Faculty Excellence at UMUC

Interviewer:

Please tell us about yourself--what made you decide to teach at UMUC? What kind of work do you do when you are not teaching at UMUC? Are there any life experiences that have influenced your teaching at UMUC? If so, please share one story.

Edwin Sapp:

My wife Jeannie and I have eight children and 16 grandchildren. I retired from the Air Force as a colonel, from the National Security agency as a civilian after 29 years of service, and I have taught at the college level for four decades. I come from a long line of attorneys (my grandfather, father, and brother) and educators—my great-grandfather was a college president, my grandfather founded the graduate English Department at the University of North Carolina (UNC), and another distant relative was president of UNC in the early 1800s. I came to UMUC because I enjoy teaching adult learners and this university provides a fantastic atmosphere of learning for students AND for faculty.

I counsel people seeking employment or upgrading their positions in the work force. I also sing with the Mormon Choir of Washington, DC, and serve as first counselor in the presidency of the group of advisors who oversee the activity and Scouting programs for several hundred young men in 12 church congregations in five Scouting Districts under the National Capital Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. I have served in Scouting leadership positions for the past 45 years.

Beginning when I was 15, I had the remarkable experience of attending a summer "voice camp" of high school students for four summers. Conducted by Lara Hoggard (who coached Fred Waring's The Pennsylvanians and later became the chair of the Music Department at the University of North Carolina), that up-close and personal introduction to professional performance taught me to understand PASSION—passion in singing, in poetry, in the written and spoken word, and in its effect on the writer/speaker as well as how it could move an audience. My high school choir later traveled to the Music Educators Conference in New Orleans as the only high school choir in the US to perform that year. When we sang the Pennsylvanians' theme song, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," we received a standing ovation from the audience, which included many members of that internationally acclaimed choir. That series of experiences reverberated through my undergraduate study in English literature, with minors in music, math, philosophy, and psychology, a masters in English studies, and my doctorate degree in jurisprudence—and has led to a life-long love of teaching.

Interviewer:

How would you describe your teaching style or philosophy? What experiences or person(s) have influenced your style or philosophy?

Edwin Sapp:

Socratic. The more you TELL folks, the less they learn (as Hermione has gradually discovered by interacting with Ron and Harry Potter at Hogwarts).
I was profoundly influenced by a 19th century leader who explained his teaching philosophy as, "I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves."

Interviewer:

Please explain if you do something special or unique in your teaching and what made you develop this.

Edwin Sapp:

My students develop their own exams by discussing at a review session what they learned during the semester and then deciding what questions about each point would be fair. All who participate do well, of course, but they have ownership over their knowledge and its value, making participation a life-changing experience.

Interviewer:

What do you think it is about your teaching style that appeals to students?

Edwin Sapp:

I teach the one. During the first meeting I have the students complete a profile I then use to focus examples of writing to each student's specific discipline. I have them write papers about real problems they face in their workplaces or communities, and I help them each discover the solutions to the problems they thus address.

Interviewer:

Do you teach face-to-face, online, or both? Do you have a preference between teaching face-to-face and online? If so, please explain.

Edwin Sapp:

I teach both online and face-to-face. I don't have a preference. Both are fun and both deliver the goods equally well.

Interviewer:

Please tell us about your chosen discipline-i.e., what made you interested in the area initially? What do you do to stay current in your discipline? What do you like best about teaching in your discipline?

Edwin Sapp:

I teach business-associated writing as a survival skill and I base my message on three decades of desperate learning under fire. I have written for a US Senator, a Congressman, a dozen or more general officers, the Secretary of Defense, the President, and numerous Congressional Committees. I wrote or edited all written defense of a $1.4 billion Intelligence Community budget for eight years, and I have written two books, edited others, and produced a national-level magazine column and a regional newspaper column in addition to a number of short stories.

Continue to read, to write for publication, and to discuss writing strategies with senior managers at every opportunity. In the past six weeks I have published a four-page technical article on brake restoration on a 1929 Plymouth for an international magazine ("Gimme a Brake!") and submitted another article to a UMUC publication on teaching challenges in the 21 st century classroom. In those same six weeks I read 1776, The Mayflower, The Metaphysical Club, Now, Discover Your Strengths, two of Ted Bell's novels Pirate and Spy, and Covey's The 8th Habit. I read The Washington Post, The Saturday Evening Post, Time, and a half-dozen other magazines thoroughly—and I read for content and information, but also with an editor's eye for composition, style, expression, and presentation. Thanks to law school, I still read a 500-page book in six hours, and to relax, I do crossword puzzles—in ink.

I like to see lightbulbs. I love to see the dawning of the expression, "ohhhh" on a student's face when he or she has just discovered the secret to expressive writing that works.

Interviewer:

What is the most challenging to you in teaching in this area? What teaching strategy do you use when you encounter the challenge?

Edwin Sapp:

The growing number of adult learners who have never been exposed to disciplined analytic reasoning. I use the same "parlor games" and "mind teasers" I found effective in teaching the subject to Intelligence Analysts—with the same results. The world's most carefully crafted memo goes right in the trash can if it doesn't "push the reader's button"—learning to understand the reader is critical to effective persuasive communication, and ALL business communication is persuasive (even the so-called informative prose—consider a weekly activity report, for example—presents "facts" in a way calculated to create an atmosphere of persuasion.)

Interviewer:

Are there any special challenges in teaching this subject matter online? If yes, please explain what could be done to meet the challenges.

Edwin Sapp:

Not nearly as many as in the early days of the Internet when most of my students were really novices with the computer. One called me complaining that our course software simply did not work, even after six frantic calls to the help desk. I asked her what kind of modem she was using and discovered she didn't have one.

Interviewer:

What suggestion would you give to students who are interested in majoring or working in your discipline?

Edwin Sapp:

Read. Read. Read. Question everything, accepting nothing at face value. Try to learn how and WHY everything works.

Interviewer:

In your opinion, what makes UMUC the college of choice for students?

Edwin Sapp:

The life experiences faculty bring to the table; the focus on hands-on understanding of every discipline, and the flexible delivery of education to the working student.

Interviewer:

In your opinion, what makes UMUC the employer of choice for future faculty members?

Edwin Sapp:

The fantastic faculty development program, outstanding fall and spring general faculty meetings, and the peer mentor program that provide continual developmental grooming for every faculty member.

Interviewer:

What suggestion would you give to new faculty who are interested in teaching in your discipline at UMUC?

Edwin Sapp:

Know your students, know your subject, and care about both.