Bruce Wilson

My role as a teacher is to provide students with excellent training in Political Science and to equip them with the necessary skills to succeed in their careers and to become lifelong learners. I emphasize critical thinking and writing skills and expose students to an increasingly diverse and global political world. I facilitate student­-centered learning through the use of interactive assignments, simulations, small online discussion groups, and research projects. My research plays a central and integral role in keeping my classes up-to-date. As departmental and university programmatic needs change, I have designed and taught new classes. In the last three years, I have taught nine different courses, including four completely new ones, one in Spanish, and many in different modes. Teaching also takes place outside of the classroom; individualized contact motivates students to become more interested in the material. I have supervised undergraduates in independent studies, Honors-in-the-Major thesis, internships, and as research assistants. Last year, I funded six undergraduate research assistants. Moreover, teaching is influenced by university policies. As the departmental Honors College coordinator, I have fostered its expansion from just 2 students per year in 1996 to 14 for 2003. I view myself as a lifelong learner, too and regularly use the professional counsel offered in workshops, institutes, and by visiting experts. Because I believe new teaching techniques should be evaluated in a systematic manner, I have sought and obtained funding to evaluate online teaching. A $200,000 grant from the Pew Foundation and numerous smaller grants permitted the redesign and evaluation the department's GEP course and the application of useful teaching techniques to other classes. My Pew grant provided the seed money for a highly trafficked 25-student computer lab, which I helped design and have managed since its opening. To measure the effectiveness of my own teaching, I have engaged in research on teaching, and regularly discuss teaching issues at conferences and workshops both at UCF and at professional conferences. My teaching research findings have been published. Because of the importance of disseminating teaching research, I am an active member of the American Political Science Association's Undergraduate teaching section. Last year I helped establish a new national teaching journal for political science, and I serve on the editorial board. I recognize that students have different learner styles, thus my teaching and assessment methods address that diversity through the varied testing instruments to accommodate students' diversity of strengths. In sum, I see teaching as a multi-faceted endeavor that takes place on many levels.

Kathie Holland

“Teach on, Kathie Holland! Teach on!” A student wrote this on a Student Perception of Instruction form, and it still echoes in my mind. There are six principles that provide the foundation of my teaching philosophy: Fan the Passion to Incite Action, Create Structure, Build Relationships, Model the Role, Be Humble, and Balance Rigor and Applause.

Fan the Passion to Incite Action: This refers to the passion, energy, and commitment I feel for my courses. The more I enjoy teaching a course, the higher my students rate their experience. As I walk to class I ask myself, “Why I am passionate about the chapter that I am about to cover?”  

I also incite my students to get excited about their own learning.  Start a business! Build a network!  Imagine a slam-dunk business strategy that will revolutionize an industry!  Become a “Great Manager”, and avoid becoming a “Bad Boss” like the avian flu! I incite action, fun and laughter, and forward movement.

Create Structure: Undergraduate students need a lot of structure through learning tools such as diagrams, grading rubrics, written instructions and grade sheets, sample papers from previous terms, and exam study guides. My assignments force students to be creative and innovative.  

Build Relationships: I am always a teacher, inside my classroom and elsewhere. I invite students to spend at least fifteen minutes with me in my office to provide me the luxury of getting to know and support each of them individually.

Model the Role: I endeavor to be a good role model of professionalism and leadership.

Integrate the Business Education 2010 Competencies of creativity, adapting to change (my favorite motto is that “I eat change for breakfast”), teamwork, communication, and diversity and ethical decision-making.

Be Humble: The only person I try to be better than is the person I was yesterday.

Balance Rigor and Applause: While I want my students to give me high instructor evaluations, I am not willing to make my courses easier. My main goal is for my students to learn!

