| Naturally it is a goal for the students to assimilate the course material. But on top of that,
I would like to have my students enjoy, or at least appreciate,
the material as they develop their own understanding of it. I would want to facilitate them to think about the course material
and urge themselves to learn how to think. I would want to get them to ask their own questions, and encourage them to question
and criticize whatever they learn. I would also like to mentor them to be effective communicators and write their own ideas in a clear
and simple way. I would want them to practice working as individuals on some assignments and in teams on some others.
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| In some of my classes, I would want to take them to another level where they are asked to make things work (e.g., a quantum dot model,
a device simulation, an integrated optoelectronic circuit, an optical setup, etc.) and learn how to think inductively to debug.
In some other classes, I would want to take them a step further where they can use what they learned and exercise their own creativity,
perhaps even to enjoy a foretaste of inventing something. In all my classes, I expect my students practice enough learning to better
learn how to learn—a skill that I think is necessary for a lifetime. I would further like to showcase the significance of a mutual honor code
not only for my class but also throughout their professional careers, and expect them to hold to the same standards of honesty and
respect as I hold myself to.
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| When all is said and done, my highest priority and greatest payoff from teaching is the satisfaction
my students derive from it. I feel I have achieved something good when I have taught what I intended to teach for the day.
I feel that giving something to my students, which they can accept and take, adds value to their lives as well as to mine.
This is simply why I enjoy teaching.
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| Hilmi Volkan Demir |
| rev. September 2004, Bilkent University |
