Teaching & Academics
My passion is engineering education. I find delight in preparing effective learning opportunities and materials, inviting and participating in intelligent discussions, and meeting and learning with/from engineering students each and every semester. Ultimately, I find nothing more rewarding than when students acquire knowledge and learn to employ it masterfully.
Click a button to learn more about courses I teach (and my pedogogy behind them) and other activities for students
Teaching Purpose
I have had the opportunity to teach students at various academic levels, in many different courses, and even in different academic settings. These experiences have taught me many valuable lessons which I have used to evolve my teaching style and advance my lifelong passion for teaching and learning.
Overall, my goal as a teacher is to guide and support students towards becoming:
Reflective learners - students who think independently and creatively, and who assess evidence critically and with confidence
Collaborative thinkers - students who exhibit good teamwork and listening skills, and who can share their ideas and support others in developing their own ideas
Effective communicators - students who can write and speak effectively, convey information visually, and who can organize their thoughts and reasoning
Global community participants - students who are aware of cultural, class, racial, and gender issues in society
Teaching Approach
Teaching is all about process - the actions or steps we take to do things to achieve a desired result. Process is important because it describes how things are done and provides the focus for making them better. If you focus on the right processes, with the right approach, you can design your way to success!
As an engineer, my processes are influenced heavily by the engineering design process - a well-known set of steps that engineers follow to solve a problem (Figure 1). Engineering design itself is a complex cognitive process. It depends on systematic, intelligent generation of design concepts and specifications that make it possible to realize problem solutions. Importantly, the engineering design process encompasses a mindset that emphasizes open-ended problem solving and encourages iteration and learning from failure.
Figure 2: Design Thinking
Engineering design inherently has a customer or client, and thus is often paired with ‘design thinking’ (Figure 2) - defined by Lee-Sean Huang as “a method and a mindset that starts with an understanding of human needs and motivations to define, frame and solve problems.” The design thinking process begins with ‘empathy’ - which focuses on framing the problem in human-centric ways, ensuring that the solutions are relevant and beneficial for the people they are intended to serve.
Figure 1: Engineering Design Process
Safe Space
I believe that all students are capable of learning and being successful, and that they must be treated with respect and dignity by both their teachers and their classmates. Additionally, I find that students tend to learn more effectively from an approachable and enthusiastic teacher who sets up an atmosphere conducive to learning. Safe Space training is one way to show students that I care about their environment and my commitment to respect them as individuals. I became Safe Space Certified shortly after my arrival at SCU!
Santa Clara University affirms the right of all students to live and learn in a safe and respectful environment. Oftentimes, however, students from traditionally marginalized groups --women, people of color, the disabled, the poor, religious, ethnic and sexual minorities-- feel neither safe nor respected on our campus. Creating a safe environment for all students is the concern of the entire University.
Undocually
Working in partnership with other SCU organizations, like the LEAD Scholars Program, I've successfully completed the UndocuALLY workshops. These workshops educate the SCU community on the needs and concerns of undocumented students, understanding the current state of federal and state policies, and ways that faculty and staff can support members of the SCU community. I'm happy to continue to support all students and hope to help find solutions to empower them to seek success in their chosen field and careers.