Tison Pugh

The one common feature of all medieval literature, despite differences in authors, cultures, and genres, is that it is very, very old. When beginning my courses, I often face resistant students who have predetermined that, because of its age, the literature under examination is useless, if not altogether dead: it's irrelevant, they have concluded, and it offers nothing of interest or value to contemporary society. For my pedagogy to be effective, I must break down their resistance and demonstrate that old literature is still very much alive. To accomplish this goal, I rely upon a pedagogical practice that centers on the student both as an individual and as a member of a community of learners. On an individual level, I demand that students respond to our course readings with both analytic rigor and imaginative empathy. For example, to understand Beowulf we must explore it within its own cultural context, paying close attention to its narrative structure and its language, as well as the ways in which it engages with Anglo-Saxon legendary history. But a text is not a lifeless corpse only meant for critical dissection, and I also ask my students to make connections between the past and the present. How does Beowulf enlighten current constructions of gender, for example, or how can it comment on the United States' current War on Terrorism? The issues with which medieval literature engages never die, and I provide ample opportunities for my students to consider a text rigorously while engaging with its issues imaginatively. In addition to asking my students to engage with critical issues as unique individuals, I also provide opportunities for them to share their perspectives with one another. By forming small communities of learners within my classroom through opportunities for group discussion and peer reviewing one another's written work, I ask the students to trust one another and to allow themselves to help (and to be helped by) their peers; with such a base of peer support and mutual concern, my classrooms permit students to experience the triumphs of learning both as individuals and as part of a collective scholarly team. My role in the educational process is to adapt to new challenges and changing conditions in the continual quest to foster personal initiative in students while providing guidance that does not devolve into a crutch. For students to develop into independent critical thinkers, they must be challenged yet nurtured, and I seek to bring about this vibrant tension by demanding evidence of engagement from all students. Finding the perfect balance among subject matter, student needs, and classroom praxis in teaching is an elusive goal, but one that I find inspiring. All of this work is worth it when students report to me that they would never consider reselling their copy of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. It may be old, but it's a vibrant, alive, and priceless piece of literature, no matter what they could get for it from the bookstore

Kevin Mackie

I believe in challenging students with concepts and historical, theoretical, and contemporary problems while sharing my passion for the subject matter. Ensuring students are forced to think for themselves is essential. I accomplish this in my classes through team and individual problem-solving sessions, and compliance of theoretical, analytical, and computer approaches to problems. While theoretical knowledge is essential, often understanding is greatly furthered by example problems, diagrams, photos, field trips, hands-on experiments, and actual real-life structures. Examples include design competitions using toothpicks (or other household products), and group projects that overlap with classes in other engineering disciplines to encourage synergy, interaction, and cooperation.   My philosophy for teaching undergraduate students is to combine a sound understanding of basic mathematical and physical principles with a selection of all of the above concepts to maintain an interest in learning, and promote the desire to work or pursue higher degrees in structural engineering. Assessment of teaching objectives and philosophy is carried out continuously in the form of weekly quizzes, oral student presentations, anonymous web-based suggestions from students, and placement of students in engineering firms and graduate programs. Considerable emphasis is placed on the feedback provided by students in the form of student evaluations of instructor and the continuous improvement forms filled out that describe student experiences with course materials, textbooks, and any semester-specified teaching tool or strategy.   Computers are a huge part of any engineering project; thus, emphasis must be placed on correctly understanding both the input and output. Therefore, computers are introduced both as tools (for a full range of application such as modeling, solutions, and visualization) and as a means of assessing existing knowledge or assumptions. However, I greatly emphasize the potential problems of becoming dependent on computer output without a basic notion of how any structure would behave in a loading scenario. I believe there is little room for replacing basic engineering drawings, free-body diagrams, and simple concepts sketched out on paper or on the chalk/whiteboard – these remain a very efficient and clear means of communicating ideas, therefore I take great care to not depend solely on digital presentation of material.

