Brian Young

Courses for Spring 2012

Intro to Plastics
Plastics Materials and Properties

Courses taught

Intro to Plastics
Plastics Materials and Properties
Plastics Processing I
Intro to Plastic Processes
Principles of Plastics Processing Equipment
Plastics Processing II
Advanced Injection Molding
Internship
Medical Manufacturing Methods
First Year Seminar

Courses and workshops taught in outreach-based instruction

Materials and Testing
Mold Maintenance Principles
Plastics Processing I
Plastics Processing II
RJG Master Molder I
Injection Molding Troubleshooting

Recipient of teaching awards

Recipient, Council of Fellows Excellence in Teaching Award, 2007.
Nominated, Council of Fellows Excellence in Teaching Award, 2006.

Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy has changed slightly since my four year review in that I have made efforts to try to emphasize to the students the value of their education and that the effort they put forth in the classroom will be rewarded later in their careers. Teaching is not just about providing the students with information; it is also about showing them how to use it and how to build on it. Many students just want to complete the classes, get their degrees and move on to a job, but in order to truly educate them; they need to realize the value of what they are being taught and how it can be applied later. Trying to increase student engagement is not easy, especially in an on-line course and the success is not only based on the techniques used, but also on the maturity level of the students. The past year in teaching my on-line course, I experienced a great deal of difficulty trying to engage the freshmen who were enrolled in the course. For many of them, their maturity level and learning skills were not at a level necessary to satisfactorily learn the material and they did not have an enjoyable experience with their first on-line course. Steps have been made to better prepare incoming students in the course by offering a survey so that they can test themselves to see if they are prepared for the rigors of an on-line course and the expectations are better represented in order for them to determine if the course is the right choice for them. I do not intend to use the survey to exclude anyone from taking the course; I just want to be able to use it to let them know where they may need to apply themselves more and to warn them about how they will be expected to participate. Accurately presenting and emphasizing the expectations of the course at the outset have been very important in the student’s perceived value of the course as it is taken. The other challenge with the on-line course is to find ways to make it more ‘hands-on’. The technology in Plastics Engineering Technology (PL ET) implies ‘applied’ education. This factor has been brought up at numerous Industrial Advisory Board meetings with alumni as being one of the primary advantages of their education. By actually applying what they had learned in the classroom, they were able to retain the knowledge and be better able to apply it themselves when it was required. It is difficult, but not impossible, to institute this type of teaching in an on-line course where the student rarely, if ever, meets face-to-face with the instructor, but several exercises have been added to the course and more are being developed with the aid of an instructional designer including the possibility of creating simulation programs to allow the students to experiment with virtual lab equipment to better understand some of the theories presented in the course material.

The method I adopted just prior to my four year review of not providing the students with answers, but showing them how to find the answers has worked out better than expected. Although many students resist this method initially, the majority tends to accept this method quickly and seem to learn more efficiently. Especially in the lab sections, the students learn to evaluate problems and use their knowledge to at least try to solve problems before seeking assistance. I feel that this method has led to the students more fully learning the materials I am teaching them and better preparing them for their later coursework. I still try to bring a high level of personal energy to the coursework. If I am enthusiastic about the material, the students are more likely to follow along and pay attention to the lectures. I have employed many techniques learned at the seminar about teaching to this newer generation and continue to look for ways to better engage the students in my courses, especially in my current on-line one. I am also looking at ways to offer other courses currently taught in the PL ET program in an on-line format. On-line teaching will likely never replace traditional classroom education, but it allows us to offer our degree and courses to a larger audience and can serve to increase the technical knowledge in the industry by allowing adult learners to take courses on topics they may have forgotten or never learned. This supports the ‘lifelong learning’ idea that we try to instill in the students in engineering. The idea that your education should not stop once you get your degree is unsettling to many students who just want to be done with college and start working, but teaching them that their skills need to be constantly updated and that they need to keep up with changing technology is a very important aspect of their educations. Once the tenure process is completed, I intend to return to college to earn a Ph.D. I have been looking at colleges within driving distance to explore my options in achieving a degree in Polymer Engineering. I am concerned with the state of manufacturing in this country as well as the viability of a technology degree in years to come. I am concerned that if manufacturing continues to decline, enrollment in the plastics program may drop to a point where it is no longer desirable to continue the program. It may be necessary to offer both a PL ET degree and a Plastics Engineering degree in order to increase enrollment and provide graduates who are able to find gainful employment in the workforce in five to ten years. To attain a Ph.D., I would need to brush up on several subjects I have not used in many years. I do not feel that it is enough to just encourage the students to continue their education; I think it is necessary to show them the importance by example. Attaining a doctoral degree would increase my personal knowledge and allow me to teach a wider variety of coursework in the program, regardless of which direction the program evolves.

My teaching style has evolved and continues to evolve since the time I began teaching lecture sections as an adjunct teacher in 1998. I continue to use PowerPoint almost exclusively my lecture sections primarily to make sure I do not forget to cover an important aspect of a topic. In the past, I would take a presentation and remove some of the information in order to give the students a framework for their notes. I used to leave a lot of blanks on the framework presentations I provided the students, but I received numerous complaints that it was difficult to listen to what was being said while trying to write down a lot of notes. Now I provide students notes with very few areas that need to be filled in so they can focus on my explanations.

I also try to reinforce my teaching by providing actual industry examples that show the importance of learning the supplied information. These examples help to put the information into perspective for the students so they realize that they are not just learning information that they will be able to forget next semester. They will need to build on this information in their following semesters in the Plastics Engineering Technology (PL ET) program and into their professional careers. I also try to instill in the students some of my core values. One of these values is personal responsibility. I convey to the students that I do not assign their grades, they earn their grades. The grade is a direct result of their effort and understanding of the course material, not my personal preference. If they do not comprehend the material as I present it, it is their responsibility to come to see me after class or during office hours. This is not to say that they cannot ask questions during class, but if I do not answer their questions satisfactorily, they are responsible to let me know that they require further explanation. Another core value I try to instill is a strong work ethic. I spend substantial time in lecture preparation so that my presentations are professional in appearance, easily understood, and error free. I also devote a lot of time outside of class and during office hours working with students on advising or academic problems. This also includes many students who are not my advisees. It is important to them that I take a genuine interest in their success and spend whatever time necessary to help them through difficult situations.

I have enjoyed teaching since I began as an adjunct teaching lab courses in 1996. I gain great personal satisfaction by sharing my knowledge with students and teaching them to be effective professionals. It is always gratifying to meet up with a graduate and have them thank you for what they have been able to accomplish. I realize that in order to be truly successful at teaching, I must constantly be looking to improve my methods and course content to meet the needs of the students.