Courses
Indiana University
- Water Quality Modeling (SPEA-E 402 / 502) - Fall 2014-2018
- Fluid Mechanics (SPEA-E 470/555) - Fall 2015, 2017, Spring 2020
- Introduction to Environmental Science (SPEA-E 272) - Spring 2015, 2017
- Environmental Engineering (SPEA-E 552) - Fall 2018, 2019
- Introduction to Water Resources (SPEA-E 260) - Spring 2019
- Advanced Studies in Hydrologic Science, as part of CUAHSI's Virtual University (SPEA-E 710) - Fall 2018, 2019
- Independent Studies in Hydrologic Science, Environmental Science, and Intelligent Systems Engineering - by request
- Engineering Geology (GEOS 4790) - Fall 2011, Fall 2012
- Introduction to Environmental Science (GEOS 1080 / EES 1080) - Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014
- Mathematical Modeling of Earth's Dynamical Systems (GEOS 3190 - Directed Study) - Summer 2012
- Field Methods in Hydrologic Science (GEOS 4680) - Spring 2013
- International Perspectives in Water Sciences and Management (CEE 4385 / ABRD 3445) - Winter 2012
- Fluid Mechanics (CE 360) - Summer 2009
Philosophy
For my students, as well as myself, the decision to pursue a career in the hydrologic sciences and engineering is rooted in a curiosity of how natural systems work, combined with the practical desire to solve problems in resource management. Education of such students, therefore, requires appealing to their applied interests while providing meaningful experience that is relatable to their future careers and grounded in fundamentals. To prepare my students for their future careers, I strive toward producing “T-shaped” graduates. Such students have both a breadth of training, allowing them to succeed as part of interdisciplinary teams (the horizontal bar of the “T”), and an expertise in a particular area (the vertical leg of the “T”). I achieve this goal by combining a theoretical approach with hands-on learning. Returning to fundamental principles as a starting point for each lesson helps my students frame the new material within their existing knowledge base, and helps make connections between diverse subject matter.
Each semester I strive to develop meaningful relationships with students in my courses, particularly those in my upper-division (400/500 level) offerings. In these courses I work to forge supportive relationships by taking an active interest in students through their performance in class. I use the return of quizzes and exams to reach out to students who were successful (offering notes to acknowledge their hard work), who struggled (offering assistance), and most importantly to students whose performance is improving through the semester to confirm that I do, indeed, notice and appreciate their effort. I offer extra credit in the form of “(subject) in the News”, where students relate popular media articles to our course content. I use these assignments as an opportunity to initiate a dialogue with students about an aspect of the course they find interesting. Many times these dialogues and articles build into future examples for the class.
As a graduate advisor, I have learned to provide guidance in a positive, constructive manner, which is well received by my students. I make myself available to mentor undergraduate and graduate students outside of the classroom, having helped several students prepare resumes, cover letters, and practice for job interviews. By maintaining these relationships beyond the classroom, I develop a rapport with students that enables more meaningful mentoring and leads to student success. In my own experience as a student, I was most comfortable with advisors and mentors who were somehow more than simply a boss providing tasks and imposing deadlines. A friendly, professional atmosphere will ensure that future graduate and undergraduate researchers are comfortable addressing their concerns with me, and will motivate them to work for their own success rather than externally imposed deadlines.
Each semester I strive to develop meaningful relationships with students in my courses, particularly those in my upper-division (400/500 level) offerings. In these courses I work to forge supportive relationships by taking an active interest in students through their performance in class. I use the return of quizzes and exams to reach out to students who were successful (offering notes to acknowledge their hard work), who struggled (offering assistance), and most importantly to students whose performance is improving through the semester to confirm that I do, indeed, notice and appreciate their effort. I offer extra credit in the form of “(subject) in the News”, where students relate popular media articles to our course content. I use these assignments as an opportunity to initiate a dialogue with students about an aspect of the course they find interesting. Many times these dialogues and articles build into future examples for the class.
