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Session 3642

A View from Both Sides of the Podium Dr. Ted Eschenbach, P.E. TGE Consulting

Abstract

On one side of the podium is 23 years of teaching graduate engineering management and undergraduate engineering. On the other side is a recently completed second master’s degree. I found that what I thought important as a professor was not necessarily what the students valued. I also had the opportunity to interact with my professors with suggestions on how to improve results or make their lives easier.

Introduction

One view comes from 23 years of teaching. This has principally been in the graduate engineering management program at the University of Alaska Anchorage where there were also some undergraduate engineering responsibilities. Teaching sabbaticals have been spent at the University of Missouri-Rolla and the Naval Postgraduate School. The other view comes from recently completing a second master’s degree as a full-time continuing education student. This was a master of civil engineering degree, but it did include some senior level baccalaureate courses. Both views are supplemented by nearly 20 years of ASEE conferences.

I had served on the faculty with each professor (except one adjunct), and I had served on peer review committees for tenure, promotion, and evaluation. Yet, the student grapevine was an eye opener. Vague rumors became substantiated facts. More importantly, student comments made it clear that their values were diverse and different from what I expected. In some cases students seemed to hope that I would function as an anonymous conduit for their concerns. This interaction had as a foundation my past relationship with about 25 undergraduate and graduate students that I had had in my own classes. These students became far more open with me when I was a student with them.

As a student who had been a professor, I was watching and evaluating each lecture, assignment, and exam. Some professors solicited suggestions, and others limited how many they were willing to hear. There was neither a positive nor a negative correlation of willingness to hear and my perceived need for suggestion. This interaction was far different than that of a senior professor offering advice to a junior colleague. I was a student in their classes and heavily affected by their teaching style.

This paper comments on pedagogy, learning styles, course structure, successfully communicating with students, and course practices. It is structured according to meeting the expectations of your students, your colleagues and supervisors, and your self. Table 1 summarizes the structure and the results of the paper. The text is anecdotal with a focus on advice. The focus is on classroom performance, since that is what most students see. Office

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Eschenbach, T. (2000, June), A View From Both Sides Of The Podium Paper presented at 2000 Annual Conference, St. Louis, Missouri. 10.18260/1-2--8830