Sitting through lecture after lecture, watching PowerPoint slides filled with textbook excerpts flash by, I found myself disengaged; learning felt like a passive process, something to endure rather than explore. I adapted, taught myself, and eventually helped others. During my undergraduate years, I tutored hundreds of high school students, GRE and TOEFL examinees, an experience that shaped my teaching philosophy early on. Although I have encountered more progressive classrooms in the USA, the focus often remains on the end product of education - grades - rather than the learning process, the experience itself, and the development of a true learning mindset. I envision an education system driven by effective and creative learning processes, where deep understanding takes priority and good grades follow naturally as a by-product.
I believe in constructivism-based learning—not solely focusing on the transfer of knowledge from teacher to student, but the passionate transfer of authentic skills (cognitive and practical), constructed via a conflict of prior learned concepts. The learning process is an active endeavor that relies on students’ uniqueness and learning modalities, which skilled teachers facilitate in an optimal learning environment.
My teaching philosophy revolves around a reflective teaching approach. To teach is to understand the classroom community, to communicate—identify, listen, motivate, get feedback, and learn—then rinse and repeat. Relationships rule—a positive, mutually respectful teacher-student relationship doesn’t just improve participation; it shapes the entire classroom dynamic. I actively focus on audience identification—not just learning names but paying attention to verbal and non-verbal cues—to tailor effective classroom lessons and activities that feel engaging and personal. Concepts are crucial —my teaching methodology focuses on helping students become skilled problem-solvers who can apply their knowledge to analyze, evaluate, and tackle practical engineering challenges. I begin every concept with a question: Why are we learning this? From there, I connect the topic to current news or relevant research, giving students a broader perspective and a tangible reason to engage. Process over product—the foundation of my teaching - I emphasize hands-off learning by organizing appropriate classroom activities and assessments to implement a learning mindset and encourage students to think about thinking. I facilitate my classroom time with spaced, specific critical questions with chunked and visual lectures to instigate active learning and avoid cognitive boredom. To deepen conceptual understanding, I integrate visual learning tools—video clips, animations, and thought-provoking engineering- ing problems—that promote metacognitive exploration. Additionally, I spearheaded the development of a department-wide database, allowing students to explore scientific concepts beyond traditional textbooks and develop independent learning habits. I incorporate social learning and foster team-based discussions to enhance student engagement and communication skills. I maintain continuous self-evaluation/reflection to assess classroom communication and feedback while improving teaching methods. Rather than rushing through a lengthy syllabus, I focus on ensuring real learning happens—prioritizing skill development over sheer content coverage through both graded and ungraded assessments.
My nearly eight years of university-level teaching experience have strengthened both my classroom management and adaptability—qualities that are central to my teaching philosophy. I actively refine my instructional strategies based on student engagement, feedback, and evolving educational tools. To enhance my teaching effectiveness, I have sought professional development through educational courses, workshops, and conferences, including sessions with the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CITL) at USF and the Department of Teaching and Learning at UCCS. For instance, when transitioning to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, I integrated interactive technologies, such as Teams, and adaptive assessment strategies to maintain student engagement in online labs. This experience reinforced my commitment to leveraging flexible teaching methodologies that keep students actively involved across different learning environments.
Building on my graduate-level course development experience at USF, I have designed and implemented engaging coursework at UCCS, ensuring students connect with the material in meaningful ways. For example, I revamped the materials engineering lab to strengthen the connection between theoretical concepts 1 and hands-on experimentation, resulting in a more cohesive and immersive learning experience. In my senior-level core Machine Design courses, I integrated design-based projects and assessments that mirror real-world engineering challenges, ensuring that students not only learn the technical content but also velop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. By structuring my courses around active learning and engineering applications, I help students build confidence in their ability to apply knowledge beyond the classroom.
To bridge the gap between lectures and independent study, I introduced structured online reading assignments as graded assessments, utilizing digital platforms to encourage engagement beyond the classroom. This approach not only allowed me to track student progress but also reinforced independent learning by prompting students to critically engage with course material before and after lectures. By incorporating these structured readings, I have observed a noticeable improvement in students’ conceptual understanding and their ability to apply theoretical knowledge in problem-solving contexts.
Beyond my classroom instruction, I actively promote peer-driven learning environments in which students develop both technical and teaching skills. As director of the MAE Help Center, I have mentored student tutors, helping them refine their pedagogical and communication abilities while fostering a collaborative learning space. This experience has reinforced my belief that students learn most effectively when participating in structured peer interactions, where they gain confidence and deepen their understanding by teaching others. I extend this philosophy beyond the university setting by designing hands-on workshops for middle/high school students (through external agencies such as Cool Science and Educating Children of Color [ECOC]) in machine learning and data science, further emphasizing interactive and application-driven learning. By encouraging peer collaboration and creating structured spaces for interactive engagement, I strive to instill intellectual curiosity that extends beyond formal coursework.
These experiences have shaped my approach to engineering education, reinforcing my commitment to developing innovative, application-driven learning opportunities. As an educator, I leverage my expertise in engineering education to create engaging learning experiences that help students connect theoretical concepts with practical applications. In addition to refining and developing courses, I integrate emerging technologies and industry-relevant challenges to ensure that students graduate with adaptable, future-ready skills and a strong problem-solving mindset.
Teaching is a fluid concept that has evolved remarkably over centuries and continues to do so. I strive to remain up-to-date and engage actively with current research on teaching and learning, ensuring my teaching methods remain effective and engaging. Expanding students’ intellectual horizons is a key challenge in higher education, and I strive to address this through my teaching philosophy and experience.