As a graduate advisor, I have learned to provide guidance in a positive, constructive manner, which is well received by my students. I make myself available to mentor undergraduate and graduate students outside of the classroom, having helped several students prepare resumes, cover letters, and practice for job interviews. By maintaining these relationships beyond the classroom, I develop a rapport with students that enables more meaningful mentoring and leads to student success. In my own experience as a student, I was most comfortable with advisors and mentors who were somehow more than simply a boss providing tasks and imposing deadlines. A friendly, professional atmosphere will ensure that future graduate and undergraduate researchers are comfortable addressing their concerns with me, and will motivate them to work for their own success rather than externally imposed deadlines.
Instructional Style
I have developed an instructional style that emphasizes self-guided and self-paced learning outside of the classroom, active learning during lecture periods, and real-world applications of course content, and opportunities for reinforcement of difficult concepts. Briefly, my delivery begins with a combination of reading assignments and web-based lectures that I produce for my students. This allows students to master the more basic concepts before arriving in the classroom. With the fundamental material mastered upon arrival, the classroom becomes a combination of collaborative problem solving, discussion, and short “vignettes” of lecture interspersed to cover more difficult concepts in a face-to-face setting. These lecture sessions are recorded so students can revisit them later, helping those who may prefer audible learning styles or those who prefer to take or improve notes outside of the lecture. After lecture, I provide web-based examples to help reinforce concepts, including extensions that advanced students may consider to challenge themselves and expand their understanding. Each semester also includes a project that builds through the semester, developing professional skills and allowing students to engage in an aspect of the material that intrigues them. These strategies represent the “blended” or “flipped” instructional model, wherein the instructor facilitates student learning.
To make this teaching style – which can be a change of pace for students accustomed to a traditional one-way lecture – a success, I rely upon a few tenants. First, I take pride to ensure my materials and delivery are prepared in advance, professional in nature, and of high quality. Next, this delivery requires technology that is enabling and not inhibiting, resulting in my active exploration of novel technologies to improve learning (see section 3.4). Finally, because I am asking students to actively participate, I must do this myself. I work hard to make my classroom a supportive environment, where wrong answers are an acceptable part of the learning process, and where sharing opinions, questions, and solutions are the norm. Fostering this space requires me to be active and engaged with students, which builds directly toward the mentoring that I deeply enjoy.
To make this teaching style – which can be a change of pace for students accustomed to a traditional one-way lecture – a success, I rely upon a few tenants. First, I take pride to ensure my materials and delivery are prepared in advance, professional in nature, and of high quality. Next, this delivery requires technology that is enabling and not inhibiting, resulting in my active exploration of novel technologies to improve learning (see section 3.4). Finally, because I am asking students to actively participate, I must do this myself. I work hard to make my classroom a supportive environment, where wrong answers are an acceptable part of the learning process, and where sharing opinions, questions, and solutions are the norm. Fostering this space requires me to be active and engaged with students, which builds directly toward the mentoring that I deeply enjoy.
Educational Research
Every student in the class is unique, and finding a way to get each student's "lightbulb" to flicker is a challenge for every instructor. Individuals learn in many ways, and therefore require instructors who present material in several complimentary forms. This is, of course, not my primary field of expertise, and I have been lucky to partner with several educational researchers through my career. In each partnership, I learn more about myself as an educator, my students and their needs, and how to be a successful teacher. In my career, I have conducted educational research on virtual (online) laboratory experiments, re-structuring introductory labs to include more independent work and opportunities for personally-tailored learning, and a transformation of a large lecture course to eliminate the monotony of large lecture courses. Because each of these projects is part of my broader research portfolio, they are intermingled with the environmental research that I conduct - browse my research page to learn more.
Teaching and learning have been an important motivator in my career, and are an active area of interested for me. I maintain an active research interest in the use of technology to enable increase student engagement, interest, and outcomes. To-date I have received more than $149,000 to support research in pedagogical development. These awards have led peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. I actively partner with experts in educational theory, bringing my training as a scholar to bear on my instructional efforts.
Teaching and learning have been an important motivator in my career, and are an active area of interested for me. I maintain an active research interest in the use of technology to enable increase student engagement, interest, and outcomes. To-date I have received more than $149,000 to support research in pedagogical development. These awards have led peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. I actively partner with experts in educational theory, bringing my training as a scholar to bear on my instructional efforts.
