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? What life experiences have influenced your teaching at UMUC?

Joe Fred Gonzalez, Jr.:

After graduating with my B.S. in Math, I taught 7th grade mathematics and Adult Basic Education for two years in San Antonio, Texas. After I received my M.S. in Statistics from the George Washington University , I realized that I could teach at the college/university level, and UMUC had a world-wide reputation as an excellent institution of higher learning. UMUC, College Park, is one mile from my full-time job and four miles from my home. So, teaching face-to-face and online for UMUC, College Park, has been very convenient and rewarding!

For many years I have worked full-time at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), as a mathematical statistician where my duties have included: sample design and estimation procedures of national multistage stratified sample surveys (household, vital record, establishment, and telephone); statistical consulting to other federal, state, and local agencies; sampling consultant to the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission; statistical disclosure limitation (SDL) research; and counter-terrorism activities, such as modeling the spread of contaminants (e.g., anthrax) in a building for optimal sampling plans for remediation and decontamination.

Interviewer:

Please tell us if you teach face-to-face, online, or both and explain what made you choose that format of teaching.

Joe Fred Gonzalez, Jr.:

I have had the opportunity of teaching both formats, face-to face and online. As an online instructor, I feel a tremendous responsibility to teach and reassure my students that they will get the same quality education online as they would face-to-face. I truly feel that I am their "lifeline" to learning online, especially for those students who have poor math background or extreme "math anxiety!" I enjoy teaching online and actually look forward to receiving questions/comments from my math and stat students. Admittedly, online teaching is very arduous and time consuming for me as I can only type with two fingers at a time-I never learned to type efficiently! Thank goodness for word processors and "Copy and Paste!"

Therefore, "chalk and talk" is my preferred format. In addition, I feel that I can more easily inject an element of humor into my face-to-face classes. By using body language, and facial expressions, I can "lighten up" math and stat and make my students more relaxed about the sometimes "dreaded" math or stat, and hopefully about the instructor! I try to make students feel like I am on their side when it comes to learning!

Interviewer:

What do you find most satisfying about teaching in your chosen format(s)?

Joe Fred Gonzalez, Jr.:

By far the most satisfying thing about teaching has been my student success stories! The following are a couple of examples. For the past three semesters , I've had a cohort of students who started taking my Math 009 (arithmetic and elementary algebra) class last Spring, Math 012 (intermediate algebra) in the summer, and advanced to my Math 107 (first semester pre calculus) class during Fall '05. Some of these students have also decided to pursue higher mathematics, e.g., MATH 108 and calculus! Another student who took my STAT 200 class in Fall 2004 was so inspired after my class that she decided to major in education and specialize in mathematics! This kind of student progress is extremely rewarding and gratifying to me!

Interviewer:

What do you find challenging about teaching in your chosen format(s)?

Joe Fred Gonzalez, Jr.:

To me the most challenging aspect of teaching math or stat face-to-face or online is to take a complex or involved theoretical concept and explain it in such a way that it is easy for my students to learn.

Interviewer:

Please tell us about your chosen discipline�how long have you worked in or taught it? What made you interested in the area? What keeps you interested in the area?

Joe Fred Gonzalez, Jr.:

After I received my B.S. degree in mathematics in 1970 from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas, I taught 7th grade math for two years. Although I enjoyed teaching 7th grade math, I felt that I needed to work in a technical area where I could apply some of the advanced mathematics that I had learned at the university. In 1972 I started working as a statistician trainee at NCHS. After working a few years at NCHS I realized that I had to continue my formal education in statistics in order to better understand the more technical aspects of my job and to advance my career at NCHS. In 1979 I started graduate school part-time and received my M.S. degree in statistics at the George Washington University, Washington, D.C. Since that time I have assumed several technical job duties and become a senior mathematical statistician. During 1985- 1999 I was an adjunct professor of mathematics and statistics at Montgomery College, Rockville, MD. Since 1990 I have been an adjunct professor of mathematics and statistics at UMUC.

The thing that keeps me interested in my area is challenging technical problems that can sometimes require advanced mathematical or statistical techniques which I may or may not have learned in school. In the past in order to do some new mathematical statistical research or application at work, I've had to do literature searches or read new books and teach myself certain techniques in order to solve problems! The greatest benefit that I derived from my formal college education is that it taught me how to think in a rigorous and logical manner. I emphasize to my students that getting a college education is just the beginning-not the end for lifelong learning!

Interviewer:

What joys do you experience in teaching in this area?

Joe Fred Gonzalez, Jr.:

As mentioned earlier, by far the most satisfying thing about teaching has been my student success stories! In addition, I feel that teaching math or stat is my passion and my vocation! It is my way of helping people and making a difference in the world. I can share the best of both worlds! I can share academic and theoretical concepts and their application to the real-world!

