Teaching

Thoughts on Teaching, Learning, and Academic Transformation

When Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 15th century, his partner tried to sell the first printed bibles as handwritten copies. The uniformity, however, was obvious and revealed the means by which they were produced. Despite a perceived lower value of the new technique, it took less than 40 years to sell more than 15 million printed books. Scholars now had access to knowledge that was previously guarded by few. Gutenberg’s invention eventually led to a new social order in Europe including religious and humanitarian reformations.

The internet has similarly changed the way we spread and access knowledge. Because of this change, new ways of teaching and learning must be explored reaching beyond simply transferring old techniques to new media. Videotaping instructors in front  of chalkboards or PowerPoint slides might be as limited as selling printed books to customers who like them handwritten. True innovation in teaching and learning must therefore be transformative with the desire to explore and utilize new ways of communication and instruction.

Online or In-person Teaching and Learning

It is a widespread perception that online teaching and learning largely leaves it to the student to establish a successful study plan and master the material. Online universities and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have demonstrated that motivated, focused, and disciplined self-learners can successfully master course materials in many areas. Nonetheless, parents, employers, and state and federal governments continue to spend enormous amounts of money to send their protégés to traditional colleges and campus universities. It is believed that students develop conceptual knowledge and hands-on skills faster and easier in a master-apprentice-like relationship between faculty and student, and in a community of peers. Active learning, peer instruction, learner- centered education, and student-faculty interaction are familiar pedagogical terms that seem to go hand in hand with good practices in undergraduate education. However, online learning and experiential hands-on learning through student-faculty and student-student interactions are not mutually exclusive. If combined wisely, they can extremely well deliver what sponsors continue to provide financial support for and what students aspire when they enroll in degree programs at academic campuses.

Courses Taught

Academic courses I taught include lectures and lab instructions in general, physical, and analytical chemistry. Enrollment numbers
have varied from 20 to 70 students in sophomore- and junior-level physical-chemistry courses to about 450 in general-chemistry
lectures for majors and non-majors. Typical enrollment in graduate-level courses has been between 5 and 15 students.

Undergraduate Courses (Grundstudium), University of Bonn, Germany

• Physical Chemistry I-IV (Structure of Matter, Thermodynamics, Kinetics, Spectroscopy)
• Physical Chemistry I (Structure of Matter) for secondary-education majors
• Modern Methods in Physical Chemistry
• Instrumental Analysis

Graduate Courses (Hauptstudium), University of Bonn, Germany

• The Physics of Modern Spectroscopic Methods in Chemistry
• Modern Methods of NMR Spectroscopy and Imaging (including lab activities)
• Advanced Instrumental Analysis (including lab activities)
• Advanced Physical Chemistry Laboratory
• Principles of Catalysis

Undergraduate Courses, Missouri S&T

• Orientation for Chemistry Majors
• Introduction to Laboratory Safety and Hazardous Materials
• General Chemistry I
• General Chemistry Laboratory
• Chemical Thermodynamics

Graduate Courses, Missouri S&T

• Advanced Chemical Thermodynamics
• Chemical Spectroscopy
• Quantum Chemistry I
• Advanced NMR Spectroscopy (including lab activities)