As covered in the first article in this series, Principles of Effective Teaching, reliability engineers, FMEA team leaders, and other quality and reliability professionals are often called upon to teach the principles of reliability or FMEA. Whether you are a student who wants to enhance your learning experience, an instructor who wants to improve teaching results, or an engineer who wishes to convey knowledge to another person, this series will offer practical knowledge and advice.
I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do. Leonardo da Vinci
Key Teaching Principle # 10 compels the instructor to ensure that each and every student learns how to apply the material being taught, in a variety of realistic scenarios.
What is difference between knowing and applying?
To know is “to be aware of through observation, inquiry or information.” To apply is “to bring or put into operation or use.”
Take the example of the term “failure mode” in FMEA. You can learn what is a failure mode by understanding the definition and examples. You can memorize the definition, study examples, inquire by asking questions, and even observe an actual failure mode. All of this provides the basis for learning about failure modes. But it does not guarantee that you can apply the concept of failure mode in an actual FMEA. To be able to apply the concept of failure mode in an FMEA, you have to go beyond knowing about failure modes. You have to gain experience in determining failure modes in real life FMEA applications, including realistic scenarios that can be challenging.
Knowledge of fundamentals precedes application
The prerequisite to application of a subject is a solid understanding of the fundamentals of the subject. This is covered in Key Teaching Principle #1: Understanding. An instructor who has a solid understanding of the fundamentals of the subject can share that knowledge with students. A student’s ability to apply subject material comes after a thorough understanding of the core principles of the subject.
What teaching techniques help students apply course material?
There are six techniques that I use in every course that I teach, to enhance the ability of students to apply the material they are learning.
1. Definitions. The core terms must be defined well and thoroughly understood. I return to definitions frequently to ensure they are well understood.
2. Principles. The most important principles of the subject must be described and understood by students. Remember that a “principle” is a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine or assumption.
3. Examples. The teaching of each principle should be supplemented with realistic examples. These can be examples provided by the instructor, as well as examples identified or developed by the student.
4. Exercises. Students need to practice applying the core principles in planned exercises. The key to successful exercises is to create a safe environment where mistakes can be made and discussed as learning opportunities. I allocate more than 50% of total course time to practice and exercises.
5. Feedback. Students learn best by doing, and receiving meaningful feedback. See article Key Teaching Principle # 9: Constructive Feedback, especially the section “Constructive feedback during exercises.”
6. Questioning. I used to ask periodically in my teaching “do you have any questions?” I’ve since learned that a better way is to periodically ask application questions of students, one by one, so that each student is asked many questions throughout the course. This technique is described in the article Key Teaching Principle # 4: Questioning.
Commitment
As an instructor, I approach every class I teach with a firm commitment that each and every student understands and can apply the material being taught. I believe that success as an instructor is dependent on whether the students grasp the fundamentals and can apply them in realistic scenarios. This is a higher commitment than some courses I’ve attended in the past. I’ve attended courses where the instructor shows up and “teaches” the courses material, irrespective of student comprehension. This is why I emphasize the six techniques described above, and maintain an awareness of how well each student is able to apply the courses material. It is a commitment to go beyond merely communicating course material to students. I try to the best of my ability to ensure that each students walks away with the ability to use and apply the principles of the subject, in their work and life.
Closing comment
It is a personal decision of each instructor, as to the level of commitment to students. There ise great joy in being able to share your knowledge with others, either one-on-one or in front of a class of students. The best results from teaching include the ability to apply the material in the real world.
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