Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Edward McBride has only two words to describe the type of instructor he wants to be: extremely dedicated.
Not simply dedicated to his profession or to the university he works for, but dedicated to the students he teaches.
“That’s what I’m up here for,” McBride said. “To help students learn.”
When McBride first started teaching at the University, the department of engineering offered departmental teaching awards every semester. Students decided who received these awards. McBride won his first, second and third semesters. When this began to upset other faculty members, McBride declared himself ineligible.
He was also a finalist for the H.O.P.E. Award, which honors an outstanding progressive educator, in 2004, 2005 and 2006. The H.O.P.E. award is the only excellence in teaching award given exclusively by students. In 2007, McBride was the first lecturer to win the award.
“Of course I’m proud,” McBride said. “But these awards just let you know that you are doing the right thing.”
McBride, who received a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics from the University, a master’s degree in physics from Harvard University and a doctorate in engineering mechanics from KU, has been a full-time lecturer in the department of engineering since 2003. As a full-time instructor he is required to teach four courses a semester, but he received permission to teach five.
He has taught several courses including, Statics and Dynamics, Strength and Materials, Structural Analysis, Statistics, Illumination Engineering, and Graduate Strength and Materials.
As an instructor, McBride slowly began to discover a growing need students had for outside help.
All Naval ROTC students, regardless of their majors, are required to take Calculus I and II and calculus-based Physics I and II. Recognizing that this coursework is difficult for many students, McBride began offering calculus and physics help sessions outside of class.
These help sessions were heavily attended, and more students began to approach McBride with trouble they were having in their other classes.
McBride then started offering help sessions in Circuits and Thermodynamics, and when students approached him with concerns about their Fluid and Heat Transfer classes, he added those help sessions too.
“As you might imagine, people kind of liked me,” McBride said.
McBride also noticed that civil engineering majors were not required to take Thermodynamics or Heat Transfer.
“Sure, it’s not a major part of their curriculum,” McBride said. “But all engineers should have some basic knowledge in these areas.”
Responding to this need, McBride wrote up Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer courses and offered them to students as independent study courses.
Now McBride has five regular courses to teach and two special projects courses.
This semester McBride is only offering help sessions in Calculus and Physics, but said he remains dedicated to helping every student he encounters.
“I just hope the kids who took courses from me will look back and think that they are lucky to have had me as an instructor,” McBride said.
— Edited by Helen Mubarak
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Comments
Popular lecturer goes beyond requirements
Dr. McBride is the greatest instructor I've had at any level. Hands down.
I feel very lucky to have had him! His classes and 'McBride sessions' will be some of my lasting memories from KU.
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