Jane Waterman

Science is like a mystery novel; one looks for the solutions to puzzles. I try to bring science alive to my classes, to show them that science is always a work in progress and that it is exciting. I think it is important to integrate my own research into the classroom, as research and teaching are synergistic activities, and I often use data I have personally collected to illustrate topics being covered in class. My passion and enthusiasm for what I study and the research questions I address help excite students about class material. My philosophy is that even though the student may be taking my class to learn specifics about a particular topic in Biology, they will also leave the course with a greater understanding of how good science is done, how to design experiments and how to critically evaluate the evidence given to support or reject a hypothesis. Teaching such critical thinking skills not only helps students to evaluate what they are learning currently, but also provides greater self-confidence in their own reasoning abilities. My teaching methods emphasize interaction with and among students through cooperative learning, class discussion, and encouraging active student input. Learning should not be a passive activity, and students respond positively when they are encouraged to participate more actively in the learning process. I work hard to create an environment where students feel comfortable verbalizing their thoughts. Encouraging them to ask questions will help them develop scientifically because that is what scientists do, ask questions. Even in my large lecture classes, I still use group discussion. When students can vocalize their ideas to a peer before the entire class discusses the topic, they are more confident in participating in the overall class discussion. Promoting a more active classroom keeps students attentive, focused, and interested, which helps them to process and integrate new material. Synthesis is important. Too often students see their courses as separate entities and do not put the pieces together in the larger puzzle of science. In classes like General Biology, where many non-majors students are required to take the course, I emphasize real world examples and relate what I am teaching to their lives. Giving students the chance to synthesize, evaluate, and integrate ideas and concepts at any stage of their university experience will help them to grow and develop intellectually. Regardless of the course topic I am teaching, I approach lectures with a sense of humor and spontaneity. The biggest compliment I have ever received for my teaching occurred last spring, when I had students attending General Biology that were not registered in the course. At first they attended because they enjoyed my sense of humor but some of them stayed because they enjoyed learning about biology. Motivating students to learn is my primary role as a teacher, and I work hard at this challenge.

Mihir Parikh

Teaching brings me a deep personal satisfaction that I am contributing back to the society, which has provided me with tremendous opportunities for professional and personal growth. I strongly believe that every one of my students also deserve the same opportunities. With this objective in mind, I strive to construct an environment in my classrooms that creates optimal conditions for knowledge development through active learning. In an increasingly global and competitive business environment, information technology I teach today might become obsolete tomorrow, but the underlying principles do not change. Thus, students have to learn to continue to learn even long after they graduate. Therefore, I see my role, as sowing the seeds of learning. Since I view teaching as a learned art, I consciously try to improve my teaching methods. I make special effort to individualized my teaching style to fit the student's learning style. Thus, teaching also helps me learn and continue to grow as I help students learn and grow. In summary, the key elements of my teaching philosophy are:

		MY PHILOSOPHY
Focus		Active learning
Environment		Cooperative and individualized
Emphasis		Knowledge development
Orientation		Student Domain Knowledge Enhancement
Method		Technology-enhanced interactive dialogs
Evaluation		Continuous feedback: Small, frequent
		quizzes and in-class group assignments
Student Motivation		Student generated - Intrinsic
Role of Faculty		Development and enhancement

Houman Sadri

Education is a tool for improving the quality of life. Education is not an end in itself but a process. My teaching philosophy is to encourage critical thinking, innovative problem-solving, practical application of theory, using technology, and tolerance of diverse ideas and cultures from an international perspective. To achieve these goals, I employ an interactive teaching style, which empowers students by encouraging them to contribute to the discussion of both familiar and unfamiliar topics and materials. My teaching goals are both to share my academic knowledge and experience with my students and to inspire and help them to become life-long learners. Active learning fosters academic success. When students take part in the learning process they learn more and retain more than when operating in the passive mode. Students learn through repetition. All college students can learn the material if they see it, hear it and/or read it several times Students will work harder and learn more if the course is relevant to their lives. I always emphasize how international and national issues affect us directly. Students learn more and are more efficient when given objectives. All my classes are given learning objectives and study guides which emphasize the most important points and then tests are keyed to those objectives. Students work harder when they feel that the professor cares about them. I make it a point to encourage attendance, learn my students’ names and give them prompt written feedback on all assignments and tests. I am a better teacher when I am engaged in research. When I do original research I am more up to date on the current literature and can do a better job explaining how international political knowledge is generated.

