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A PDF version of my teaching portfolio can be found here.
Teaching Portfolio
As a grandson of a teacher and a member of a family with a long legacy of teachers,
education and teaching have been instilled as important values in my life. Additionally,
during my undergraduate and graduate studies I have been fortunate to be exposed to
outstanding faculty members that solidified my interest in this profession. Collectively,
these individuals have shaped my career goals as well as my approach to teaching.
This portfolio contains the following sections:
- Teaching Philosophy
- Teaching Experience
- Innovations in Teaching
- Curriculum Development
- Professional Development
Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy has evolved over time. When I began, I focused solely on
accurately providing information to my students. It was only as I became more
comfortable in my role as an instructor that I have been able to translate my passion
for relaying information to others into meaningful results. Now, I strive to not only
convey information that clarifies the subject matter, but I also attempt to stimulate
my students to become active participants in the learning process whereby they seek
out information beyond that provided by the text or during class discussions.
I believe the first step in accomplishing this goal is to create a classroom
environment where every student feels comfortable expressing her viewpoint. In
order to foster such an environment, I try to employ a variety of teaching methods
in my classes. My hope is that by using numerous teaching styles, I will be able
to better match the learning styles possessed by my students. Specifically, I use
a combination of lecture (theory-based), software-based instruction, video clips,
and team projects to facilitate skill building and the integration of theory and
practice. Additionally, I try to integrate timely "real-world" information into
my class discussions. Specifically, I bring in current articles discussing the
uses of recent technology and methods in both manufacturing and service industries.
While teaching the School of Business's
introductory Information Systems course is rewarding, teaching Operations Management during
the past two Spring semesters has enabled me to more fully integrate my research into
examples for my theory-based lectures that bring the material to life for my
students. The topics covered in Operations Management are especially conducive
for this style of teaching as much of the material discussed deals with decision
making and can be related to examples that students may be facing in their current
lives regardless of the amount of work experience they may have.
Teaching Experience
| Instructor | OPIM 204 - Operations Management |
| Spring 2007 and Spring 2006 | University of Connecticut |
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Course Description: Operations Management (OM) governs the transformation
of resources or inputs (materials, machines, labor, and capital) into outputs
(products and services). With the advent of the Internet, e-commerce, and
global-sourcing, it is becoming more difficult for a company to maintain
a competitive-advantage based on location, access to local resources, and retailing
services. OM allows modern businesses to base their ability to compete and generate
profit on the systematic management of resources, and on their ability to produce
quality output more efficiently than competitors. This pursuit has
developed into a science, and a host of quantitative tools and sophisticated software
packages are available to the savvy operations manager.
In this course we introduce business students to this scientific approach with
fundamental OM concepts and several quantitative tools for the evaluation of
operational decisions. Emphasis is placed on the student's ability to utilize OM
software for business decision-making, including the accurate interpretation of
quantitative business models and software output. Specific topics will include
decision analysis, processes and capacity planning, facilities planning, project
management, supply-chain management, forecasting, linear programming and
transportation, inventory management, just-in-time systems, quality management,
and statistical process control.
Evaluation: (ratings reported on 10 point-scale; 10 = outstanding)
- Spring 2007: Course rating (30/41 students responded): 9.2
- Spring 2006: Course rating (19/27 students responded): 9.1
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| Instructor | OPIM 203 - Business Information Systems (BIS) |
| Spring 2004 - Summer 2004 | University of Connecticut |
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Course Description: This course focuses on providing an introduction of the
use, importance, and relevance of information systems in the business setting. The
objectives of the course include:
- To provide knowledge about the fundamentals of computer hardware and software.
- To examine and explain the technology of, and use of, the many kinds of
computer-based information systems encountered in the business world.
- To introduce the concepts and methodologies associated with development
of new computer information systems.
- To show how computer systems can give competitive advantage to companies that
use information technology effectively.
