Professor Spitler joined the Sandhills Community College faculty in July of 1997, and he quickly recognized the usefulness of the Internet as a learning tool for his students. The Internet at that time was not easy to navigate, so he created and maintained several web pages of useful links for civil engineering and surveying students and professionals. In 2001, Professor Spitler attended the Voyage to Excellence Conference at Southeastern Community College, while distance learning was in its infancy. Over the next several years, he monitored advances in video capture and delivery technologies, as well as course management systems. In 2004, the programs under his direction were some of the first civil engineering and surveying technology programs in the North Carolina Community College System to offer online Computer-Aided Drafting classes. Faculty members of the newly formed North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University Geomatics program visited Sandhills Community College seeking his guidance, and they soon emulated his model as they began offering new online surveying classes. Professor Spitler was an early adopter of the use of online course management systems, first Blackboard and now Moodle, as both a means for delivering online courses and as a means for supporting traditional class activities. Since 2004, both his traditional and online students have benefited from reviewing course materials via online course management systems.
Besides innovating with technology, Professor Spitler has worked to improve the teaching methods and resources available to his students. In 1998, Professor Spitler recognized the need for students to better visualize structural connections in his steel design classes. He consulted with the engineering department of UNC Charlotte and with the American Institute of Steel Construction to obtain plans for Structural Steel Teaching Aid. He sought out and received a donation of materials and fabrication, which allowed him to erect this teaching aid on the Sandhills Community College campus. This provides students the opportunity to see structural connections up close and in person. Professor Spitler completed Project Lead the Way teacher training at Duke University in 2011, and his programs became the pilot community college program in the nation for inclusion of PLTW materials in college curriculum courses. This effort improved student resources, and his programs were the first on campus to utilize 3D print technologies along with 3D modeling software.
Professor Spitler noted the lack of student exposure to significant engineering projects and industries and the need for more excitement related to the engineering technology programs, so he created the Experience Engineering Project in 1999. Students participate with faculty in this annual, sometimes bi-annual, event and the educational goals are to expose students to new and current technologies related to their industries, to explore the impact of technology and your industry on society, and to enhance the students’ appreciation of culture. The experiences that students have in the Experience Engineering Project often redefines the realm of what is possible in their professional careers and personal lives. In 2010, Professor Spitler had the vision to create the Engineering Technology Summer Camps. He has taught and coordinated these camps ever since, and their impact on the community continues to grow and promote STEM awareness among American public, home school, and private school students.