Interviewer:

What challenges do you experience in teaching in this area? Please describe any special challenges you face if you teach online in comparison to teaching in a face-to-face classroom.

Joe Fred Gonzalez, Jr.:

As mentioned earlier, I enjoy teaching online and actually look forward to receiving questions/comments from my math and stat students. Admittedly, online teaching is very arduous and time consuming for me as I can only type with two fingers at a time-I never learned to type efficiently! I am definitely typing challenged! Unfortunately, I was too busy concentrating on taking college preparatory classes in high school and never took typing as I was not going to be a secretary. Gee, what a mistake that was! Who would have thought that 20 years later I would be spending most of my time in front of a keyboard!

Interviewer:

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

Joe Fred Gonzalez, Jr.:

My face-to face teaching style is definitely Socratic. I ask a lot of questions in order to keep my students alert and engaged in the lecture and discussion of the material. I also try hard to keep it "non-threatening" by interjecting humor whenever possible! I relate classroom theory and concepts to applications in job-related projects that I've had as a mathematical statistician at NCHS. For my online instruction, I create chapter by chapter conferences in order to encourage questions and to promote discussion about mathematical and/or statistical theory and their applications. I also give them opportunities for extra credit work by adding points to the final exam to encourage them to stay in class until the end of the semester. My goal is to respond to any online questions or concerns within 24 hours.

I feel truly blessed as I had two role models when I was a young man. My first role model was my cousin, Ray Guerra, who majored in physics at my alma mater, St. Mary's University. As a physicist, Ray worked on underground nuclear testing in Nevada and on LASERs which was cutting-edge technology in the 60's. He patented his own device which was used to improve LASER technology. Of course, he was very talented in mathematics in high school and in college, and I remember being mesmerized by all the math symbols and equations that he had on his blackboard at home. Ray truly believed in the value of education. He even offered to pay for my college education!

The second role model that I had was Brother Raymond Schnepp, PhD, who was my mathematics professor at St. Mary's University. I was extremely fortunate to have had Brother Schnepp for several of my undergraduate mathematics classes as he was extremely knowledgeable, elegant in his presentations on the board, and he had a great sense of humor. Also, he had a strong physical resemblance to Albert Einstein! His classes were very challenging, and he demanded excellence in our write-ups of homework assignments. He was a very tough grader. Not only did he demand excellence in mathematics, but also demanded it in the English writing aspect. Even if all the math was correct in our worked-out problems, he would lower our homework grade by a letter grade if we missed a comma or made some other punctuation or grammatical error. Needless to say, he taught me very quickly to pay close attention to my math as well as my English! I vividly recall him saying "Write the solutions to your math problems very neatly and carefully-even if they are wrong! This will help you in your search for the correct solution!"

Interviewer:

Please explain if you do something special or unique in your approach and how you developed that approach. What do you think it is about your approach that appeals to students?

Joe Fred Gonzalez, Jr.:

I do a few things that I would like to think appeal to my students. At the beginning of each class, I pledge to my class that I will do everything within my power to be the best instructor that they have ever had. I listen carefully to their questions/comments in class and respond to them in a way that is conducive to an open learning environment. I make an effort to make all of my students feel comfortable in my class. I let them know that I will support them every way I can, but that they must also help me (by their effort and commitment) so I can help them learn the material! I let them that I am on their side when it comes to learning math and stat! I believe that fast feedback is extremely important in a learning environment outside the classroom. I will answer questions within 24 hours via email or WebTycho on M-F and return any graded assignments, homework, or exams the following class. I respect and treat them the same way that I would want to be respected and treated. In return for my pledge of teaching excellence and commitment, I ask them to pledge to me that they will be the best students that they have ever been.

Interviewer:

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

Joe Fred Gonzalez, Jr.:

Since mathematics and statistics classes are like building blocks which require a strong foundation, I would advise any student that they should start at the math level that is appropriate and realistic for them, even if there is no college credit for certain elementary math classes. As math and stat can require a lot of time and hard work, they must be willing to put in the necessary time and commitment in order to succeed.

Also, they must realize that sometimes they will not be able to solve all math and stat problems, and they have to know when to seek help from other resources, books, tutors, etc.

Interviewer:

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

Joe Fred Gonzalez, Jr.:

Unless they have taught before, I would strongly recommend that they go to the CTL and request to participate in the mentoring program as mentees if possible. I think that the CTL mentoring program is a valuable resource, in terms of learning and guidance in teaching at UMUC. When you are a new faculty member, there are many questions about how to teach certain topics, UMUC policies, and handling particular types of students and their specific needs. I would also encourage new faculty to attend faculty and discipline meetings and CTL workshops so they can keep abreast of the latest technology and events affecting UMUC staff, faculty, and students.