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.

Jerry Collins:

I love teaching and I’ve always loved traveling.

After teaching for a few years at Syracuse University, a friend of mine told me about the Maryland overseas programs. They sounded too good to be true. I called the office in Maryland and asked for information. I received a brochure, but I didn't get around to reading it for about a month. When I did, it sounded too good to be true. As I was reading it, I remembered that one of my undergraduate professors, Talbott Huey, taught in Asia for UMUC. I called him and he said it was a great job, so I pursued it. He wrote a letter for me and spoke to people on the phone on my behalf. I was interviewed on April 15, 1990, and I was in Kunsan, South Korea on May 15.

Before I left America, I got in touch with some friends. After I described the job to one friend on the phone, he said, "Well, if God asked you to write the perfect job description, how it would be different from this?" I answered that it wouldn’t be different at all; this was it.

I don't really "work" when I’m not teaching. Teaching is my work. I have a number of interests, and I try to pursue them by reading about them or engaging in them. The one I engage in most these days is trying to play musical instruments. Since I don’t have any natural musical ability, making any kind of musical progress takes time.

Well, in a sense, all of my life experiences have influenced my teaching. We are all the sum of our parts and the culmination of what came before. We are all the products of our own past. In class I constantly refer to things I’ve experienced as examples to illustrate the point I’m trying to make. It may be something that happened the day before, or it may be something that someone said to me when I was a child. One of the things I emphasize is that the things we talk about in class are relevant to our lives; they’re more than words on the board to be remembered.

Interviewer:

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

Jerry Collins:

A few years ago, a friend of mine who teaches in the U.S. showed me a statement he was asked to prepare which outlined his teaching philosophy. He listed a number of what he called "Laws of Teaching."  His first law was "In order to learn, students must be awake."  At first I laughed at this, but I have come to realize the importance of that statement. In order to learn, students do need to be awake, and they need to be engaged; they also need to feel comfortable in a learning environment, and they need to have confidence in their teacher’s abilities. I try to establish these things in a number of ways. I pace when I lecture (it keeps their eyes moving). I use the board a great deal (if I write it down, they will). I use humor in my lectures (everyone likes to laugh). I tell stories to illustrate points (often from my own experiences). Over the course of a particular lecture, I establish eye contact with every student at least once.

I often begin the first night of class by saying something such as "Well, there are supposed to be 22 students here tonight, but there are only 18." A number of them look around and count the students in class, and find out that I’m right. After I find out their names and ask them questions about themselves, I tell them there will be a quiz the next class. After they get over their surprise, I tell them they get to quiz me. I tell them that each of them can ask me what his or her name is during the second class, and if I don’t know, the student will get an A in the course. They rarely ask and when they do it is in a good-natured way. This establishes in their minds the idea that I care enough about them to know their names, which in turn makes them more comfortable being in the class. They also come to learn that I take attendance by saying things such as "Well, 20 out of 22 tonight. Good size class." They also get to know me well enough to know that I know the names of the two students who are not there. This establishes in their minds that I am well aware of what goes on in the classroom, which, I think, enhances my credibility as a teacher.

In terms of teaching style, in all my teaching, I combine lecturing and a modified form of the Socratic method, which, I believe, keeps students engaged. I emphasize the importance of asking questions, and often make the point that being educated means that a person has learned to learn and that the learning process begins with questions. This is a theme that I try to develop in my all my classes, regardless of the subject matter. For instance, in my introductory Asian studies courses, ASTD 150 and ASTD 160, I tell students on the first night of class that my goal in the course is to confuse them. I then dispel their confusion by explaining that I want to introduce them to Asia in such a way that they will have more questions about Asia after the course is over than they have at the beginning of the semester. In my introductory American history courses, HIST 156 and HIST 157, my goal is the same. My goal is to make them want to know more about American history after the course is over. In writing classes, I encourage students to choose topics to write about which require them to learn about things with which they are unfamiliar. I often make the point that the usefulness of the information they gather in any class, or for a research project, or in life in general, is largely determined by the quality of the questions they ask.

