of Disease ~35 students (Class size capped at 35)

2023/2024 8010 Concepts in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Core Course. This is a team-taught course which I served as instructor of record and organized. I also taught ~7 lectures covering for reorganization caused by chair and faculty leaving.

BIOL 4210/6210 Neurobiology of Disease ~50 students (Class size capped at 50)

2024/2025 BIOL 4930 Senior Seminar (Nervous Systems), 16 students

8010 Concepts in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Core Course. This is a team-taught course which I served as instructor of record and organized. I taught 2 lectures.

BIOL 4210/6210 Neurobiology of Disease ~50 students (Class size capped at 50)

SAMPLE of STUDENT REVIEWS.

All Reviews 4210/6210 Neurobiology of Disease 2025:

• Dr. Feliciano is a very knowledgeable, compassionate, and caring professor. Although the curriculum for this course includes very complex concepts, he explains them thoroughly and is always
willing to answer questions. The course quizzes can be quite difficult as they often ask about minute details that may have been mentioned once in class, however Dr. Feliciano does his best to
make sure that all of his students succeed.
• Dr. Feliciano is a great professor and it has been a joy being in his class
• Dr.Feliciano is one of my favorite professors I've had at Clemson. His lectures are extremely interesting, and it is so easy to stay engaged throughout. He is always available to answer any
questions we might have on material. The course is very well organized, and it's extremely easy to find materials on canvas.
• Never met a teacher more knowledgeable for his subject with a love for teaching it. Awesome course.
• Dr. Feliciano is an amazing professor. He throughly explain the information taught in class and cares about his students and there progression in learning.
• Professor Feliciano cares about his students and their success. This course was one of my favorites this semester and I really enjoyed learning about Neurobiology! The chemistry that we learned
in the beginning was a bit difficult to grasp but these past few weeks getting into different neurological conditions and even interesting diseases has been fascinating to learn about mechanically and I
love this course. The layout was great as well. I appreciate everything
• He is very passionate about his topic and wants to help students succeed. He records lectures for students to catch up in the class and rewatch the lectures to take notes.
• Dr. Feliciano was fantastic. I struggled a bit in this course, especially at the beginning, as the content is challenging and much different than what I am used to. Dr. Feliciano is easy to contact and
willing to help students to succeed however he can. He makes class interesting and sometimes amusing, despite the heavy or dense topics. I have gotten a lot out of this class and really appreciate
Dr. Feliciano for his help this semester.
• I appreciate Dr. Feliciano's enthusiasm for the content of this class and his understanding that neuroscience is hard! It was easy as non-neurobio major to come in and be successful in the class,
but it was also academically challenging enough where I genuinely got to enjoy learning the content (for my own career, not just to memorize for the exams and dump it afterwards). I think that Dr.
Feliciano's practices are fair and are rooted in his desire for his students to learn, and his lectures were never boring!
• Feliciano is one of my favorite professors, he does a amazing job explaining the concepts that were were expected to learn in class. He also is very knowledgeable on the topics he is discussing.
He is a little all over the place during lecture but it is one of the main things I enjoy about his lecture. His exams were also so nice and understandable with how easily explained the concepts. over all
he was amazing as a professor and I would recommend him to all of my friends and others who want to take his classes.
• Dr. Feliciano has been one of my favorite professors at Clemson and I have thoroughly enjoyed his courses. There was never a time I felt like content was irrelevant to what's really going on in the
world. It makes you care more about what's happening outside of our Clemson bubble. The topics are thought provoking and often inspire many of my conversations or personal research outside of
class. He is able to provide content in a conversational manner which makes it easier to grasp and retain. His classroom, to put it simply, is authentic. Dr. Feliciano cares about the students and while
the content is challenging, there are no dull moments. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to sit in his classroom more than once.
• Very enjoyable class, Dr. Feliciano was very enthusiastic about the material and was able to communicate it in a way where not neuroscience background is needed
• Instructor was passionate and good at taking student questions
• Dr. Feliciano was always available for questions and very clear on what was expected of us
• The instructor explained all the material well, and if there was confusion, he took the time to go back and teach it again. He made lectures interesting and all of the material taught was covered well
on quizzes.
• Dr. Feliciano is an amazing professor and actively showed that he cared about his students and their well-being. He is one of my favorite professors at Clemson and his exams actively reflected
what we went over in class. He is funny and makes the course very interesting!
• AMAZING teacher- focused on LEARNING more than just grade, made it relevant to real world diseases, encouraged questions and class discussion loved the setup of the class being all quizzesgave
me many opportunities to earn points so I focused on learning each week rather than "cramming" Also one of my favorite courses content wise at Clemson
• This professor was great. He's very understanding and can make accommodations for excuses (like the other professors here SHOULD be doing), so I can still learn the material when I need
routine medical visits. The material is a challenging concept for one to grasp, especially if they aren't going into this field. However, he makes the material interesting and organizes it for us in a way
that makes it much more digestible. He structures his quizzes well because it gives you time to hone in and focus on the specific topic. He is very personable, and I enjoyed conversations with him
before class started.
• Dr. Feliciano was an amazing professor. It was very easy to follow along in lectures and he made it interesting.
Mean of Means Calculations Mean University

All Reviews 4930 2025 Nervous Systems:

• Dr. Feliciano was very passionate about this course and provided challenging tasks each class. These tasks challenged my critical thinking skills and gave me insight into how to properly research
and pick sources wisely. He encouraged the class to question everything and to do research before agreeing with just anything. He provided a very welcoming environment and made the discussion
room a safe space for all student to engage and participate.
• This course provided an outlet to combine all of the courses I've taken at Clemson and apply them to the real world. Gave way for exploration of various topics that are relevant. Very informational.
• Loved this class! Lots of great discussions
• This course allowed me to think it a different way than the rest of my courses in my undergraduate experience. This class successfully combined scientific writing, research, presenting and
discussion. Dr. Feliciano is extremely knowledgable on the subjects and provided valuable and enthusiastic insight. I now have in depth knowledge on topics that I had never expected to have and I
am confident this new knowledge will benefit me in my future career paths. Dr. Feliciano very clearly cares about his students and was very willing to help, he even helped me try to work through a
topic for a different class. He was very willing to receive feedback and was open to student opinions as to what we believed was fair. He is by far the most relatable and "in touch with reality"
professor I have had which made it much easier to learn from him.
• The freedom we had was very nice, and having a set schedule provided to use on the first day of lecture was very helpful as well.
• Dr. Feliciano was very passionate and knowledgeable about neurobiology which helped to facilitate impactful discussions about the nervous system and neurological diseases. I learned so much
about the basic mechanisms of the nervous system, but I also gained new curiosity about how other environmental factors, such as various current events, could also play a role in how the human
nervous system develops.
• Dr. Feliciano was a great professor! Questions were greatly encouraged, and we had many thought-provoking conversations. Any expectations were communicated via announcements or were
plainly in the syllabus. Dr. Feliciano also went out of his way to provide mental health resources for students as quite a few conversations / presentations led to talking about anxiety and depression
and I was very appreciative of this because many professors overlook this.
• Dr feliciano is the smartest, nicest professor ive encountered at clemson. he was super honest about the professor side of things, is super knowledgeable about the topics and fostered fantastic discussions in our class. I strongly believe that i learned more in this class than any other ive taken just because of the student led discussions and outside research i had to do for the assignments.

All Reviews 4210/6210 2024 Neurobiology of Disease.

• The instructor was very passionate about the material being taught to the students, which made the learning environment very beneficial. It was clearly communicated what was expected of
students at the beginning of the semester, and the way the class was operated made it possible to both be successful in the course as well as obtain and enjoy the material that was being taught
throughout the semester. I found this class very informative and interesting because it focused on one system of the body and went into great detail about how that system operates.
• He is very knowledgeable and passionate about the subject. It is a complicated topic, and there are a lot of details and info to cover, but he did a really nice job of explaining it in an elevated way,
while still managing to make the concepts understandable and clear. It was just a fun class to be in, and it was really interesting to learn about and he did a good job of teaching the material.
• The open note assessments are very helpful and I appreciate how often they are. The class has a lot of content that is slightly difficult, so it is very beneficial to have more rather than less.
• Dr. Feliciano is kind, intelligent, and passionate. He has an enormous fund of knowledge and genuinely wanted the class to learn about the captivating nature of neurological disease and
physiology. I love how excited he gets when explaining the material. He chooses his words carefully and methodically. He is the only professor I know who can lecture without reading words on a
PowerPoint to illustrate concepts. Dr. Feliciano once stopped me after a quiz to pull me aside and compliment my performance in the class: "You're killing it in here. I can tell you're super smart." He
offered to write me a letter of recommendation to help me in my future endeavors, inquired about my career aspirations, and offered his time to chat about course material. Before taking his class, I
had felt invisible to Clemson professors, even in classes where I had performed among the highest of students. I would take him in any class going forward regardless of class difficulty, but
unfortunately, this is my last course evaluation at Clemson University. For these reasons, I will never forget David Feliciano.
• He did a great job of telling us the information that was needed, and in a way for us to interpret the information instead of just memorizing. He was there to answer any questions that we head, and
he worked with those who were absent for an exam/quiz.
• I loved professor felicianos class! He was a great professor, I was always very engaged during class. He is super easy to reach and takes the time to get to know his students. Neurobio was one of
my favorite courses this semester!
• I really enjoyed the lectures as they are always informative and I was constantly learning. While the weekly assignments got a bit stressful I liked having a bunch of grades. I do wish we were able
to view what we got wrong.
• This instructor loves the information he is teaching. It is very easy to pay attention in class because he lectures so well. Quizzes are pretty straight forward if you pay attention in class. This is one of
my favorite classes I've taken here at Clemson.
• The professor is very nice, approachable and understanding. He really wants us to do well. I only wish we could view our exams, but he can review them with you after you take them. His lectures
can sometimes be hard to follow. Sometimes he talks too fast or does not pause between topics, so it can be hard to follow. I think the powerpoints could maybe be a little more orderly-although I
understand there is just a lot of different information to cover. Overall, very good professor.
• I really enjoyed this class and professor. It was a very organized class. My only suggestion would be to make the open note quizes each week a bit easier so that student could excel in this class
more easily.
• Dr. Feliciano is amazing! He clearly cares for his students and is very passionate about neurobiology. His love for the subject matter made the class engaging and very educational. I really liked
how he structured the class to make the material more digestible and reduce testing stress. He prioritizes students' well-being and is very accommodating to understanding that students have lives
outside of the classroom. He also encouraged students to get involved outside of the class by offering research opportunities, etc.
• Great format, weekly quizzes. Easy for students.
• Super interesting class, loved it! Professor was awesome, super approachable and dedicated to student success. Always ensured understanding during his lectures, great guy
• Spent a lot of this semester talking with Dr Feliciano and he makes a lot of time for his students to not only talk about the class but to talk beyond the class which I really enjoyed
• Dr. Feliciano is a great instructor and really gets into his lectures. He records all of his classes so if you miss anything, you have the opportunity to rewatch a lecture.