Nicole Howatt

I strongly believe that teaching makes a difference. I believe that at the root of being an effective teacher is the inherent ability to recognize that a class is composed of individuals, each arriving with a different background and a different set of goals, values and motivations. I must be a figure who the students can relate to, as well as one who is helping to shape, evolve, and redirect their academic journey. I continuously learn from every student I instruct. As a result of this reciprocation, my academic journey continues to be shaped and evolved. Promote high standards, then monitor and reward achievement. By promoting high-standards, I build expectations for success by convincing student’s of their ability to succeed and provide them with successful experiences Establish an atmosphere in which academic goals are emphasized. I implement a clear set of rules through a detailed syllabus. I continuously have a positive attitude and encourage it in each of my students. My preparations for each class are intense, as I prepare for each class as though it is a new one. Because each class is so important to me, I want and expect the same of the students. I reinforce this expectation in my syllabus while rewarding them for class participation. I believe that when each student feels as though they are instrumental in the success of the class and that their input is valued, then they will attend class. Maintain a participatory and orderly environment. I continuously invite guided group discussions. I believe that students can learn a great deal from each other. I believe that learning should be fun. I promote this by being enthusiastic about the material and allowing students to apply this material. I implement real world applications, class exercises, team discussions, cases, and videos. The classes that I teach are generally a businesslike but relaxed atmosphere.

Ann Marie Whyte

My role as educator is an important component of my contributions to the University of Central Florida. Consistent with my goal of becoming a more effective educator, my teaching style has evolved considerably over the years. I recognize that students learn in a variety of ways and seek to create a rich environment that is conducive to student learning.   Methods of Instruction and Innovations I consistently strive for excellence in teaching by preparing carefully for each class, incorporating student feedback, and seeking to employ innovative teaching methods in the classroom. I aim to build a sense of community and belonging by using teamwork extensively in my smaller classes to solve problems and cases. I also integrate real-world applications into my courses. I believe that when students see the connections between theory and practice their interest in the course is greatly enhanced.   Professionalism and Respect for Students          I aim to demonstrate the highest level of professionalism in the classroom ranging from being professionally dressed to conducting myself appropriately at all times. I respect and care about my students and my genuine concern is apparent to them. My teaching style and personality put students at ease allowing them to interact with me freely both inside and outside the classroom. Students perceive me as approachable and friendly yet demanding academically.   Activities Aimed at Enhancing Teaching I believe that continuous improvement is an absolute necessity. To that end, I attend teaching seminars on a regular basis. I have attended the annual, week-long, summer conference sponsored by the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning (FCTL) every year since joining the faculty at UCF in 1998. I have incorporated numerous techniques from these seminars into my courses.   Relationship Between Creative Interests and TeachingI have never subscribed to the false dichotomy that excellence in teaching comes at the expense of excellence in research and vice versa. I have always believed that teaching and research are complementary, and that my students learn more when I can infuse current academic research into my courses.