I prefer to teach the introductory courses in the disciplines that I teach because I believe that having a strong foundation in a discipline is critically important to understanding that discipline. I strive to provide that and I think that I do because of my emphasis on learning to learn and formulating questions. My syllabus for HIST 156 and HIST 157 states that the object of the course "is not simply to introduce you to an array of facts to memorize and repeat on an examination."  During the semester I emphasis that facts are important but it is more important, in the words of Francis Bacon, "to weigh and consider" the facts. Usually at some point during the semester I write on the board one of my favorite maxims which illustrates this point. It is from the Dao De Jing, the book of Chinese mysticism: "On the road to knowledge, much is accumulated; on the road to wisdom, much is discarded."

Three people stand out as people who have influenced my teaching. The first is the professor I mentioned above, Talbott Huey. He is the one who made me realize as an undergraduate at University of Massachusetts, Boston that I could actually go to graduate school and become a teacher. I had never thought of that before. I’m the first person in my family to graduate from high school and go to college. My parents had to quit school after the tenth grade and my older brother dropped out and joined the navy. I was the first (and only) one to go to college. I met Talbott in my freshman year, and he was (and is, of course) very smart, educated, and knowledgeable and experienced. He had worked as a foreign service officer in exotic places such as Vietnam in the early sixties before getting his Ph.D., and he took me seriously. I was just shocked and flattered!

The first two years I knew him I was always tongue-tied talking to him because I was afraid I was going to say something stupid. Sometimes I did, but he always handled it well. Here was a man who specialized in Chinese politics and who spoke six languages, and he was taking me seriously. This was a sobering experience. In my junior year I wrote a paper for him as an independent study on politics in traditional China. When I applied to graduate school the next year at the University of Washington, I was required to submit a paper in order to be considered for a writing scholarship. I submitted that paper and won the scholarship. Talbott made that possible. He changed my life.

One of the things that pleases me about working for UMUC is that I have the opportunity to influence young people from a working class background the way Talbott influenced me, by making it possible for them to have a better life than they had by giving them an opportunity.

When I attended Syracuse University and obtained my MA in writing for television, radio and film in the late 80’s, I had the good fortune to take a class with and be a teaching assistant for Peter Moller. Peter is an experienced writer, theatre director, television director and an inspiring teacher. He taught me a great deal about writing, specifically writing with specific audiences in mind, and a great deal about aesthetics. I remember the first time I watched television after I heard him lecture about set and composition. It was like watching TV for the first time. I remember being in the TV studio one day when he walked in, looked at the set and said, "Oh, how ugly!" I remember thinking, "Yeah, it is ugly. Why didn’t I notice that? I have to pay more attention to my surroundings." (I remember thinking how glad I was that I wasn’t the guy who made the set.) One day Peter gave a class to the other four teaching assistants and me about teaching methods, some of the tips of the trade. It was full of great practical stuff that I apply all the time. Make eye contact with the students. Don’t say, "There are a few things I want to talk about." Say, "There are four things I want to talk about it."  He also taught me how to read and evaluate student writing critically, a very important requirement for a writing instructor! I’m a better teacher than I would have been if I hadn’t studied with him.

The last person I’ll mention is Dennis Doolin, the man who was the discipline coordinator for Asian studies until his death in 2004. Dennis was a brilliant man and one of the best story tellers I have ever met. Like Talbott and Peter, he had a great deal of practical experience. The stories he told about putting the dossier together on Soloth Sar, or testifying in the Pentagon Papers case, or talking to Chou En-lai, or trying to convince President Nixon that the War Powers Act was not a bad thing, but a good thing, were not only fascinating, but filled with insights that wound up in my lectures. He had an incisive mind that enabled him to get to the essence of an issue or to turn an argument on its head. I like to think that some of that wore off on me. He would explain to me the essay questions that he used in his classes which were great questions. They were questions I never would have thought of myself. I have been using his questions and questions like them in my classes ever since. Dennis was one of a kind. He could read and write classical and modern Chinese, but he didn’t know how to type. He wrote his books and articles in pen. He had 57 pens.When I told him he should quit smoking, he said, "But it’s my only vice, aside from my humility."  I miss Dennis a lot. I owe him and Talbott and Peter a great deal.

