My teaching philosophy has changed over the years to more of a learning philosophy. One of the things that I know about the students is that they are almost always outside their "comfort zone" in the classroom...learning new things and taking on new challenges. My hope these days is to be true to the education process by joining with them, outside of my comfort zone as well. If we don't learn new things together, I feel that I have failed them. I try to see each person as an individual and encourage them to reach their full potential. I also see education as the only viable pathway to alleviate suffering in the world. My work is to stay on this path as long as I am able.
Articles
Challenges in Transdisciplinary, Integrated Projects: Reflections on the Case of Faculty Members’ Failure to Collaborate (with Kathryn E. McCormick, Carolyn J. Stefanco, Roberta J. Herter, and Margot McDonald), Innovative Higher Education (2012)
In this article we describe the challenges of transdisciplinary teamwork involving four faculty members from...
Transformational Innovation: Reflections on How to Foster it in Engineering Education Systems (with Roger Burton and Lizabeth Schlemer), International Journal of Engineering Education (2012)
This paper describes the educators’ disposition that we believe is required for transformational innovation. Innovating...
The Human Dimension of Systemic Department-Level Change: A Change Agent’s Retrospective on a Case of Reform, Advances in Engineering Education (2011)
This paper represents a narrative of the process of department-level reform through the eyes of...
Application of Self-Determination and Self-Regulation Theories to Course Design: Planting the Seeds for Adaptive Expertise (with Jonathan Stolk and Trevor Harding), International Journal of Engineering Education (2010)
The paper is grounded in the premise that learning occurs within a dynamic system of...
The Systemic Correlation Between Mental Models and Sustainable Design: Implications for Engineering Educators (with Roger Burton, Jonathan Stolk, Julie B. Zimmerman, Larry J. Leifer, and Paul T. Anastas), International Journal of Engineering Education (2010)
Many studies have illuminated our understanding of the kinds of competencies and behaviors exhibited by...
Video Tutorials
Materials 1: An Introduction to Global Resources and Reserves, Materials Engineering (2012)
This video examines the global perspective of materials. It looks that the difference between reserves...
Materials 2: Life Cycle View of Material, Materials Engineering (2012)
The life cycle of a material or process enables one to consider account for the...
Materials 3: Assessing and Reducing Life Cycle Impact, Materials Engineering (2012)
Life cycle assessment methods help designers identify high-leverage re-design opportunities. Each method has advantages and...
Materials 4: Design Strategies for Transformative Innovation, Materials Engineering (2012)
What can we learn from nature's designs for sustainability? This video compares nature's methods with...
Water 2: The Hydrologic Cycle, Materials Engineering (2012)
Fresh water is provided for our use through the hydrologic cycle, leading to water stored...
Conference Proceedings
Work in Progress - A Design Guide to Retain Female (and Male) Students in Engineering (with Katherine C. Chen, Stacey Breitenbach, and Karen R. Bangs), Proceedings of the 38th American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)/Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Frontiers in Education Conference (2008)
Despite a rich body of research on factors contributing to attrition of women during the...
Work in Progress - Attaining and Measuring Global Competency for Engineering Graduates (with James Widmann), Proceedings of the 38th Frontiers in Education Conference: Saratoga Springs, NY (2008)
Downey et al. laid out a clear path of learning criteria and outcomes for global...
Work in Progress: How Do We Teach and Measure Systems Thinking? (with Erika Rogers and Katherine Chen), Proceedings from the 38th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference: Saratoga Springs, NY (2008)
Since the 1990's blue-ribbon commissions on engineering education have called for educators to graduate engineers...
The Four-Domain Development Diagram: A Tool for Designing Development-Centered Teaching (with Trevor S. Harding and William L. Hughes), Proceedings of the 2008 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition: Pittsburgh, PA (2008)
Research in education has brought to light the complexity of the learning process, demonstrating that...
Converting Traditional Materials Labs to Project-based Learning Experiences: Aiding Students' Development of Higher-order Cognitive Skills (with Katherine C. Chen, Jonathan D. Stolk, Richard N. Savage, Trevor S. Harding, Blair London, and William L. Hughes), Forum on Materials Science and Engineering Education for 2020 (Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings: Boston, MA, 2007) (2007)
Against a backdrop of compelling societal needs, graduates in science and engineering now must master...
Learning Materials
Energy (with Jane Qiong Zhang), Materials Engineering (2011)
This document is a set of learning materials to support the teaching of energy issues...
Energy - Activities (with Jane Qiong Zhang), Materials Engineering (2011)
The document contains activities for students in higher education. These activities are focused on energy...
Energy - Learning Objectives (with Jane Qiong Zhang), Materials Engineering (2011)
This document is a list of learning objectives based on the framework of Fink’s taxonomy...
Fink Taxonomy of Significant Learning (with Jane Qiong Zhang), Materials Engineering (2011)
This document is graphical summary of the framework within the Fink Taxonomy of Significant Learning...
Materials (with Jane Qiong Zhang), Materials Engineering (2011)
This document is a set of learning materials to support the teaching of materials issues...