Teaching Philosophy
I have a strong student-centered focus for my teaching philosophy. I truly believe in student success and adapting my instruction to ensure an ideal learning environment for students. Several different instructional mindsets to help me accomplish my goal are:
- Everyone has the right and ability to be successful in my courses. I provide many chances for low-stakes points for my courses. As a future engineer, I want to provide a level of rigor (appropriate for each course!) that will promote my students to be the best engineers they can be.
- I vary my teaching methods to ensure that my courses are accessible to all students. I frequently was students to give any feedback onto what works or does not work for them so I can modify my instruction.
- I believe in transparency and open communication, meaning I wish to be as clear as possible in class and give students insight into my teaching decisions. I want my classroom to be one where students can feel free to express their own ideas and thoughts to contribute to the wider discussions.
- Foremost, I believe in student-centered active learning using evidence-based teaching practices (EBTP). Literature through EBTP support nearly every aspect and decision in this course. I am always open to students’ feedback on each practice so I can continually develop them. Just as I want students to have a growth mindset, I too want to continuously improve my courses to be the best they can be.
Full Teaching Philosophy (2 Pages)
Classes Taught
Current Courses
CHEE 204: Water and Energy: Conventional and Alternate Systems (Spring Semester)
This course will provide fundamental information on water and energy systems and provide students with a broad education as to the past, present, and future considerations regarding sustainable water and energy system technologies. This course will explore the history, present, and future of these systems with an emphasis on alternative technologies for producing energy and clean water. Key areas for discussion will include atomic, solar, hydro, and wind energy system technologies, as well as water reuse and desalination. Through this course, students will become familiar with the primary sources of water and energy and the systems and technologies used for production and conveyance. Students completing this course will gain a strong understanding of the water and energy systems used to sustain urban growth and development, as well as a vision of the future related to challenges and potential solutions for sustainability.
CHEE 205: Introduction to MatLab and Python (Fall Semester)
This course will introduce students to the fundamental principles of numerical computations and analyses using MatLab and Python. MatLab can be used for math computations, modeling and simulations, data analysis and processing, visualization and graphics, and algorithm development. Python is an interpreted high-level general-purpose programming language aimed to help programmers write clear, logical code for small and large-scale projects. Skills learned in this course will aid students in understanding how to calculate various parameters of interest in complex engineering scenarios.
CHEE 377: Microbiology for Engineers (Fall Semester)
This course focuses on the principles of microbiology, including physiology, metabolism, genetics and ecology. The course explores fundamental microbial processes as well as their environmental significance and application in environmental engineering. This course takes a coding approach to solve microbial solved environmental issues.
CHEE 400B: Environmental Engineering Laboratory II ( Spring Semester)
This laboratory experience focuses on unit operations and processes commonly applied in environmental engineering and supports fundamental concepts developed in required courses for Environmental Engineering majors. Individual and group reports and oral presentations will serve as vehicles for the development of technical communications skills. Two and a half hours of laboratory per week during 5 weeks. Graduate-level requirements include a course paper, an oral presentation, and additional exam questions.
CHEE 476/476B: Wastewater Treatment System Design (Spring Semester)
Application of theory and engineering experience to design of unit operations for treatment of wastewater. Covers water regulations, conventional treatment technologies and selected advanced treatment topics. Graduate-level requirements include additional homework problems, course paper and additional exam questions.
CHEE 576/576B: Wastewater Treatment System Design (Spring Semester)
Application of theory and engineering experience to design of unit operations for treatment of wastewater. Covers water regulations, conventional treatment technologies and selected advanced treatment topics. Graduate-level requirements include additional homework problems, course paper and additional exam questions. This is the graduate course level of 476B.
ENGR 102: Introduction to Engineering (Fall and/or Spring Semester)
This course will introduce you to the fundamental principles of chemical process analysis. It will equip you with problem-solving techniques and will give you experience in the application of these techniques to a wide variety of process-related problems. This course will also begin demonstrating how mathematics and spreadsheets can be a fundamental tool for solving complex engineering problems.
Past Courses Taught
UNIV 101: Introduction to the General Education Experience (No longer teaching)
A 1-unit course designed to provide an introduction to and a foundation for the general education experience at the University of Arizona.
CHEE 295E: Colloquium in Environmental Engineering (No longer teaching; course discontinued and folded into CHEE 270)
The main objective of this colloquium-style course is to familiarize students with possible careers and career opportunities in the environmental engineering (EEN) field. Students will interact with invited speakers and explore various roles of EEN in solving real environmental engineering problems. We will explore the topics of engineering ethics, solid waste management, air pollution, water pollution and treatment, wastewater treatment and water reuse. We will also have a project on energy use and production.
CHEE 370R: Environmental and Water Engineering (No longer teaching)
Covers principles and methods for analysis of environmental engineering issues. Includes such topics as greenhouse gas effects, tropospheric air pollution, environmental air pollution, environmental risk assessment, surface and ground water pollution and drinking and wastewater treatment.
CHEE 514: Sustainable Water Supplies for Remote Communities (No longer teaching, passed to another instructor)
This capstone course integrates engineering and science disciplines with humanities to fully prepare students for the interdisciplinary collaboration required to tackle the Food, Energy and Water Systems (FEWS) challenges of indigenous communities with skill, respect and fellowship. This 4-credit hour course is designed to combine the aspects of the FEWS in engineering, although the course is open to all graduate students. The course primarily focuses on the “water” aspect of the food, energy and water nexus at the start of the course. The second half of the course will tie in the rest of the FEWS subjects into a design project. The course will be a mixture of lecture and project-based learning. Topics to be covered are: regulatory approaches to water quality, water engineering, water issues specifically in Arizona, and a final design project.
Active Learning Support
From the abstract of: Measuring actual learning versus feeling of learning in response to being actively engaged in the classroom by Deslauriers L, McCarty L, Miller K, et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2019) 116(39) 19251-19257, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1821936116
“We compared students’ self-reported perception of learning with their actual learning under controlled conditions in large enrollment introductory college physics courses taught using 1) active instruction (following best practices in the discipline) and 2) passive instruction (lectures by experienced and highly rated instructors). Both groups received identical class content and handouts, students were randomly assigned, and the instructor made no effort to persuade students of the benefit of either method. Students in active classrooms learned more (as would be expected based on prior research), but their perception of learning, while positive, was lower than that of their peers in passive environments. This suggests that attempts to evaluate instruction based on students’ perceptions of learning could inadvertently promote inferior (passive) pedagogical methods. For instance, a superstar lecturer could create such a positive feeling of learning that students would choose those lectures over active learning. Most importantly, these results suggest that when students experience the increased cognitive effort associated with active learning, they initially take that effort to signify poorer learning. That disconnect may have a detrimental effect on students’ motivation, engagement, and ability to self-regulate their own learning. Although students can, on their own, discover the increased value of being actively engaged during a semester-long course, their learning may be impaired during the initial part of the course.”