Evaluation: (ratings reported on 10 point-scale; 10 = outstanding)
- Fall 2006: Course rating (30/35 students responded): 8.4
- Summer 2004: Course rating (16/17 students responded): 9.1
- Spring 2004: Course rating (21/38 students responded): 8.5
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| Instructor | BADM 260 - BIS for Business Minors (an online course) |
| Fall 2004, Summer 2005, and Fall 2005 | University of Connecticut |
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Course Description: This course is designed to give students basic
knowledge and understanding of business information systems. It is based on
the premise that information system knowledge is essential for creating a
competitive firm, managing global corporations, and providing useful products
and services to customers.
Evaluation: (ratings reported on 10 point-scale; 10 = outstanding)
- Fall 2004: Course rating (20/33 students responded): 8.4
- Fall 2005: Course rating (27/36 students responded): 8.0
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Note: All course syllabi that I have used while at UConn can be found on my
website at: http://users.business.uconn.edu/mdean.
| Instructor | CICS 575 - Introduction to Programming with Java |
| Fall 2000 - Spring 2003 | Northern Virginia Community College |
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Course Description: In this course, students will learn basic object
oriented programming methodology. By the end of the class, they will be able
to write, compile, and execute simple applications using the Java language,
develop algorithms and data structures to solve a given problem, and use
appropriate Java names, variables, data types, and flow control in their programs.
This course will provide a solid foundation for learning more advanced programming
techniques. This course assumes each student has a familiarity with computers with
little to no programming experience.
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| Instructor | DAPR 785 - Fast Track Java |
| Fall 2000 - Spring 2003 | Northern Virginia Community College |
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Course Description: In this course, students will learn basic object
oriented programming methodology. By the end of the class, they will be able
to write, compile, and execute simple applications and applets using the Java
language, develop algorithms and data structures to solve a given problem, and
use appropriate Java names, variables, data types, and flow control in their
programs. This course will provide a solid foundation for learning more advanced
programming techniques. This course assumes each student is familiar with another
programming language such as Perl or C.
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Innovations in Teaching
In an effort to give my students experience with gathering functional requirements,
formally writing the intended behavior of an IS, and working in teams, during the Summer
2004 session, I created an experiential project for my class. Student teams were formed
and given a broad project request. Team groupware products were introduced and suggested
as a way for the students to work together. Grading was based on the quality of the project
and peer and self evaluations. This activity introduced requirements gathering and
computer-mediated communication. Additionally, the grading policy forced effective teamwork.
When teaching Operations Management, I like to start the semester off by a comparing two
games: Let's Make a Deal and Deal Or No Deal. As a first session, I emphasize the importance
of information and how it affects the decisions we make. The discussion that ensues can be
used to launch the introduction of various concepts within the OM field.
Curriculum Development
During the Summer of 2005, I, along with another Ph.D. student, had the opportunity to
totally restructure the Department's BADM 260 online course, entitled "Business Information
Systems for Business Minors." We took the opportunity to ensure the course emphasized two
aspects we felt were necessary for students pursuing a minor in Business: (a) the technical
skills necessary to effectively use common business productivity tools and (b) how the
"networked economy" affects business. In order to accomplish the first goal, this online
course utilized a project-based format. The second goal was achieved by emphasizing the role
of IT in innovation and globalization.
Professional Development
I am confident that my teaching abilities will continue to develop. I constantly strive
to improve my teaching skills. One way I have tried to improve my teaching skills is by
staying abreast of the current technological and business developments. I then bring relevant
discussions of these trends into the classroom (e.g., RFID and supply chain). Another way that
I seek to improve my teaching (for both online and in-class delivery modes) is by taking courses
on WebCT offered by the University of Connecticut's Institute for Teaching and Learning. These
workshops have allowed me to enhance the learning experience of my students by creating forums
for discussions to continue outside of class. In addition to attending such workshops, I plan
to continue to observe faculty members and other instructors to learn from their skills and
strengths in order to integrate some of their approaches into my courses. While my teaching
experience thus far has included instruction at both the undergraduate and professional
development levels, I hope to facilitate graduate level courses during my academic career.
Accordingly, this year, I intend to observe graduate level courses to ascertain teaching methods
that may be more appropriate for this audience.
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