Welcome to Dr. Rao's Arena
Teaching Philosophy
Teaching is one of the most rewarding aspects of my academic career. Whether teaching large group of students (150) or small group of students (30), or one student, I personally feel it is a great responsibility and true privilege to educate and share knowledge with others. As quoted by famous author Phil Collins that “In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn”. Constantly improving my teaching practice and providing instructional materials for others is a foundational aspect of what I do as a teacher and researcher; my goal is to provide the best educational experience that leads to the most meaningful learning. My philosophy of teaching has emerged from experiences as a tutor, teaching assistant, researcher, course instructor and faculty member. The examples I use to describe my philosophy of teaching are from Chemical Engineering, my main area of teaching expertise; however, the ideas apply to any course in Engineering and applied research.
The key goal for an instructor in any class is that the students understand and retain necessary information and develop the skills needed to use that information effectively. My goals as a teacher are to address student learning in the three different contact sessions (in-class interactions, out of class contact time, and stimulating activities) such that all styles of learners internalize, understand, and master the course goals while honing their problem solving skills and interpersonal/teamwork skills. I seek to ensure students are actively involved in their own learning throughout the course.
Out of class contact time comes in a variety of forms. Face to face interactions can be extremely beneficial for timid students, or for those who are floundering in the course. Personally, I enjoy working with students in small groups or one-on-one because the immediate feedback helps improve my explanations in the classroom. The satisfaction and sense of accomplishment one gets after a student truly understands and has internalized concepts is unparalleled. In order to maximize the effectiveness of out of class contact, I have been using web-based instructional interface that allows me to circulate additional learning materials, assign projects, quizzes, and set up open forums. Students frequently have similar types of questions easily addressed on the web-based question and answer message board, which has the added benefit of increasing contact with my students. This type of forum also gives student’s time to process the information at their own pace.
Facilitating learning at the undergraduate level as well as the graduate level is an important responsibility of a university faculty member. Students working for a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering should have a good foundation in fundamental concepts, well-honed problem solving skills, and interpersonal/teamwork skills to be able to succeed at any job. Students working for a master degree should mature to the point that they can teach themselves concepts in depth, know how to properly design experiments or frame theoretical problems, and critically scrutinize literature and analyze results. In the past few years both as researcher and faculty member, I have strived to facilitate learning and the advancement of educational pedagogy in the classroom, integrate research into applications, promote undergraduate research and produce scholarly publications.