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.

John Bolton:

I lived in Cornwall for a time, and saw a UMUC advertisement for someone to teach an Ethics class at St. Mawgan. It was a unique experience to teach not only Americans but military personnel for the first time. I was greatly impressed by the students' high awareness of their own sense of choice and personal responsibility in relation to their military service. They coped remarkably well with challenging topics such as the "Ethics of War." I was also very impressed with the unique opportunity supported by UMUC to accommodate and encourage students who sometimes had not previously had the chance to attend college or university.

I was now hooked! The key thing that struck me about UMUC was the striking openness and dynamic approach of the university's administrators, in contrast with some of the UK academic administrations I had previously encountered.

That dynamic openness was evident from the start when I was involved in the development of a new course, "Studies in Existentialism" (PHIL311). This was all the more striking because it allowed the introduction of ideas from "Continental Philosophy" which were previously absent from the catalog.

My introduction to the world of Distance Education soon followed, which resulted in my being involved in the development and piloting of online versions of PHIL100 Introduction to Philosophy; PHIL236 Philosophy of Religion; PHIL320 Modern Philosophy; PHIL331 Philosophy of Art; PHIL343 Sexual Morality; and HUMN442 Contemporary Sexual Ethics. This development was supported and encouraged by Monika Denburg (European Division Head of Distance Education) and John Nolan (former European Division Head of Humanities), and continues to be supported by Stephen Richards (European Division Assistant Dean, Business, Humanities and Communication). John Nolan was also instrumental in pushing for the addition to the catalog of the Minor Degree in Philosophy, which was launched this year.

Currently I only work for UMUC, mainly because I now live on the tiny island of Jersey, off the West coast of France, which severely limits my ability to travel; though this is obviously unproblematic for teaching online classes.

Prior to coming to Jersey I lived in the UK, where I did two years research with Fonden for International Forstaelse in Denmark, followed by 7 years teaching an assortment of Adult Education classes in Philosophy. I also served as an examiner for 5 years, for the "A-Level" University Entrance Examination in Philosophy.

Because many of our students are serving military personnel, I must acknowledge the profound influence my father had in producing the very high regard and admiration I feel towards the situation of those people who are serving their country in the military. My father managed to survive 4 years as a prisoner-of-war in the building of the Burma railroad, yet clearly felt no bitterness towards his counterparts who were equally serving their own country in the opposing army.

In fact the life experiences of my students play a much greater role in influencing my teaching than anything I have experienced. Philosophy could very easily tend towards abstraction, but the constant input of the life experiences and situations of my students continually succeed in bringing our discussions back down to Earth.

I suppose the most influential experience from my own life is having sat through quite a few pretty boring classes, which has resulted in a resolve to try to avoid ever inflicting such an experience on my own students.

Interviewer:

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

John Bolton:

I have to acknowledge the influence of my father's experience during the depression of the 1930's, when he survived by playing the piano-accordion in the pubs and streets of Glasgow, Scotland . This connection with my own approach only became apparent to me when a friend who lectured at University of Essex christened me a "philosophical busker"! Successful busking demands an acute awareness of your audience and the individuals of which it is composed. If the guy starts singing in B Flat, you have to take that as your starting point. Many times I have gone to class with a prepared lecture, only to become instantly aware that the students' interests are pulling me in a totally different direction. I find it is quite often more productive to flow with that natural impetus than to inflexibly resist.

In terms of Philosophy itself, from very early on in my studies it was self-evident to me that the best approach to adopt towards the vast range and diversity of different ideas and theories on offer was to resolve not to permit any one of them to hold me in its sway. I attempt to instill that same degree of critical distance in my students.

Interviewer:

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

John Bolton:

As I mentioned before, no matter how abstract or theoretical the topic, I always direct relevant questions to each individual; requesting they consider how the topic relates to themselves as a person, to their life experiences and to their existing beliefs.

My motive behind this approach is influenced by the unfortunate number of philosophical authors, past and present, who appear to me to speak from a great height, showing little apparent interest in being comprehensible, or sometimes even intelligible! Whereas, because each individual is the world expert on her own thoughts, feelings, experiences and situation, my approach usually succeeds in touching base with that individual.

Interviewer:

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

John Bolton:

Rather than being an insignificant bystander to the education process, each individual is constantly encouraged to understand that the truth of the matter is that she is the prime mover in the process.

Apart from the obvious engenderment of self-confidence; this also succeeds in transforming a topic from a black and white 2-dimensional sketch, into a 3-dimensional technicolor blockbuster movie in which she plays the starring role.

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.

John Bolton:

For my first 5 years at UMUC, I only taught face-to-face. For the next 5 years I have mainly taught online classes. I have no real preference, though I find there are invaluable benefits to the online approach. One advantage is the absence of the type of intense pressure which sees less-forceful students sidelined by pushier students in the face-to-face environment. Another advantage is the opportunity students have to take advantage of the thinking time offered by this approach.

