Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • Teaching: 1. Philosophy

    Uploaded by

    doggaravi07
    30 views2 pages
    Neal Patwari believes that creative and practical exercises are an important part of electrical engineering education. They can motivate students and help them develop a deeper understanding of signal processing topics. While theoretical foundations are critical, creative activities allow students to test their understanding and build confidence. This is important for retention, as lack of confidence is a common reason students leave engineering. In his teaching, Patwari incorporates active learning methods like in-class demonstrations, programming exercises, and design projects. These creative exercises can benefit students from diverse backgrounds and encourage self-testing of knowledge.

    Original Description:

    Original Title

    NealPatwari.pdf

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Report this Document
    Neal Patwari believes that creative and practical exercises are an important part of electrical engineering education. They can motivate students and help them develop a deeper understanding of signal processing topics. While theoretical foundations are critical, creative activities allow students to test their understanding and build confidence. This is important for retention, as lack of confidence is a common reason students leave engineering. In his teaching, Patwari incorporates active learning methods like in-class demonstrations, programming exercises, and design projects. These creative exercises can benefit students from diverse backgrounds and encourage self-testing of knowledge.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as pdf or txt
    30 views2 pages

    Teaching: 1. Philosophy

    Uploaded by

    doggaravi07
    Neal Patwari believes that creative and practical exercises are an important part of electrical engineering education. They can motivate students and help them develop a deeper understanding of signal processing topics. While theoretical foundations are critical, creative activities allow students to test their understanding and build confidence. This is important for retention, as lack of confidence is a common reason students leave engineering. In his teaching, Patwari incorporates active learning methods like in-class demonstrations, programming exercises, and design projects. These creative exercises can benefit students from diverse backgrounds and encourage self-testing of knowledge.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    Neal Patwari

    University of Michigan

    1. Teaching Philosophy
    "What I cannot create, ] do not understand ." -- Richard P. Feynman

    I believe that the creative process is a critical part of electrical engineering education, which can
    both motivate students and bring them deeper understanding of the topics of study. Particularly
    in signal processing, with digital signals pervasive in their lives, students can engage with more
    general topics by using them as practical tools . While building is never a substitute for basic
    learning, I believe that it can motivate the study of difficult topics, allow students to test their
    theoretical understanding, and build confidence in their abilities . The creative process aids their
    understanding when they use theory to construct proofs, write simulations to test a theoretical
    result, or learn the signal processing design of the technologies we otherwise take for granted.
    My experiences in industry research have provided me with both examples of how designing
    new systems motivates the designer to develop his or her theoretical background, and a broader
    understanding of the applicability of signal processing theory. I provide my students with
    opportunities to create and build from the theory, and I expect them to take an active learning
    role to test and build on their understanding.

    Ce1tainly, a basic theoretical foundation in signal processing is a critical requirement.


    Mathematical tools provide a means to analyze and to synthesize the methods of our discipline,
    and ensuring that all students master these basic mathematical tools is my primary goal.
    However, I strongly believe that a secondary goal of using the basic theory as tools for creating
    practical knowledge is complementary to the foundational goals. Where this is possible to
    achieve, students will feel more motivated, satisfied with and confident in their abilities. Since
    lack of confidence is often a reason for leaving electrical engineering [MIT, "Final Report of the
    EECS Women Undergraduate Enrollment Committee", 1995], I believe this is also a strategy for
    increased retention .

    My teaching methods use these active learning methods, both in class, in assignments, and in
    optional additional resources I offer my students. For example, I've often brought in props into
    class to help my students visualize a theorem and to help them formulate a proof. I invented a
    card game I called 'relation poker', which students applied their knowledge of both the properties
    of relations, and combinatorics, in a competition between students. When teaching random
    variables, part of my approach is to have students learn how to generate arbitrary distributions
    within Matlab (or equivalent programming language), as both a practical and theoretical lesson,
    since it both requires proving that an algorithm works, and allows them to test analysis via
    simulation.

    While such activities can take additional time, they often benefit and are most engaging to
    students who start the class with less background. Practical and creative exercises can be an
    equalizing factor, and can build the confidence of students when they can demonstrate tangible
    abilities and understanding. Provid ing students with interim creative tasks allows them to test
    their ability, and encourage them to ' fill in' missing knowledge in order to finish the tasks.

    Creating naturally lends itself to student evaluation . What they cannot create, as Feynman said,
    they know that they do not understand . Homework exercises and tests should both have students
    Neal Patwari
    University of Michigan

    demonstrate their knowledge by requiring them apply it and synthesize solutions to new
    questions . Often, results can be obtained from more than one direction, and l ask my students to
    verify their analysis, for example, by simulation. Such self-testing can be more immediate and
    thus more motivating than pure after-the-fact external grading. Further, individual and group
    projects can be very impo1tant and memorable. Projects should be flexibility to serve different
    students' interests, but to test each student's ability to apply the basic methods and theory from
    the course.

    Using active, creative methods prepares students for a changing field . For careers in academia or
    in industry, our students will use their skills to evaluate others' ideas and to create those of their
    own; such abilities can be taught through experience, which provides students with the
    necessary mix of skills, intuition, and confidence. to be successful. I want my students to
    understand; and I want them to create, so that they know that they understand.

    You might also like