Being in engineering technology, Professor Spitler’s concept of education is “do more, talk less,” and he often uses a flipped classroom model. Engaging students with hands-on activities tied to key course concepts whenever possible is his goal, and students are taught in his classes to use the latest surveying and materials testing equipment, as well as industry software titles. These efforts not only provide students with skills for which they are rewarded upon finding employment, but this also increases the desire of students to spend time outside of class on academic work.
Professor Spitler is an innovator, and he embraces the use of new technologies and classroom resources. Sandhills Community College partnered with Project Lead the Way for a first-of-its-kind pilot project, and Professor Spitler was selected as the college’s lead faculty member. He completed training classes and is one of only a few community college Project Lead the Way-certified instructors. Through his efforts, his programs were able to acquire significant new instructional resources, and many of these allowed for new hands-on class experiences for students, and today, they all understand the use of new technologies such as 3D modeling and printing.
Having been in the role of a student at two North Carolina community colleges, Professor Spitler understands the need for self reflection upon the completion of assignments as a step in the learning process. There are many times in engineering technology labs when students must work together on assignments due to resource constraints. In 1999, Professor Spitler created a peer review assessment for group lab assignments. This new assessment tool allowed for additional student to faculty and student to student discussions regarding motivation and successful learning. The impact of this new feedback was significant in the process of self reflection for students, and the peer assessment was adopted by the other Engineering Technology Department faculty, and the methodology is still in use today.
In his effort to motivate students, and to create an academic environment that extends beyond the classroom walls, Professor Spitler extended the classroom environment to projects all across the world. Professor Spitler has led educational tours of the Central Artery/Tunnel construction project in Boston; The World of Concrete Expo in Las Vegas, New Orleans, and Orlando; The World of Asphalt Expo in Nashville; the One World Trade Center construction project in New York; the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge construction project in Charleston; the architectural and engineering wonders of London, Paris, New Orleans, and New York; the Kennedy Space Center and EPCOT; and the Washington Nationals Stadium construction project. These experiences improved student success and motivation by improving active involvement in courses, student career development, and the social interactions found within the program.