Behrend Magazine surveyed faculty members of the college to ask what teaching tool they couldn’t live without. The answers were interesting and surprising. Here’s what they had to say.
Dr. Ahmed Yousof, assistant teaching professor of game development
“Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty. It acts like all plastics act, but it acts much faster. Stretching, melting, cracking, sagging, bouncing, and so on. I use it in class all the time and I keep a few cans on my desk.”
— Dr. Alicyn Rhoades, associate professor of engineering
“A scheduling tool like Doodle.com is great for organizing meetings with multiple people. Instead of getting a dozen emails with everyone’s availability, I can set up a Doodle poll and choose the date and time that the maximum number of people can attend. I also use the one-on-one meeting function for advising meetings. Students can click on the link in the signature line of my email, see when I am available, and choose a few times when they would like to meet. I can then confirm the best time and we’re all set. No more backand- forth emails. It really streamlines the process.”
— Dr. Heather Lum, assistant professor of psychology
“I can't live without Adobe applications (i.e., Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, etc). I use them to create visuals for my classes that vary from static to interactive. In the past, I relied on Microsoft PowerPoint, but I have become an avid user of Adobe applications because of the appealing visual and interactive representation you can get with them. I believe these visuals increase student engagement in class and motivate them to complete tasks.”
— Dr. Ahmed Yousof, assistant teaching professor of game development
“A course calendar that helps both students and the instructor stay on track. It is really helpful to see upcoming course events like tests and assignment due dates.”
— Margo Kertis, assistant teaching professor of nursing
“Chalk and a chalkboard. It can be used for problem-solving, critical thinking, and strategic discussions. It doesn’t require an upgrade, tech support, electricity, or training and is recognizable around the world.”
— Dr. Ash Deshmukh, professor of accounting
Dr. Melanie Hetzel-Riggin, professor of psychology
“I could not live without three-ring binders and sheet protectors. All of my lecture notes, discussion prompts, video links, in-class activities, and assignments for each class are housed in separate threering binders. I would never be able to be as organized and purposeful as an instructor if I did not have these.”
— Dr. Melanie Hetzel-Riggin, professor of psychology
"The teaching tool I can’t teach without is my wireless presenter (with laser pointer and slide changer). This helps me teach more efficiently because I can move around the classroom without having to go back and forth to the podium to transition to the next slide. Works wonders!”
— Dr. Grace Galinato, associate professor of chemistry
“Good old lesson planning. Having a goal and plan for every lesson is very valuable. The things I learned while completing the Pennsylvania K-12 art education certification help me when I am preparing new or adjusted courses. They also help when I notice a reoccurring problem and need to course correct and try something different to get the content across to students. Maintaining my certification requires me to take courses to enhance my pedagogical approach, which helps me stay aware of many different and new practices.”
— Heather Cole, assistant teaching professor of digital arts
“Folders! I start planning every class by organizing it into folders. Sometimes the folders represent single chapters from a text; other times, they are topic areas. Either way, it helps me get all the information I need to teach organized. I have both manila and electronic folders for every class I have taught, so I can go back and pull information that might be relevant in another course or share it with a colleague who needs it.”
— Linda Hajec, assistant teaching professor of accounting
“The teaching tool that I could not live without is Stock Trak. It’s a stock market simulation that I use in FIN 420 Introduction to Investments, and it provides students with a simulated trading environment that uses live asset prices. The experience is vital to student learning.”
— Eric Robbins, lecturer in finance
“Chemical demonstrations! I can’t think of a more energetic or dramatic way to garner student interest. Chemical demonstrations not only capture their attention, but can help students remember concepts in an unforgettable manner. It may not work for all disciplines, but it is a wonderful teaching tool for the physical sciences.”
— Tracy Halmi, associate teaching professor of chemistry