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.

Nancy Matton

The short answer to why I teach for UMUC Asia is location. I started teaching at UMUC way back in 1993. I had followed my husband, an Air Force pilot, to Yokota Air Base in Tokyo. Although excited to experience Japan, I wondered how I would be able to use my education. I was fortunate enough to find a position at UMUC Asia. I started teaching face-to-face and discovered that I loved it. Since then I’ve spent 6 years and two tours at Yokota and I am now located in the busy city of Manila in the Philippines.

For a number of years, I worked as a technical editor for a manufacturer of electron microscopes. I currently keep more than busy enough with raising my three children, helping support my husband in his Air Force career and teaching online for UMUC.

Interviewer:

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

Nancy Matton

I believe in the power of enthusiasm. If I can’t be enthusiastic about my subject, then how can I expect my students to want to learn more? I discover something new in each and every course that I teach. This is one of the great advantages of the online forum. I truly enjoy the time I spend in my classrooms and I think this is motivating for my students. I want my students to look forward to logging in to our class. Enthusiasm is contagious!

I also believe in leading by example. If I want my students to check in to conferences frequently, then I need to do so too. What I do sets the tone for the class. If I am organized, timely and thorough, then my students are more likely to be so.

Interviewer:

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

Nancy Matton

The positive feedback that I most commonly receive is that my students appreciate the time that I put into my courses. They see that I value them as students in that I am there every day to respond their questions, posts and messages.

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.

Nancy Matton

I currently only teach online, although I taught face-to-face for a number of years. I choose to teach online because of the flexibility. Like so many of my students, I have young children and mine is a military family. We move frequently and my schedule is busy. Distance education gives me a place to express my passion for the sciences, even with this busy lifestyle. I also appreciate the quality of the discussions you get in online conferences. I learn something new each and every term! That being said, I do miss the personal interaction you get with a face-to-face class. I formed friendships with many of my students, especially those in my Friday evening labs. I am lucky enough to have run into many of them at military installations across the world. They are part of my community and I take great pride in having been their instructor.

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?

Nancy Matton

I teach biology and chemistry. When I was in high school, research in molecular biology was just taking off. I was fortunate enough to be able to intern at a local cancer research hospital and knew then that I wanted to be part of this field. I try to read big journals. I especially enjoy Science and Nature because of their cross-disciplinary approach.

I am passionate about science education. It is increasingly important that adults are scientifically literate. These subjects are so very relevant to our lives. Biology is, after all, about us as human organisms. The genetic revolution is occurring during our lifetimes and we need to understand it. Chemistry explains the increasingly technical world around us. Everyone interested in their health, everyone who is concerned about the environment, every parent and every consumer should understand the basic tenets of how atoms, molecules, cells, organisms and ecosystems work.

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.

Nancy Matton

The most challenging aspect of teaching biology is the sheer quantity of basic information that the students need to assimilate. The body of knowledge that they are expected to learn in an introductory class is, quite honestly, enormous. In many cases I find that it takes repeated exposure to internalize all these concepts.

For chemistry the challenge is different. Here I find that teaching the mathematics of chemistry online is the biggest challenge. Many students require extra effort to grasp the mathematical relationships in chemical equations. I reserve extra time for this material and do my best to post frequently and extensively.

Biology is very visual. When I lecture I always do so with a figure or diagram to refer to. Many concepts are better explained graphically, pictorially or with an animation. As the quality of resources available online has improved, I have begun to stress the importance of including them in posts. Everyone learns differently, and one of the greatest challenges of online education is appealing to as many learning styles as possible.

One of my hopes for science education at UMUC is to include more hands-on laboratory classes that are more closely linked to the ‘lecture’ class. Although technically challenging, I think that such classes could improve the quality of the education that the students receive.

Interviewer:

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

Nancy Matton

Take all the science classes you can! As I said before, there is an enormous body of information that you need to take in. The best way to internalize all that information is by repeat exposure.

Interviewer:

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

Nancy Matton

Having lived at a number of U.S. military and State Department locations overseas, I can tell you that no other organizations serves this community better. Instructors like me understand the unique lifestyles of the military community – both for active duty and family members. UMUC is available, in person, and in so many locations worldwide. You can take it with you, even when you have a permanent change of station.

Interviewer:

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

Nancy Matton

Our students are what make it so rewarding to teach here. Every term I get the opportunity to teach real life heroes serving their country in places such as Japan, Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan. I also get to teach those unsung heroes, the military family members who support our service men and women. It is a great student body – diverse, intelligent and with many interesting experiences to share.

Interviewer:

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

Nancy Matton

UMUC Asia and UMUC Europe offer a unique experience in living and working abroad. If you have the chance to teach for them, it is a great opportunity.