Teaching Statement

Greg Walsh

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Introduction

I have been teaching at the University level since 2001. In that time, I have had the opportunity to teach a wide variety of courses and an even wider variety of students both in the classroom and online. I have created new courses, taught existing courses, and taken courses out of “mothballs”. I have formally and informally mentored students at the undergraduate and graduate level. My courses have focused on human-computer interaction, multimedia development, social media, open source software and educational technologies. Regardless of the subject matter, I approach all of my classes with the following three tenets: the right strategies at the right time, emphasize portfolios, and respect the student.

The Right Instructional Strategies

As a previous instructional technologist, I utilize Gagne’s nine events for developing my instructional strategies and lean heavily towards constructivism. I don’t allow technology to dictate the instructional strategies that I use. My instruction comes from analyzing the subject matter, the learners and the constraints. Sometimes, a conversational lecture supported by a simple visual presentation is enough for students to learn from while other situations may require more sophisticated levels of instructional engagement.

In my Designing for Humans class (COSC 324), I felt it was important for the students to not only read about or listen to a lecture about the process in which humans interact with computers and instead ran a hands-on activity in which the students disassembled computer keyboards in order to answer the question “When I want to type a letter A on screen, how does it get there?” The students saw that the keys are held up by a membrane that when depressed, closes a circuit that connects to a small controller. We discussed how the keyboard could send over 100 characters with only five wires to the computer and through deductive reasoning, the students correctly came to the conclusion of how the keyboard and computer communicate.

In my Introduction to Game Design class (COSC 150), I utilized the class’s overarching theme to help design instructional strategies. I developed a game to be played in-class called Scholar Kombat (SK). In SK, “Sacred Texts” (books on game design and development) have been presented to the guilds (groups of students) to collect the teachings and spar with rival guilds until the most knowledgeable are crowned. The battles are actually debates between groups about what they’ve learned from the individual texts. In this way, I’m embracing games as a catalyst for constructivism.

In my Social Media and Games class (COSC 407), I introduced an in-person social game to make the topics relevant. In this game, the class was split into groups of two to three. Groups were given packets that contained different materials for cutting exact shapes. Some groups received multiple sheets of raw paper while some received few sheets of paper but extra tools like scissors and templates. The only way for groups to win points was to work together towards the goal.

Emphasize Portfolios

Although knowledge is ultimately the most important outcome of education, my teaching philosophy is rooted in the idea that the most important, tangible outcome of education is the student’s academic portfolio. This portfolio can enable students to reach the goals they set out to achieve. Because of this belief, each of my classes has always focused on generating at least one strong entry for them to include in their portfolios. Even though the classes I teach have ranged from discussion-based and highly theoretical to lab-based and highly practical, I’ve incorporated the portfolio requirement into each course.

The game design courses I have teach have had portfolio pieces as the core element of assessments. Although the resulting artifact is itself important to the portfolio, I require that the students place their project into a larger context and create documentation about their program. The documentation usually discusses why was it created, who is the audience, and how does it fit into a larger world of game design. Requiring this kind of portfolio-piece-in-context serves two purposes: to act as a framework for reflecting on the assignment by the student in the future, and to situate the portfolio piece for future employers or academic institutions.

Creating portfolio pieces in theoretical, discussion-based classes has also been rewarding to the students. A term paper or research paper is a staple requirement in my graduate and my upper level undergraduate courses, but I have been amazed at the number of students who discount these assignments as portfolio pieces. When I create these assignments, I ask students to think about their goals and situate the paper for a specific audience that would aid in the achieving of their goals. For example, someone who wants to change jobs may situate the paper in business terms in her portfolio and emphasize the importance of problem identification or the skills necessary to do research while someone with academic aspirations could emphasize the novelty of the work and discuss how it fits into a larger research plan.

In order to facilitate good opportunities for portfolio pieces, I try to partner with outside institutions in my classwork. To date, I have worked with The Maryland Zoo, Chase-Brexton Healthcare, and the Creative Alliance.

