Matt Adams was in the first cohort of the GCCUT program in 2013. He concurrently earned his Ph.D. from the School of Civil and Construction Engineering in civil engineering in 2015 and is now an Assistant Professor for the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

During his time at OSU, Matt was funded by Kerneos Aluminate Technologies and the Graduate School through an OSU Foundation Fellowship.

Q&A with Matt Adams

Why did you decided to enroll in the GCCUT program?

I chose to enroll in the GCCUT program in addition to my degree in civil engineering because I wanted to build my educational toolbox and become a better teacher.

In what ways has taking part in the GCCUT program changed your thinking about teaching, learning, or higher education in general?

The GCCUT program really made me think about how we approach teaching in a different manner. I now consider the knowledge that students can bring to the classroom, and how we can access that knowledge and build off of it. I will be designing courses that have students working to build off their own knowledge and thoughts, instead of just telling them what I think they need to know.

Please briefly describe your new position and responsibilities at your job.

I have a tenure-track faculty position in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. I have teaching, service, and research responsibilities. This fall I will be teaching one undergraduate course. I also mentor some graduate students, and will be developing a new course for spring semester.

What specific aspects of your participation in the GCCUT program impacted your job attainment process?

Having the GCCUT certificate was a bonus during my faculty position search. The teaching experience and course development experience I gained during the GCCUT program helped me to discuss the responsibilities of a faculty member with much more confidence during my interviews. Additionally, having syllabi that I had produced as a part of the GCCUT program to show during my interviews impressed the committees I was meeting with.

Is there anything you would add about your GCCUT experience that you think would interest prospective students?

The program was a lot of fun. I learned quite a bit about teaching, and educational theory, but beyond that I made many new friends and enjoyed going to classes and doing the work.