Teaching Philosophy

My primary responsibility in teaching is to facilitate student learning. To accomplish this objective, I understand that not all students learn their best the same way. Some students learn better by reading, some by listening, and some by doing hands-on. Some are visual learners, and some are abstract learners. The environment also plays a significant role in student learning; some students learn better working alone, some by interactions, and some do not learn until they see a big picture. I believe that it is instructor’s responsibility to diversify teaching methods and give options to facilitate student learning.

Teaching is not a static process. My philosophy in teaching is to define measurable course objectives and outcomes that the average student can achieve. Once the goal is set, I diversify teaching methodology to cater different types of learners. I raise the bar higher once teaching method is perfected and when I feel that every student could reach the goal. Once again, I produce diversified content for new materials, and the cycle continues. This may be the reasons my instructor evaluation has gone up and down in a cyclic manner (Figure 1). The year I raise the bar, my instructor evaluation for that year goes down and comes right back up next year as I perfect the content delivery.

I believe that an effective instructor is also an active learner and innovator. I continually learn about the subjects that I teach to incorporate current discoveries and new tools. Being current is particularly important in this rapidly changing technological age. I also include students in research, so they know about current issues. Involving students to research puts their education in context and kindles their imagination.

In addition to this general philosophical framework, I also have the following core values that guide my teaching:

1. Effective teaching is primarily about student learning, which is not necessarily the ability of a teacher to provide entertaining lectures. Of course, excellent communication and student engagement are necessary, but they are not sufficient.
2. Effective teaching relies on assessment of student learning to determine how, what, and to what extent students are learning.
3. Part of understanding a topic is being able to communicate about that subject, so the assignments should require students to talk about the core course content.