Finck Earns Top Honor at Conference

Originally posted by insideCMU - 1/29/2008

The collaborative efforts of CMU physics professor Joe Finck and senior Amy DeLine of Midland have earned them top honors at a national teaching and learning conference.

Finck and DeLine received a Best Paper of the Conference award for their work, "Students Giving Students Advice Before the First Day," at the College Teaching and Learning Conference, held in early January at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

Their research focused on questions about the learning environment from a student's perspective, such as what students want to know about upcoming classes, what their expectations are and if students trust Web sites that rate professors. The pair also sought to answer questions from a faculty member's point of view, including how to prepare students for class, how to make students aware of professors' expectations and how to encourage students to study.

Conference participants included 445 individuals representing 275 institutions in 46 countries. Awards were given in 11 areas, including higher education, technology in education, math education and distance education. A total of 267 papers were submitted.

"It is nice to be recognized by my peers," Finck said. "I enjoy attending these conferences because it offers an opportunity to college professors from many disciplines. We exchange ideas about what works for us, as well as see college teaching techniques that work in a variety of classroom environments."

Finck claims there are several keys to a successful classroom environment on a college campus.

"The students have to feel comfortable and relaxed," Finck said. "The students must be challenged. Students need to know from the beginning what is expected of them and these expectations cannot change during the semester. Classes must be well organized, and the professor must like and respect college students."