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.

Nick Duchon

I received bachelor's degrees in mathematics and physics from the University of California Berkeley, and a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Maryland, College Park. I then worked in industry for 9 years developing software and researching communications systems.

I joined UMUC in 1993, specializing in computer networking and distributed systems courses. Since then, I have branched out into nearly all of the CMIS and CMSC courses.

I have always wanted to teach, and I fell in love with the concept of scholar-practitioners as instructors for university-level classes.

I have worked on a variety of small projects – e.g., developing web pages and a computer system for our town, and a highly reliable, distributed point-of-sale computer system.

Here’s a rather old story about just how deep my love of teaching is:

When I was in 5th grade, in a class about science, I was so very excited about the material that I was constantly raising my hand. Eventually my poor teacher got so exasperated with me that she asked if I wanted to teach the class. I cannot imagine that it ever crossed her mind just how much this was what I truly, deeply wanted to do. This was like waving a bone before a dog. I was so young, and this was so enticing, that I didn't understand the sarcasm behind the question at all, and, so, I just went up to the front of the classroom and took over. My poor teacher was so unnerved that she left the room to cool off, but I had the time of my life!

Interviewer:

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

Nick Duchon

I think every student is different. Each comes to a class with a different background, and especially at the university level, particularly at UMUC. Each student will have different desires for what they want from a class, and eventually what they want from the university. Thus, the material in a class is only a framework upon which those desires can grow and bloom.

I think the most influential experiences I have had are looking at student projects. Whenever a project allows for any creativity, students often experiment with all kinds of concepts beyond those presented in class.

Interviewer:

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

Nick Duchon

I experiment with all kinds of teaching methods and supporting materials. Perhaps two are worthy of attention: using large scale programming examples in class and developing interactive computer programs to facilitate student experiments.

Textbooks typically have lots of small programming examples, and philosophize about large projects, but the design and implementation of medium-scale projects are left as exercises for students. I like to present and analyze such projects in my classes. Often I tell my students that I am showing them how to "read" code. This is a truly tedious process where one should consider the implications of and alternatives to every single symbol, but this kind of analysis is the true high road to enlightenment, as it were.

Interviewer:

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

Nick Duchon

I think my students eventually come to appreciate the rewards of a deep understanding of the material, and develop a confidence in their own abilities to master new and complex subjects.

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.

Nick Duchon

I have taught face-to-face and online courses. I have used almost every technology UMUC has tried. I have come to enjoy both, but for quite different reasons. In a face-to-face class, one has immediate connections and feedback from the students. One can take the time to have a Socratic dialog, with really fast question and answer exchanges. In an online class, one can take the time to slowly reflect on questions posed by the students and often take the time to create responses that are quite a bit longer and can even include video presentations.

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?

Nick Duchon

I like applying mathematical concepts to real problems and making functional human/computer interfaces. To stay current in the field, I attend conferences, experiment with programs, and read journals from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Association for Computing Machinery, and the Mathematical Association of America. What I like best about teaching in my discipline is being a catalyst in my student's "AHA!" moments.

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.

Nick Duchon

The most challenging part of teaching in this discipline is teaching students to ask good questions. I have only recently come to appreciate just how critical a problem this is, so I am experimenting with a variety of strategies. They all start with encouraging students to say something, anything, and building a conversation from there.

There are many challenges involved in teaching my discipline online. One that concerns me the most is making the students "real," getting to know them a little and picturing them as individuals, not just names on assignments. I encourage my students to post pictures of themselves, but very few do. On the other hand, when I ask them to create Web pages, they often create very personal and expressive ones.

Interviewer:

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

Nick Duchon

I would tell students to ask questions – the more specific, the better. Try a course or two and see if you like programming. Generally, do something you really like. Develop a passion, and nurture it with hard work.

Interviewer:

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

Nick Duchon

UMUC is the college of choice for students because of its academic rigor, the faculty, and the wide variety of students – all leading to a valuable degree. The value is confidence in oneself, even more than just monetary value.

Interviewer:

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

Nick Duchon

UMUC is the employer of choice for future faculty members because of convenience, but even more, the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of our students.

Interviewer:

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

Nick Duchon

I would tell new faculty to try not to be too shocked by the wide range of backgrounds of the students in your class. Some will need serious hand-holding, while others will know some (only some) aspects of the subject even better than you. Try to be gentle with the first and both use the experiences of the latter and challenge them to learn more. Try to have fun!