George Watson paces rapidly across a prairie-like expanse of carpet inside Gore Hall, the University of Delaware’s new classroom building. Pausing briefly at the chalkboard, he scribbles an algebraic formula, then lowers a massive projection screen to display a World Wide Web page featuring a computer program for solving algebra problems.
From somewhere in the audience, a student not yet accustomed to Watson’s energetic teaching style says, "Wow."
It was shortly after 11 a.m. on a Thursday in "Physics 345."
Watson’s effort to encourage active and lifelong learning–and his obviously genuine concern for students–earned him national recognition when he was selected this year’s Professor of the Year for the state of Delaware. A professor of physics and astronomy who was raised on a dairy farm in south-central Pennsylvania, Watson was selected by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for the Advancement of Science and Education (CASE).
Watson’s students, including many non-science majors, say he’s well-prepared, patient and never at a loss for a humorous one-liner. Without his help, student Leslie Rossman says she probably would have dropped Physics 208, which she describes as her "nightmare course." Fortunately, she says: "I could e-mail him any time, night or day, and he was very willing to sit for hours in the office, helping students one-on-one." Before exams, she says, Watson often remained at work until the wee hours of the morning. Yet, "he was always smiling," says Rossman, a 20-year-old from Wellsville, N.Y. "He never made us feel guilty."
A respected scholar who studies the propagation of light in optical microstructures as a model for understanding the behavior of electrons in semiconductor materials such as silicon, Watson also invents new teaching techniques and web-based course materials to help his undergraduates become problem-solvers.
Rossman and other students say that Watson surprised them by remembering their names long after final exams. Elizabeth Winter, an English major, gives Watson credit for helping her obtain a summer job in the electronics industry. She also recalls feeling overwhelmed by his empathy with students. "Whenever he sees me on the Mall," she says, "he will always say ‘hello,’ and he still knows my name. I think that’s wonderful."
Students say they enjoy Watson’s humility and his sense of humor, too. Though his courses are rigorous, they’re fun. His use of humor as a learning tool is evident in the classroom and on his web page, which features an audio recording of his motto: "Gosh darn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!"
When a student recently spotted an error on the chalkboard, for instance, Watson bellowed in mock agony. Then, he smiled and quietly thanked the observant student. "Let this be a valuable learning lesson for all of you," he admonished. "This is what can happen when you use this brute-force equation approach for analyzing the electrical current in a circuit. You have to be careful when you have so many numbers dancing around."
A renaissance in UD classrooms
Like a growing number of UD faculty members, Watson advocates active-learning methods, including team problem-solving, which prompts students to become actively involved in the learning process. And, he keeps students on their toes by constantly changing gears in the classroom. One moment last week, he was demonstrating "mesh analysis" and "nodal analysis" formulas on the chalkboard, to help students understand the physics at work in electronic circuits. The next moment, he was displaying photographs of increasingly outlandish resistance heating devices, from a toaster oven to a melted paraffin bath for feet.
"At least one of you will someday design a product for consumers based on electrical resistance heating," Watson told his engineering students. "I hope you’re convinced that electrical circuit analysis is important."
Web-based course materials play a crucial role in Watson’s approach to teaching. To master the complex mechanics of photoconductivity, for example, students in his "Science Concepts Behind Technology" watch green, yellow and purple objects ‘dance’ across a computer screen, illustrating the inner-workings of a modern photocopier.
Similarly, undergraduates in a physics course can explore the principles governing motor rotations–without getting their hands dirty. He still brings mechanical devices into the classroom, but he also creates computerized lessons to supplement hands-on teaching and to reach students who may have missed the point during demonstrations.
From web-connected facilities campuswide, Watson says, students can replay such animations "to their heart’s content," or until they understand. On the web, he notes, even the most abstract physical concept literally takes shape.
Henry R. Glyde, chairperson of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, says Watson "has emerged as a truly remarkable all-round scholar, teacher and faculty member" who "routinely makes outstanding contributions in terms of research, teaching and service to the campus community."
Provost Mel Schiavelli says that Watson’s students clearly benefit from his teaching skills. "Because they know how to think critically and take an active role in problem-solving," he says, "they are exceptionally well-prepared to enter the technology-oriented marketplace of this and the next century."
The ongoing revolution in UD’s classrooms, fueled by many educators including Watson, has resulted in a number of recent awards:
On Sept. 16, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute announced a $1.6 million award for new programs that expand UD’s implementation of problem-based learning (PBL) in classrooms.
Also in September, the Pew Charitable Trusts named Delaware to receive $615,000, to be matched by UD, for PBL initiatives.
On Feb. 21, 1997, the National Science Foundation (NSF) named UD as one of 10 institutions nationwide, selected from a pool of over 100 universities, to receive a $500,000 award recognizing "bold leadership," producing "meaningful results" in the integration of research and education.
And, the NSF on April 1, 1997, awarded UD $200,000 to launch the UD Institute for Transforming Undergraduate Education, headed by Watson and others.
Previous Delaware Professors of the Year from UD are Barbara Timm Gates, Alumni Distinguished Professor of English (1995); John L. Burmeister, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry (1994); and James R. Soles, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Political Science and International Relations (1993).
–Ginger Pinholster