Respect the Student

Students come to educational institutions for many different reasons. Some students pursue post-graduate education because they want a promotion at work, while some want to change careers, and others seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge. No matter what drives a person, that person always experiences education within the complications and challenges of their own life. Because of this, I strive to respect students’ situations and help them achieve their goals. I have had students who miss class due to sick dependents (children or parents), work issues, business trips, and many more reasons but still did well in the class because I set expectations at the beginning of each semester. I emphasize that each person is responsible for his or her own learning and they will only get out what they put into the class. I also emphasize that things can happen outside of their control and that we can work around those circumstances. Of course, this is not a free pass for missing class, not doing assignments, or cheating. I expect assignments to be turned in, recorded lectures to be viewed, and interaction with other students outside of the class and I have a strict cheating policy in accordance with the University of Maryland’s Graduate School.

This diversity of students is why I enjoy teaching so much. I learn new things each semester in my interactions with my students because of the different backgrounds and experiences each one brings to my classes. My interaction with students hasn’t ended with the class. Many students keep in contact and feel comfortable asking me for professional and technical advice.

Supporting the Degree Programs

My teaching has been beneficial to four of the degree programs offered by the Division of Science, Information Arts, and Technologies. Of the seven different non-independent classes that I have taught since joining the faculty in Fall of 2012, four have been in service to the Simulation and Digital Entertainment (SDE) program. One class, Designing for Humans, is required for both the Applied Information Technology (AIT) and the SDE program. I have taught two sections of Interaction and Interface Design and have had students in the Interaction Design and Information Architecture (IDIA) program and the Information and Interaction Design doctoral program.

Student Evaluations

One way that I judge my effectiveness at teaching is through student feedback. I have consistently scored well on student evaluations over the years and take each comment seriously as I try to improve semester over semester. Here is a small sampling of positive feedback that I’ve received from UB and UMBC:

“This course was a great introduction for me. Greg is a great professor and really helped me understand the connection between the interface, how people interact with it, and how design can shape the way a user interacts with something. I'm looking forward to taking other courses with Greg.” – Fall 2014, IDIA612 Student

“I had taken a similar course (HCI) at Towson that didn't transfer and thought this would be as mundane, but it turned out to be much more interactive, fun, and engaging. As a result, I think I gained far more in this class.” – Fall 2014, COSC324

“Awesome, approachable, amicable teacher that is knowledgeable and knows people in the industry.”

“Always encouraging students to work and used interesting methods to keep them engaged”

“He was enthusiastic about the material and very knowledgeable. Also made class entertaining.”

“Great job keeping the class engaged.”

“there's a limit to how much enthusiasm you can generate for your students most hated subjects (serious if this class were a person i would be sworn enemies with it) but he reached that limit and smacked it(so to speak).”[sic] – Fall 2013, COSC407 Student

“The professor was engaging and dare I say... human. Out of all the classes I have taken in the ISD program, I can honestly say that I learned the most from Greg.”

“Greg Walsh was one of the best professors I've had at UMBC - he was extremely organized and straightforward with his expectations, assignment, and course objectives. He also incorporated numerous technology tools to deliver course material…His personality was very relatable and although I never met him (since it was an online course), I feel like I know him better than many other professors I've had in the past.”

“Words cannot express how motivated I was to learn more about the topics discussed. Additionally, Greg has a talent for putting all students on a level playing field in the classroom. Honestly, some topics I had no idea about but Gregs [sic] explanation coupled with the online resources really helped me to understand the topics covered. He is super prepared and always has at least 5 references for all topics posted a week in advance.”

“Greg always takes the time to help everyone achieve their greatest learning potential in his class. He is also an instructor who practices what he teaches. His classes are engaging and visual. He's been a great example to me as I continue to teach in higher education. Even after graduating, I have been able to turn to him a few times about his areas of expertise.”

“His vision and drive are inspiring to be around. His ability to distill a complex issue into it's [sic] components without losing fidelity is his strongest ability as a teacher. And his grasp of current technology beggars the imagination.”

Teaching Experience