Alenka Hlousek-Radojcic is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. She holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the University of Zagreb, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Plant Biology degree from the Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI. Dr. Hlousek-Radojcic, known to her students as Dr. Alenka, is committed professional whose passion for and excellence in education has been recognized with an Outstanding Teaching Award from the College of Arts and Sciences in 2015. She is also a Fulbright Senior Lecturer who assisted Tribhuvan University, with a development of a new biotechnology program in Nepal in 2008.

Dr. Alenka’s research expertise comes from her work on plant development and plant lipid metabolism using electron microscopy, biochemical and molecular biological methods. Upon completion of her postdoctoral project, she chose to focus on science education that lead her to accept faculty position with Richard Bland College of William and Mary, Virginia. There, she had evolved into a mentor who earned a reputation of being challenging, but fair and supportive. While honing her teaching skills, Dr. Alenka took on an active role in scientific teaching community by joining several initiatives that focused on science education. She was the leader for National Biotechnology Teacher Leader Program, lead-teacher for Microbes and Biofrontiers courses at the University of Richmond, Virginia, and support scientist for StarNet Human Genome Sequencing Program, University of Washington.

One of the initiatives on inquiry based pedagogies resulted in Dr. Alenka’s collaboration with Dr. Dolan, Georgia Athletic Association Professor of Innovative Science Education, University of Georgia, Athens, GA. She was a co-PI on the National Science Foundation supported project that implemented inquiry-based curriculum in an introductory biology course (2006 -2008). Dr. Alenka's pedagogy focused on helping students develop holistic approach to scientific exploration of life. This she did through theoretical and laboratory instruction that was augmented with numerous extra-curricular opportunities that included field studies, restoration of college’s nature trail, and river clean-up projects. Her decade long leadership of an Adopt-A Stream program earned her Urban Conservationist Award, 2003, and Outstanding Urban Forestry Stewardship Award, 2001.

Upon joining the University of Delaware Dr. Alenka fully embraced student-centered active learning, evidence-based pedagogies, becoming one of its most ardent implementers and spokespersons. She is a member of the teaching team that consists of preceptors, faculty, teaching assistants, and laboratory support personnel for integrated Introductory Biology and General Chemistry course sequence serving about five hundred students, mostly freshmen, per semester. The team is developing and implementing interdisciplinary, inquiry based and collaborative curriculum that includes peer mentoring and team work. Her scholarly activities are focusing on studying development of student critical thinking skills and graduate assistant teaching skills.