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.

Howard C. Krivan:

I joined the faculty at UMUC in 2003 and I did so for two reasons. First and foremost, I had a great desire to give back and teach, and in this case it was about a new course that was being contemplated in the graduate school and which concerned the topic of bioterrorism. After 9/11, I wanted to find some way to contribute to the vigilance that was growing in America, and teaching graduate students about current issues in biosecurity and the threat of biological weapons—a somewhat overlooked, yet extremely dangerous "WMD"—seemed like a means to that end, and the right thing to do even though it would be a second job for me; also, I was very intrigued that such a course would be offered online, in the asynchronous environment of cyberspace.

I am the President and Chairman of the Board of a biotechnology company in Northern Nevada that specializes in the research & development of products for the treatment and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

I had terrific mentors in graduate school and during my post-doc years. They all had a great influence on me through their hard work, dedication to science and teaching. I worked for Victor Ginsburg, Chief of Structural Biology at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda as an intramural fellow after graduate school. Later, I became a Staff Fellow in his laboratory. Dr. Ginsburg was one of the most careful writers and speakers I have ever met. He taught me what the word "succinct" really means and how effective one can be with succinct, careful writing (including presentations). I use this very important tool to teach at UMUC and I demand the same from my students in online conferences, homework assignments and exams. My students leave the course as more careful writers, and I am so very pleased to have the opportunity to pass on what I have learned from Victor Ginsburg in this regard. Careful writing exudes character, personality and so much more!

While at the NIH I also had the opportunity to collaborate with many government scientists, including some who worked at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. Some of this research involved working with select agents that had been developed or used in the past as biological weapons and/or for bioterrorism in the U.S. and in other countries. This life experience was also a major driving force that influenced my interests and teaching at UMUC.

Interviewer:

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

Howard C. Krivan:

To put it succinctly, I am a gadfly! Effective teaching requires being a gadfly: that is to provoke passionate arguments in the classroom, allow students to disagree and defend their positions and, yes, all at the risk of stimulating some anger (albeit temporarily). Don't misunderstand me. I am not talking about intimating or humiliating students, but rather seeking heated, passionate discourse to solve problems and help students find their voice—and believe me, they all have a voice! In doing so, critical thinking emerges, it evolves over the course of a semester, and the knowledge and experienced gained, in my opinion, may very well be lifelong. This is my teaching style: I am a gadfly.

The ancient Greek thinker, Socrates, was sentenced to death for being perhaps the original gadfly in society and with his students. Hopefully, things have changed...

Interviewer:

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

Howard C. Krivan:

I invoke a quid pro quo relationship with my students. Each week I ask them for something that allows our learning ecology to grow. If they reciprocate, I do the same by extending due dates for assignments, releasing conferences early and providing very interesting data in the Cyber-Laboratory; I also leave clues in the laboratory for succeeding and/or excelling on exams, especially the very comprehensive Final Exam. The clues are often cryptic, too, and I think many of the students enjoy sleuthing, which also is required to get through the Final Exam.

Interviewer:

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

Howard C. Krivan:

Providing real world case studies, participating in the classroom at least as much as they do, inciting debates that ultimately bringing into play each student's passion and critical thinking I think is appealing; and, providing feedback and holding each student accountable each and every week—on an individual basis—by using the Gradebook in the WT classroom. This latter "appeal" develops much later in the course, though.

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.

Howard C. Krivan:

I teach only online; without this luxury, I would not be able to teach at UMUC.

If UMUC were in Northern Nevada, I would be pleased to teach face-to-face; the online format, on the other hand, accommodates my full time job and is very convenient for my schedule, especially while traveling.

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?

Howard C. Krivan:

I have a Ph.D. in microbiology from Virginia Tech. God bless VTech! I caught the "infection" as a pre-med undergraduate student at the University of New Mexico. I'm still infected, and I believe with all of my heart that some of my students are, too. Microbiology is a multi-disciplinary field: it requires an understanding of cell biology, molecular biology and genomics, biochemistry, biotechnology and, yes, nanotechnology! It's an integration thing that initially caught my eye and eventually made sense to me. I am a life-long learner in this regard and think about this stuff everyday, sometimes while skiing.

To keep current in my field, I read, manage a biotech company, and, with all the fervor I can muster, teach at UMUC.

Infectious diseases in general touch the lives of every person on planet Earth and no matter if you're a mom, a dad, a homemaker, an accountant, a farmer, an engineer, a politician—whatever—everyone can relate to germs on some level. I like to take that innate knowledge and exploit it with very provocative topics, including but not limited to, the use of microbiology for nefarious purposes.

Interviewer:

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

Howard C. Krivan:

The most challenging aspect is dealing with disgruntled students who do not agree with my pedagogy or simply do not want to do real graduate work. My strategy is to communicate, communicate, and communicate!

Interviewer:

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

Howard C. Krivan:

I use selected scholarly readings, archived audio and video web casts routinely in the classroom. I found, however, that something was missing in to capstone the courses I teach. I wanted to do more, but there was a significant financial challenge. With the assistance of the Graduate School of Management & Technology (GSMT), generous grant funds from Dr. Don Goff (the architect of UMUC's Homeland Security specializations), and tremendous support from Dr. Rana Khan (Program Director of the Biotechnology Studies Program), I was able to personally design, develop and have UMUC pay for two simulated video bioterrorism exercises that today serve as the final exams in BSBD 641 (formerly BIOT 681) and BSBD 642 (formerly BIOT 683). This fall 2007 semester a newly formed biosecurity track will debut in the GSMT leading to the M.S. in Biosecurity & Biodefense. My next special challenge is to help the Dean and the Program Director make sure this track succeeds for future UMUC graduate students. Yes, I realize that this is about marketing and enrollment numbers, too.

Interviewer:

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

Howard C. Krivan:

The events of 9/11 changed America and the world forever. Asymmetric warfare, terrorism, the potential for bioterrorism, and our homeland security are all major, vital issues today. This means that the U.S. and other countries will require more expertise in these areas and, thus, qualified employees and managers are needed. Gaining an advanced degree in the newly formed biosecurity and biodefense track leading to an M.S. or specializing in one of the homeland security programs will provide career advancement and job opportunities. Simply put: this is a very hot field that needs new people and out-of-the-box ideas.

Interviewer:

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

Howard C. Krivan:

The ability to obtain a bachelors or advanced degree online from a respected, accredited university while working at home or full time at another job is a tremendous opportunity that is impossible at many other major universities. I especially like the opportunities UMUC provides to our military. They serve our country and at the same time can pursue their dream: a college or graduate degree. This is a very good thing!

Interviewer:

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

Howard C. Krivan:

As an adjunct faculty member, UMUC is attractive to me because it offers higher education through distance education; thus, this provides prospective faculty members the ability to also teach from a distance—from all parts of the world—while working at another job or their primary job. This is an innovative approach, perhaps the future for higher education that benefits both UMUC and its faculty.

Interviewer:

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

Howard C. Krivan:

Teaching is not really about money—it's about passion! If you truly have the desire to help shape minds and educate a wide spectrum of graduate students—many that are serving our country and/or securing our nation—the Graduate School of Management and Technology and UMUC's faculty and administrators will help you to do so. Ultimately your hard work comes back full circle. You develop professionally as a teacher and, most importantly, personally, deep down inside.