Thomas Wu

It is both challenging and fascinating to be a teacher. In all the courses I teach, I set high standards for myself and prepare carefully for each lecture. Besides teaching technical materials, I train students to have the capabilities to: think critically and analytically; work hard and innovatively; communicate (write, speak and present) clearly and effectively. Being a teacher I define the term “teaching” as classroom experiences that move students to mastery in an academic content area. The expectations and attitude of a teacher have a tremendous impact on student achievement, so I like to be enthusiastic and motivating with my students. In order to make the student technically excellent, I create a warm, unthreatening, yet competitive class environment. I have developed my own teaching materials available on my website. I also prepared practical examples to reinforce my teaching of engineering theories. The goal here is to show the students not only that what they are learning has practical applications, but more importantly, how to apply their understanding of the basic principles to real engineering problems that are not directly covered in class. In my courses, students have assignments and class discussions and are challenged with questions that foster critical thinking. Students are periodically assessed through formal testing and homework. Tests are formulated in a way to measure maximum information about the student’s level of progress; such as factual knowledge, procedural knowledge and thinking skills. To be in pace with the current technological advancements, I regularly revise and update course content, format, teaching strategies, and assignments. Knowing that academic feedback is an integral and important part of teaching process, I get regular student feedback at every stage of the course. From this feedback, I know the extent I met the students’ needs and based on that I enhance my teachings skills. I also take advantage of opportunities to enhance teaching by attending professional development activities.

Terry Thaxton

I am a teacher of creative writing, dedicated to UCF, its students, and our community. I am poet and essayist. My teaching, research, and service converge on writing a rigorous discipline and as an impetus for social change. My first priority is creating an atmosphere in which students want to learn the craft of writing. I want each student to not only learn the techniques of creative writing, but to develop self-confidence as a writer and to understand how writing connects us. I accomplish this by incorporating service into course requirements. Discovering one’s voice is powerful. I require students to take their classroom knowledge into the community. Art as service is vital for culture, community, and learning. When students apply their knowledge in the community and see one other person discover his/her voice, they have learned not only the techniques of craft, but have discovered the power of communication. Teaching keeps my writing fresh; writing keeps my teaching honest. I write because I have to. I teach because I know what language can do. Language educates and enlightens; language connects us.

Judith Ruland

My philosophy of teaching is based on a belief that learning needs to be student centered and that students need to be equal partners in the learning process. My role involves using my expertise to put the necessary resources in the hands of the students or more likely to be sure that my students are well equipped to find and evaluate the resources they need to answer their questions. Now that the majority of my teaching is in an online forum, I let students know that my role in the online classroom is to be a facilitator, not a provider of information. I create multiple discussion questions to keep the online discussion exciting and stimulating and to address the multiple backgrounds and interests of my adult learners. I provide a good deal of rigor in my undergraduate classes, but am right there to support them as they seek their answers and to encourage them to work together to get the most out of their learning. I always provide detailed descriptions of writing assignments and I provide samples so that they are able to see what a good finished product should look like. My students often wonder at first "where I am" in that I am not actively "running" a discussion. Instead I am carefully reading, correcting errors when I see them, and then working to analyze what the group has said from a meta ­perspective. I share my analysis with the class as we end each module. To me the most important skills that I can help an undergraduate student develop are the skills of information fluency: i.e. their ability to write and critically think about the information that is bombarding them as they enter or continue in the nursing profession. Every course I teach is really seen through the lens of information processing skills needed to be effective in use of the best available evidence for practice. I am passionate about the use of writing to teach students to be more aware of their thinking and to be careful and reasoned in their acceptance of new information. If they leave me with a healthy skepticism of information and the skill to use technology to access better evidence, I will have accomplished my goal.

Christopher Parkinson

As a professor, it is my responsibility to motivate the students’ interest in the course. My goal is to utilize active learning techniques to teach critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills. This is very difficult, but I am fortunate to have a dynamic personality, quick sense of humor and an intense passion to excite students. I often integrate my research and other real-world examples to solidify understanding of important principles. One of my trademarks is my respect for the student. By the second week of class, I know each student by name (even in my 81 person classes.) We set high expectations for both them and me. I invite dialogue. In my class, students learn to expect questions, thus they must be prepared. Students learn that asking “why” is important. There are no stupid questions. My greatest accomplishment is providing a non-threatening, nurturing environment, for my students to learn. Respect is a key reason for this success. When students feel that you genuinely care about them and they see you giving your all to them, they do not want to disappoint you. There are days in lecture that I do not get through all of the planned material as I spend most of the period trying to answer a student’s question several different ways. My thought is, if one student has the question, several others do as well. I often wonder if they work so hard so as to not disappoint me or if I have lighted a fire in them. It doesn’t matter as long as the result is the same. Finally, I love teaching. I prepare each lecture (even if I have taught the course before,) and I try to leave a favorable impression on each student. I believe what makes me an excellent teacher is my ability to motivate students.

