FIC Mission
The Faculty Innovation Center (FIC) is dedicated to enabling exceptional engineering education at The University of Texas. The FIC provides media, instructional, and faculty development services to support faculty in enhancing their teaching, both with and without technology.
Visit the FIC
Faculty Innovation Center
University of Texas at Austin
Cockrell School of Engineering
ETC 2.146, ETC 4.106 & ETC 5.154
Austin, TX 78712-0292
Phone: 512.471.3850
Fax: 512.232.1786
fic3@mail.utexas.edu
| Steven Biegalski |
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June 2003 Faculty Spotlight  Dr. Steven Biegalski, Assistant Professor in the nuclear engineering program of the Mechanical Engineering Department, is finishing his first year here at the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to joining UT, he spent one year at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on a National Research Council (NRC) post-doctoral fellowship and then five years at the Department of Defense’s Center for Monitoring Research. These experiences gave him valuable experience, but Steven wanted to teach. He has found this first year rewarding and has been “amazed at how a little bit of personal attention goes a long way towards students’ satisfaction.” While working in industry, Steven utilized extensive electronic resources. When he came to UT, he knew that he wanted to incorporate similar resources into his classes. Steven created electronic lectures with links to URLs so his students can see, for example, an actual nuclear power plant simulator. He has found that using electronic lecture material gives him the “freedom to focus on important points and gloss over trivia.” One challenge Steven is exploring with the FIC staff is how to take lab experiences to distance learners. Steven teaches in the College’s distance learning classroom (ETC 5.148), which enables him to send his classes via videoconferencing to other sites, such as a national lab. This kind of interactive broadcasting promises not only to widen the potential audience of distance learners, but to deepen their understanding of material as well. Steven has taken every opportunity to establish a supporting network of colleagues within the College of Engineering. He attended the College’s New Faculty Orientation last summer and many of this year’s monthly Faculty Innovation gatherings. He found the weeklong orientation beneficial, and he especially liked the opportunity to socialize with other new faculty. Steven’s mentor, Dr. Sheldon Landsberger, has also been extremely active and accessible. Steven knows he can count on Sheldon to answer all kinds of questions, point out connections to funding sources, and to collaborate with him. The Faculty Innovation Center looks forward to continuing work with Steven Bigalski and supporting his future successes through the use of instructional design and media technology. |
| Last Updated on Thursday, April 23, 2009 |