Interviewer:

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

Jerry Collins:

It’s difficult to evaluate oneself in this way, but judging from the student evaluations I’ve received over the years, students seem to like the fact that I use stories from my own experiences to illustrate points and that I try to make connections between the things we are studying and life, our lives, in general. I’m a generalist. This is something that hasn’t been in vogue in academia or in other professions for a long time. I teach in four disciplines, history, government, Asian studies, and writing, and have a number of other interests. I find it interesting to see connections between things. One of my favorite books is called Connections by the British philosopher James Burke. It accompanies a television documentary series by the same name. The back cover of the book contains the following questions: "How did the popularity of underwear in the twelfth century lead to the invention of the printing press?"  "How did the waterwheel evolve in the computer?"  I don’t talk about these particular issues in class, of course, but I do try to make connections between ideas and events from different times and places. Once again, judging from student evaluations over the years, students seem to enjoy that.

Interviewer:

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

Jerry Collins:

Students value my credibility and my demeanor. Students want their teacher to know what they are talking about. This is the same thing they want from their doctors, plumbers or any other professional with whom they deal. They want the material explained in an interesting way. I think good teaching comes down to these two things, first, knowing what you’re talking about, and, second, talking about it in a way that makes it interesting and understandable to the people listening. That takes some planning and preparation. Once that is done (and redone), it’s not difficult to make what interests you interesting to others. One of the ways I do that, as mentioned above, is I try to make connections between ideas and events that illustrate my points and that students will find interesting. When you get down to it, teaching is not rocket science. It’s explaining what’s interesting to you to others. You don’t need any tricks or equipment. Aristotle didn’t use PowerPoint.

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.

Jerry Collins:

I teach both face-to-face and online. I prefer the face-to-face format. I like talking to people about things I’m interested in.

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?

Jerry Collins:

Well, as I said, I teach four disciplines, and all of them except Asian studies are things I’ve been interested all my life. I started following politics when I was eight.The 1960 election was a big hit, I’m sure, in many an Irish Catholic household. I always loved reading history and stories and poems. When Bob Dylan came along, I learned that a boy who liked sports and the other typical "boy" things could also like poetry and songs too. In college Talbott Huey introduced me to Asia and UMUC has given me the opportunity to explore it. These are just the things that define who I am.

I read all I can. The tough one is Asian studies. It’s a moving train. I used to have a subscription to the Far East Economic Review. It was a great weekly, but it went out of business, as did Asia Weekly. It has come back as a monthly, but the format and the nature of the articles have changed considerably. It's not what it used to be, and I don't get to read it much. So sometimes it feels like I’m sitting at the station watching the train go by.

I enjoy telling people about what I know about and what I love talking about. I also enjoy trying to make them interested in it too.

Interviewer:

What is the most challenging to you in teaching in this area? What teaching strategy do you use when you encounter the challenge? Are there any special challenges in teaching this subject matter online? If yes, please explain what could be done to meet the challenges.

Jerry Collins:

The most challenging discipline for me is writing. The reality, as much as I hate to say it, is that people who teach writing to young people today, not Maryland students per se, but young people in general, are teaching writing to people who don’t read much. The challenge here is to try to show the benefits of reading. I try to do that by staying enthusiastic about the readings and by selecting readings that I think the students would enjoy and benefit from. Also, when I can, I recommend particular books or magazines to students about subjects they’ve told me they are interested in, often books related to military matters or biographies. I don’t know how many students I’ve had over the years whose major of study was law enforcement to whom I’ve recommended Sherlock Holmes. I got an email last year from a student I had at Syracuse University 20 years ago who told me he still hates the stuff I had him read by John Dos Passos. You can’t win them all!!

Interviewer:

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

Jerry Collins:

Read everything you can about it. Find people who know about it and ask them questions.

Interviewer:

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

Jerry Collins:

The quality of the education makes UMUC the college of choice for students as well as the dedication and experience of the faculty. UMUC also has the demonstrated expertise and favorable reputation which comes from teaching military students abroad for over 50 years.

Interviewer:

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

Jerry Collins:

I can only speak for myself. I am very grateful that I’ve been given the opportunity to lead the life I wanted to live. The Asian Division of UMUC has given me that opportunity.

Interviewer:

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

Jerry Collins:

Enjoy yourself teaching. Enjoy the students, and enjoy the opportunity to see different parts of the world. Remember that you’re teaching in a non-traditional environment, and that you may have to be a bit more flexible in terms of students’ schedules and in terms of your own schedule. When all is said and done, teaching overseas is more than a job. It’s a life.