I already had a successful face-to-face teaching method, so I was initially concerned about whether this could be translated into a successful online method. But the first class online training offered by CTLA allowed me the opportunity to develop the adaptations necessary to make that style work online.

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?

John Bolton:

From my late teens onwards I became increasingly interested in the really deep questions about this human existence, the nature of this Universe in which we find ourselves and the ethical questions concerning how we should live our lives.

When I decided to study Philosophy at university, I was grilled by the Chair of Philosophy to determine my level of commitment. He eventually accepted my application, adding, "There really is no other subject to study!" Because of Philosophy's uncompromising critical approach, I tend to agree with him.

The launch of the Minor in Philosophy this year, coupled with the launch of three new online Philosophy classes this year, and two the previous year, necessitates that I continually update my knowledge of the latest texts and trends in the subject.

A by-product of Philosophy's critical stance towards every idea and theory is the engendering of a sense of freedom. My awareness of this growing sense of freedom and power in my students is very rewarding.

I also feel greatly privileged at having the opportunity of continuing to develop my own interest in my subject and being paid for that privilege!

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 to teaching your discipline online?

John Bolton:

The primary challenge I set myself is attempting to achieve the balance between demanding the university's highest standard of academic achievement, whilst also attempting to ensure that each student has a fascinating and enjoyable experience in her class.

Some philosophical texts present potential challenges, inasmuch as there are often glaring prejudices permeating the author's interpretation of the topics discussed. Yet this potential negative is easily transformed into a positive, through encouraging students to take a deep breath and dare to critically assess that which is usually regarded as sacrosanct, i.e. their textbook!

A major challenge which applies to both face-to-face and online classes is the need to ensure that students are able to understand the readings from their textbooks. I usually find that students greatly appreciate a concise explanation of the central ideas and theories being presented. This can be very helpful in serving as a basic map onto which they can project the finer details. I feel that Philosophy makes an even greater demand on faculty to ensure that the often dense and abstract textual material is accessible to students.

Online classes could potentially be highly problematic for a subject like Philosophy, whose demand for critical discussion and evaluation are intrinsic to the subject itself. Therefore it is even more crucial to ensure that students have plenty of opportunity to engage in discussion with "live" opponents who hold different or even contradictory views to their own.

Fortunately, the WebTycho classroom is the perfect vehicle for the facilitation of extremely lively debates in the Conference area; with the Study Groups area providing the perfect arena in which to conduct smaller, more concentrated discussions.

Interviewer:

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

John Bolton:

Not everyone is aware that, until the 20th century, Philosophy was a compulsory and integral element in every university student's scheme of study; almost constituting a Minor Degree in Philosophy. Fortunately many educators have recently become aware of the vacuum produced as a result of the 20th century's disenchantment with Philosophy; as many students clearly lack the tools necessary for critically assessing and thereby enriching their understanding of the subject in which they are taking a Major Degree.

UMUC's new Minor in Philosophy is a radical and innovative attempt to resolve that situation. In fact a Minor Degree in Philosophy (rather than a Major) is the optimal solution, as Philosophy serves a more important role as a critical complement to the subject a student is studying for her Major. Literature, Art History, Languages, Science, Government and Sociology are only some of the Majors which are greatly enhanced by the study of Philosophy.

From an employment point of view, fortunately there is a rapidly increasing number of enlightened employers who are acutely aware of the inestimable value added by employees who have developed high levels of analytical and evaluative skills through their study of Philosophy.

UMUC'S Minor in Philosophy is already attracting a rapidly growing number of students, which means that in the future we are going to need to recruit a much greater number of faculty members who have gained qualifications in Philosophy.

Interviewer:

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

John Bolton:

Dynamism! UMUC is a rapidly-growing, highly responsive, dynamic institution; partly because it cannot afford just to sit back on its laurels.

I have personally experienced that pro-active responsiveness to providing students with what they want! I refer to the launch of 7 new online Philosophy classes over the past three years, as well as the launch of the Minor Degree; all as a direct result of student demand.

Unlike most other universities, UMUC's demographic focus is exclusively directed towards adult students, many of whom have extremely demanding family, employment and military responsibilities. UMUC faculty members have been trained to be highly responsive to these additional pressures faced by our students, which often requires that we be much more flexible than the faculty in other universities.

Interviewer:

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

John Bolton:

From my experience of university environments, UMUC offers far and away the greatest level of academic freedom and opportunities to its faculty members. For example, Monika Denburg (European Division Head of Distance Education) has always been pro-actively open to suggestions for expansion of the availability of online Philosophy courses whenever she has been made aware of a growing student demand.

Interviewer:

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

John Bolton:

There has been an explosion in interest in Philosophy compared to 10 years ago when I first started teaching for UMUC. This, coupled to the new Minor in Philosophy, clearly means that there will be an ever-increasing demand for people who are qualified to teach the subject.