Melody Bowden

I have taught undergraduate writing classes for over fifteen years, and the most gratifying aspect of my experience has always been seeing students make ethical use of concepts and techniques learned from my classes in their lives as professionals and citizens. For me, teaching writing is teaching thinking, and the key to meaningful learning is making a connection between the classroom and the world beyond. For this reason, service-learning is central to my pedagogical approach. The work my students have done in their communities in the past decade has repeatedly pleased and amazed me and I take great pride in being associated with their accomplishments.

Students in my technical and professional writing classes use their expertise to create computer manuals, employee handbooks, grant proposals, brochures, flyers, and other documents for nonprofit organizations and businesses throughout our region. Through this process they recognize how much they know and how much their communities can benefit from their expertise. They realize that the smallest increment of their donated time can make or break a community project, and that no matter how much they know about the technical aspects of their fields, unless they learn to convey their knowledge to real audiences their training will never reach its full potential impact.

Service-learners in my Literature of AIDS course recognize that people living with AIDS aren’t characters in books but members of the world in which they live and work. They realize that it’s not enough to feel compassion for people in an abstract sense or to hope for the best; it is their responsibility as educated citizens to take action. They engage in consciousness-raising events, fundraising projects and client services.  

Students can learn about technically correct writing through reading textbooks and executing hypothetical assignments. What they might miss out on, though, when creating projects read only by their professors, is the opportunity to recognize connections between their training as professionals and the life of their community. Through service-learning, they have the chance to make that connection and I have the opportunity to see how much people can accomplish when challenged to meet high expectations.

Seth Elsheimer

The job of a teacher is not only to present the material in a clear and organized way but also to show excitement and love for the subject. Much of what enticed me into teaching chemistry as a profession was the enthusiasm I sensed from several excellent instructors during my own education. I strive to bring that same enthusiasm to my students. Knowing the subject, while certainly essential, is not sufficient for a teacher or a student. Part of my job is to convince the students that the material is not only knowable, but also worth knowing. Students learn best when they are actively involved in the process. I believe in the Socratic method to help lead students to understanding. I rarely give direct answers to students' questions but rather tend to ask them questions in return in an effort to lead them along the path to discovery. I emphasize understanding over memorization. My test questions are designed to encourage students to apply what they have learned rather than just recite it. Although there are some basic facts and procedures that students must know, I consider it far more important that students have the skills needed to reason out for themselves the problems they may encounter after the course has ended. I believe most students can succeed under the right circumstances. That optimism is necessary to be an effective teacher. I like most students, and respect all of them. I believe that the student is ultimately the one who should be accountable for his or her own learning. As the teacher, I am there to guide, assist, encourage, cajole, and even prod. Convincing students to take personal responsibility can be as important as presenting chemistry when leading them to success. In summary, I believe an excellent teacher needs knowledge, enthusiasm, rigorous but fair academic standards, optimism, and respect for students and their abilities.

