To my students: I have been teaching sophomore-level organic chemistry (lecture and laboratory) at UMM since the fall of 1989, my first teaching position after a post-doctoral appointment at the University of California, Irvine. While "O-Chem" is my primary teaching assignment, I've had a few other opportunities to teach as well - anything from a team-taught inorganic course or upper-level spectroscopy course to an every-other-year elective on organometallic synthesis. I've also supervised undergraduate research since day one. In the category of "ancient history," I was involved in the planning and teaching of our interdisciplinary freshman common course, "Inquiry" (forerunner of "FYS") and our senior seminar course for chemistry/biochemistry majors. As a graduate student, I taught both organic laboratory and recitation sections, and I received the Allen S. Hussey Award for outstanding assistant teaching at Northwestern University. I've been honored (and humbled!) by my colleagues, who nominated me for the UMM Alumni Association Teaching Award and the Morse-Alumni Distinguished Teaching award, both of which I won in 2002.
My philosophy of teaching reflects my immersion in teaching organic chemistry. "O-chem" occupies a legendary place in the hearts and minds of any undergraduate student, regardless of school, regardless of instructor. To many, it is a course which must be approached with fear and trepidation, knowing that there are volumes of material that must be memorized in order for success to be achieved. It is my belief that this is a fallacy which must be dismantled in order for you to earn any knowledge of lasting value. Thus we strive to reach beyond rote learning (memorization and "cookbooking"), and begin to construct the framework needed for long-term problem-solving ability, both on an abstract level as well as experimentally. We strive to go beyond the surface level of understanding, and develop the skill to dig into the fundamentals. Our ultimate goal is recognition of the thread which ties all (chemical) processes together, allowing you to approach a new problem without fear, even if the new problem is not closely related. This approach is obviously not limited to organic chemistry, hence I consider o-chem to be a true liberal arts course.
The ability to approach a problem without fear is a powerful asset. A confident student is more likely to excel in lecture, laboratory, life. The development of a level of confidence, and maturing as a thinker and learner, are key goals for the undergraduate. These goals are not met by your work alone, nor can they be achieved by force-feeding from me. It is a team effort, hence the use of the pronoun "we" in the first paragraph. My role is that of helper: I am ready to help you if you need extra assistance, I am there for you if you are struggling. But note that it is you who must struggle; I am not doing the work for you, I am assisting . My role is that of guide: I have more experience in this vast sea of seemingly unrelated information than you do. I'll try to steer you through the storm with minimal threat to life and limb! But I only steer; I am not the propeller. My role is that of mentor: encouraging, enlightening, listening -- but also demanding your effort, motivation and responsibility.
A great deal of my effort goes toward balancing that fine line between being demanding without being discouraging. Organic is a challenging and, for some, terrifying course, and I understand that. A helper/guide/mentor is okay and even, I dare say, necessary. That is why I provide a "Survival Guide" at the beginning of the course which is packed with as much helpful advice as I can think of. I try to be accessible and maintain office hours (basically, any time I'm in my office is an office hour), encourage you to contact me by e-mail, hold weekend help sessions and will "talk" with you via an online bulletin board or chat room. I have great concern for your progress, but I don't take it too seriously; there are more important things in your lives than organic chemistry.
Although my expectations are high, I understand that you will come into my classes still relatively young as students: your study habits, thinking and learning skills are still improving. We begin at this baseline, and I schedule frequent quizzes to try to "force" you out of the habit of cramming. I'll test you under various conditions; for example, you are more likely to have plenty of time to complete early exams. Sometime during the course, however, you'll be given an exam in which the amount of time is "just enough," so that you experience (and are, to some extent, prepared for) the reality of performing under pressure. This gradual "weaning" from frequent and more relaxed testing slowly and deliberately prepares you for the challenges that lie beyond my courses.
The problem-solving skills which I hope my teaching helps develop will also prepare you for future challenges. To promote the enhancement of these skills, I make extensive use of "analogous" problems, i.e. problems which are similar to those with which you are familiar, but that are different to some degree. The degree of difference ranges significantly within each test so that confidence can be built up, and a range of problem-solving skills is tested. Each test also contains some "embedded" problems, e.g. a problem within a problem, again requiring the use of higher-order problem-solving skills and the application of strategy in order to solve the problem. I strive to include open-ended problems, particularly in the laboratory. And I award partial credit based on evidence of "right thinking," even if the final answer is "wrong."
I expect effort, motivation and responsibility from you and, in turn, you should expect the same from me. If there is any question, any problem, I expect you to be able to come to me for assistance, enlightenment, listening, etc. -- we'll work best as a team.
The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author. The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by the University of Minnesota.