The purpose of the academy is to pursue knowledge for the betterment of humankind. The purpose of a natural science is the pursuit of knowledge through empiricism. Taken together, as a teacher-scientist, I see my job as empirically evaluating and validating the transmission of knowledge from one generation to another.

St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus (a Roman Catholic order of priests, whose primary purpose is education) stated that the principle, “Tantum Quantum,” which means one should use what works and discard what doesn’t work, should underly all teaching. This principle, which fits very well with the pragmatic approach of behavior analysis, guides my teaching. To this end, the evaluation and validation of how I teach involves both analyzing and revising my teaching and also using the ever-growing research base of the science of behavior. I have found the best way to accomplish this is to focus on shaping, over the semester, both my students’ “knowledge” of the material (verbal behavior) and their application of the material in their professional and everyday lives (nonverbal behavior). For example, when teaching, I (a) set both short-term and long-term goals for my students and revise these goals as necessary, based on their performance and feedback throughout the semester, (b) provide students with opportunities to not only read material but interact with the material through discussions and immediately relevant activities both inside and outside the classroom, (c) assess each student’s acquisition of the relevant verbal and nonverbal behavior through tests that cover recently learned behavior and behavior that should be maintained, (d) provide both affirmative and corrective feedback on an ongoing basis for all tasks (e.g., discussions, activities, tests).

An overall aim of each course I teach is to provide students with a systematic understanding of the topic. To accomplish this, I structure my course in a manner similar to how one would build a house. I first present foundational material and then present material that builds on, extends, and clarifies previously taught material. By doing this, students learn both the discrete components of the course topic and how these components integrate into the comprehensive knowledge about the topic. This allows students to come away with the skills to both apply, day-to-day, what they have learned and to also have a comprehensive conceptual approach to the study and change of behavior.

To assess my performance in these courses, I ask students to provide feedback on both my teaching and the structure and content of the course, throughout the semester, a schedule that is more frequent than the university-mandated end-of-semester evaluation. Because I expect my students behavior to change throughout the semester it is also important that they have the ability to influence my behavior throughout the semester. Based on feedback I have received, I have learned that it is important to not only say I will make changes based on student input and feedback but also ask specific questions on how each student views my performance, if, and how, each student would like my performance, the structure of the course, or both, to change, and if students have found the change to be effective and beneficial to them.

I have also learned it is important to provide students with opportunities to do this both when asked directly and throughout the semester whenever they believe something is not going as well as it could. Because students often do not have a history of providing feedback to teachers and supervisors, many are apprehensive to directly provide me with feedback when specifically asked. However, by frequently offering the opportunity for feedback and revising my own behavior based on all feedback I receive, I have found that students become more open to providing feedback to me directly, which has allowed me to more immediately and precisely change my behavior because I can clarify exactly what they would like me to change. Not only does this allow me to become a more effective teacher on within-semester basis but it also allows me to change my general strategies as, on an across-semester basis, I discover, and am told by students, what strategies do and do not work.

As an advisor, I see my job as that of a mentor to a young colleague and therefore utilize a junior colleague model in my student advising. As a mentor, I also see my job as one of providing opportunities to for students to develop in both their academic and professional lives. To these ends, for my advisees I am not working with on a specific project, I strive to have at least one meeting per semester that is not directly related to course scheduling. The purpose of these meetings is two-fold. First, I want to know each student’s overall academic and professional goals. This allows me to provide them with both resources and contacts in companies, organizations, and schools and information on the day-to -day requirements of work and going to graduate school, based on either my own direct experience or the experience of my colleagues with whom I recommend the students make contact. Second, I want my students to have an opportunity to discuss how they are doing, overall, in meeting their academic and professional goals. This allows me to serve as a resource for helping them through any personal, social, or other impediments to meeting these goals. For students with whom I am working on a project, I schedule weekly lab meetings, during which time we discuss all the current projects in the lab. During these meetings, I view my role as a facilitator and guide. I want my students to have the freedom to develop and discuss new ideas and solutions as equals without feeling they must do only what I say while also being available to provide assistance and support when they encounter difficulty. My final job as a mentor is to ignite an enthusiasm and passion in my students just as my mentors did with me. To that end, I strive to by excited by every idea my students have and encourage my students in all that they do by utilizing a constructive, shaping approach to teaching them the skills they need.

In conclusion, as a teacher and scientist, I want to remain flexible in passing on the ever-growing body of knowledge to the next generation. Students should have the opportunity to learn both conceptual and practical skills and learn how to integrate these skills into what they do in both their professional and personal lives. Additionally, when students have completed a course I teach, they should leave with the confidence that they have the skills to improve the lives of the people with whom they work. Finally, I want students to learn the principle that underlies all of what I do, “Tantum Quantum,” use what works and discard what doesn’t, so that they can be the world-changers I know they can be.