George Bagley

If there is a paramount object to teaching, it should be community. Community leads to confidence among my students that the course will be dynamic, will add to their own intellectual growth, while simultaneously ensuring that each point of view will be respected, all assumptions lying at the heart of the complex contract of teaching.   I look each term to cultivate a legitimate regard for all my students, a sincere desire to see them succeed in the course. If I really care about my students, if my concern for them is more than simple lip service, they will quickly discover this and invest themselves accordingly. This is particularly true in large classes where students can easily slip into anonymous oblivion.   I also seek in my classes to provoke. If I pose to students impotent interrogations of text material or the qualities or components of this or that particular principle, I’ve done little to promote their intellectual curiosity. Any learning will be mired in rote practice, discourse practically non-existent. If, on the other hand, I cause them to momentarily examine their casual convictions I’ve opened the door to critical re-articulation of those convictions. Most student responses begin viscerally, which is the perfect moment to help them appreciate higher dialectic thought, and since provocations, responses and discussion are very public, available to each member of class, one’s discovery becomes the unique product of exchange.   I know there are no perfect strategies for effective teaching. Each term, each new set of students demands its own unique considerations, and if I manage to lead my students toward intellectual curiosity and an understanding of the rewards of intellectual exchange, I discover within myself my own true potential to teach and learn, and my own reward for my small role in the exchange.

Lei Zhao

Enthusiasm is the key to the success of an engineering educator. My enthusiasm in engineering and teaching, which propelled me through many years of hard work in pursuit of knowledge and excellence, enables me to instill the same enthusiasm in my students and guide them towards a rewarding career in engineering. Good teaching can influence the life of many young students. There’s no other job that is more emotionally rewarding than teaching. The importance of personal attention I enjoy talking to my students, both in and after classes. In classes, I frequently ask questions and encourage questions from students. I always tell the students that “if you have a question, chances are there are other students who have the same question” and “there is no stupid question.” Outside of the classroom, I make every effort to make the students feel welcome at my office, even outside my announced office hours. The balance between teaching and research Research is another most important task for the faculty at UCF. Sometime juggling between teaching and research can be difficult, but I feel most of time these two complement each other in that good teaching helps me recruit talented student to do research for me and good research could become the content of teaching and greatly stimulate the students’ interest. By teaching large classes over the last few years, I had an excellent access to a large pool of talented students, some of whom I recruited into my research team.

Karl Sooder

Respect is a simple, but a very powerful and dynamic, life change-agent. Ideally, we demonstrate respect for our students, faculty /administration colleagues and community citizens through our personal demeanor, conduct and by our personal leadership both within and beyond the classroom. Respect is at the core of teaching effectiveness with the following process elements included: •Vision: encourage students to continually develop and pursue a life-changing self vision. •Empowerment: provide the democratic environment where students sense the freedom to grow, "to think outside-of-the-box," and develop analytical-creative solutions which are deemed as useful. •Innovation: to bring continual scholarly additions to the class by expanding beyond basic text materials, including the most recent research and data in the field. •Charisma: fully energize the class atmosphere through dynamic interactions, explanations and presentations. •Values: model the key contributions made to personal success and satisfaction made by solid values and good character. •Diversity- maintain a keen sensitivity to the manifold benefits brought to all of society by it inherent diversities (economic, cultural, international, etc.). •Accountability: provide challenges and assessments which are demanding but fair in which student growth and development must be adequately demonstrated. Clear benchmarks and guidelines are established. Consistent grading is maintained. Timely quality commentary and guidance are given. • Availability: be accessible to current, former and prospective/referral students for listening, information, guidance and counseling. • Privacy: recognize the utmost importance of maintaining student privacy and confidentiality. • Return-on-investment: recognize that students invest money, time and, hopefully, considerable personal commitment to courses. Provide them with a solid return that always exceeds "syllabus expectations." •Enjoyment: the mutual learning process is more productive when, in the end, all parties involved can truly feel that the process has been enjoyable. • Self-development: proactive involvement in professional activities including participating in faculty workshops (FCTL), developing course materials and making national contributions to the faculty member's teaching area and to its best practices. •Individual Differences: where appropriate, adapt to the various learning styles evident in specific class sections. As necessary, provide out-of-class assistance to certain students based on the need for differentiating learning. • Technology: incorporate technology into the course syllabus, in-class activities and course projects. •Passion: communicate a genuine love for the process of constant learning, mentoring and coaching as the ultimate source of student inspirations.

