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.

Mona Engvig:

I love to teach, but not to fight Los Angeles traffic gridlock! I first heard about online teaching in 1998, and kept looking for an opportunity to teach in this format. A previous UMUC instructor gave a presentation about online teaching, and I contacted her. She recommended me, and I got the opportunity to teach at UMUC.

I consult on various aspects of online education. My area of specialty is to teach faculty how to teach online. My book "Online Learning: All You Need to Know to Facilitate and Administer Online Courses" was published by Hampton Press in 2006. I have also written several online courses on how to teach online.

I received my Ph.D. at Stanford in the late 1990's. My advisor, Dr. Edwin Bridges, was an expert on problem-based learning. To put it simply, this educational philosophy is similar to the case method, but we start out with the problem instead of presenting it at the end. This method also focuses on peer learning. Online education is a technology that makes meaningful peer learning possible, so that is key to success for me. Our students have so much to contribute if we only allow them to. As instructors, we need to change from "the sage on the stage" to "the guide on the side". We need to facilitate, rather than only lecture.

Interviewer:

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

Mona Engvig:

Some students who go back to school as adults have low self esteem in regard to academics. My job is to let them know that I am on their team; I am there to support them and help them any way I can. I let them know that they are not alone in feeling overwhelmed. That is OK - there is no need to panic. I ask them to contact me at any time if they feel overwhelmed. I have no idea how many times I have received the following email: "Mona, I'm giving up!" I respond: "No, you are not, and I am right here to help you pass this course". With the student, I find a way to make their dreams come true. I try to combine this personal attention with high standards. I tell them that we are all busy, and that making excuses is just going to hinder their learning. I have had students in combat in Iraq , and students with family members with life-threatening diseases. I worked with them, and they passed my introductory AMBA course with flying colors. The key is to combine high standards with warm care.

My advisor at Stanford, Dr. Edwin Bridges, has influenced me greatly. He refused to give grades. All his courses were offered in a Pass/Fail format. I doubt that anybody ever failed, because he inspired all of us to do our best.

Interviewer:

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

Mona Engvig:

I am big on peer interaction. The syllabus developed for the course I teach, MBA Fundamentals (AMBA 600) does not include a grade for participation, but since I want the students to interact a lot, this is what I do. I let them know that by interacting, they will get to know their classmates and be prepared for other courses in the program where interaction is part of the grade. I also post discussion starters to all weekly conferences, and urge them to do the same. It works! My teaching assistants often comment about the high level of interaction they see in my course.

Interviewer:

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

Mona Engvig:

A few years ago I did a study of online students for my book on how to teach online. I found that what mattered most to them was to have a professor who really cared - cared enough to immediately answer their emails, and give detailed and rapid feedback on assignments. I try to follow the advice that these students gave us in the study. It is really simple. Treat your students with respect. Care about them, both as a person and as a student. Be yourself, and do not hesitate to share something about yourself in the classroom.

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.

Mona Engvig:

I have taught face-to-face earlier, but now I only teach online. I strongly prefer the online format. The students are more open, and they interact more with me and their peers. This closeness is what I appreciate most about teaching.

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?

Mona Engvig:

My Ph.D. is in Education, with a focus on organizations. I also have two Masters; one in Arts Administration (Nonprofit Management), and one in Sociology. I do not have an MBA, but if you look at the three degrees, I have all the courses required for an MBA. I also took many of my courses at the Stanford Business School. This led me to focus on the softer business skills. The AMBA 600 course is perfect for me, since we have material from many disciplines in that course.

I constantly try to relate current events to course material, and this helps me to stay current in my field.

I love my students. I have lost count of all the "Thank You" emails I get, but let me share one I got today:

Dr. Engvig,

First of all, I can't believe I did that well on this last problem set!!!   I am so excited!

As for my problem #2, I know exactly when and where I went wrong. I had the dependent (Y axis) and independent (X axis) variables all correct. Then, I started thinking logically (you can't make money without advertising). Then I erased the whole thing and started the other way. That's where I made my mistake. I should have left it the way I originally thought.

At any rate, thank you for the encouragement. As you know, I started out on a rough side of things. There is no way I could have made it without your continued support and words of encouragement. You have not steered me wrong throughout this entire course. I remember you said that this course would probably be the toughest in this program. I believe that and that has given me the encouragement to go on. I was going to take a break and regroup before starting again but now, I'm not going to take a break. I have this new sense of belief in myself.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

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?

Mona Engvig:

The biggest challenge for me is when I suspect that a student is cheating, but I am not sure. I just cannot err on the side of saying "You cheated!" when they did not. We use Turnitin, which helps a lot, but there are still statistics assignments, etc., where I think they might have gotten answers from someone else. In that case, I look at the pattern: is this assignment similar to what the students have turned in earlier?

Team assignments are challenging for many. I try to anticipate this. I let them know that I reserve the right to give members of the same team different scores: not doing their part on the team assignment may lead to an F. I also post a discussion starter where I ask them to share good and bad previous team experiences. I ask them to contact me immediately if they have a team issue they cannot resolve themselves. Finally, I post a discussion starter after the team assignment is over where I ask them to share the best and the most challenging aspect of the team assignment they just finished. From what the students tell me, communication is key to success.

Interviewer:

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

Mona Engvig:

If I define my discipline as online education, I just have one piece of advice, "Go for it!" It is a field in rapid growth. You can have a lot of flexibility while changing people's lives.

Interviewer:

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

Mona Engvig:

For me, two aspects make UMUC a great place. First, it is a university with a very diverse student body. This leads to a very interesting and meaningful online classroom. Second, we hold the students to high standards, and they perform accordingly.

Interviewer:

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

Mona Engvig:

UMUC is a rare university in that it accepts all applicants, but manages to get them up to speed quickly and help them graduate with prestigious degrees. It is also a university that has a long history of catering to the needs of the untraditional students: enlisted in the military, first in their family to go to college, minorities, immigrants, etc. This diversity creates a wonderful learning environment. Also, the students, professors and administrators I have worked with at UMUC have all cared deeply about each other, and the value of education.

Interviewer:

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

Mona Engvig:

My main discipline is online education. If you want to teach online, look at yourself and your values and interests first. In order to do well in the online environment, you need to go from being "a sage on the stage" to "a guide on the side".  Your focus should be on fostering a supportive and engaging peer learning environment. You do this by allowing and expecting the students to participate by sharing their experiences and relating these to course material. I have studied online students, and the most important thing to most of them is the following: They want a professor who cares about them and their learning. Such professors answer questions immediately, give rapid and detailed assignment feedback and set up the classroom in a structured manner. They also realize that many adult students enter the program with low self-esteem in relation to going back to school, and they are willing to support the students to overcome this challenge.