Drew Lanier

Students retain more of course material when they are actively engaged in the learning process. Accordingly, I employ a mixture of lecture and the Socratic Method. Doing so communicates the basic concepts and ideas in the course, while also measuring the students' comprehension, leading to more a profound understanding. Students will retain more of the course material if it is relevant to their daily lives. Because of my academic and professional background, I frequently offer examples and concepts to consider, which makes the material more vibrant than if it were discussed only abstractly. Asking students if they can provide examples of important concepts also facilitates active, engaged student learning. Students learn through repetition. All students must have a basic understanding of important concepts and terms so as to allow them to proceed to more sophisticated analyses. All students are able to learn the material if they are exposed to it several times in various ways. Thus, I strongly encourage my students to read before coming to class. We then cover the material during class, and then I later make reference to preceding concepts and show their linkage to current topics. Criteria-based evaluations are a more valid than norm-referenced evaluations. My students quickly realize that if they know what I emphasize in class, then they will do well in the class regardless of how other students fared. Both the students and I believe that this is a more valid manner by which to assess student comprehension than outright competition against their fellow students. Also, criteria-based evaluations promote cooperative and student-centered learning, which I encourage by explicitly telling students to study in groups. If the group understands the material, then student comprehension will rise too. Students are more engaged in the course when they feel that the professor cares about them. Many students, particularly at a large university, believe that they are simply a number to many professors. To make them feel like an individual, I make a seating chart of all of my students and learn their names. I also encourage students to visit me during office hours, and I give extensive and specific feedback on each of their assignments. My research improves my teaching. When I engage in original research, I am current on the existing literature in the field and I, thus, can better explain how the concepts are relevant to the students. This is particularly helpful in American National Government, in which many students see the subject as distant at best and irrelevant at worst to their lives. Teaching is a learning process for me. Each time I teach a course, I learn new ways to present the material, what to emphasize and how to best communicate the course content. Students’ questions provoke me to consider the material from new and novel perspectives. Teaching, for me, is an ever-evolving craft where I myself am the student seeking a more profound, transformative understanding of the course material. To be a good teacher, I must first be a good learner.

Terry Thaxton

I am a teacher of creative writing, dedicated to UCF, its students, and our community. My teaching, research, and service converge on writing a rigorous discipline and as an impetus for social change.   My first priority is creating an atmosphere in which students want to learn the craft of writing. I want each student to not only learn the techniques of creative writing, but to develop self-confidence as a writer and to understand how writing connects us. When students first come to a writing class, they already know that they can write. But most of them do not know the impact of their words on others. Sometimes students are resistant to the responsibilities of craft. My job is to guide them toward transforming their writing into art. I begin each creative writing class with a series of exercises that are designed to tap into their imagination without them realizing it.   Once students have experienced the pleasure of imagination, they are a bit more willing to test out techniques. In the beginning, students often call these techniques "limitations." I provide a series of lectures and discussions about poetry, and provide writing exercises for them to use specific techniques. Students read collections of contemporary poetry throughout the semester, and come to class prepared to discuss techniques used in those models. Once students see the impact of carefully crafted writing, they want to find their own voice.   Discovering one's voice is powerful. The requirements in my courses are rigorous enough (say my students), but learning extends beyond the classroom. I require students to take their classroom knowledge into the community.  Art is part of culture, part of what makes community. Even the under-served deserve a right to find their voice. In my courses, students become teaching artists in the community. When students apply their knowledge in the community and see one other person discover his/her voice, they have learned not only the techniques of craft, but have discovered the power of communication. Teaching keeps my writing fresh; writing keeps my teaching honest. I write because I have to. I teach because I know what language can do. Language educates and enlightens; language connects us.