Seminar: “Teaching Experience with Freshman Students – An Overview of IE102,” K. Nesim Erkip, EA-409, 1:40PM October 7 (EN)

Title: Teaching Experience with Freshman Students – An Overview of IE102 by K. Nesim Erkip, Bilkent University, Department of Industrial Engineering
Friday, October 7, 1:40 pm
EA-409

Abstract: IE102, A Process Oriented Outlook for Industrial Engineering, is a freshman course that became part of Bilkent University IE Curriculum starting with Spring Semester, 2010. In this talk, I want to discuss the approach I followed in teaching IE102. The talk can be considered as a follow-up of a seminar I conducted in April 2012, entitled, “Teaching Experience with Freshman Students – a Premature Evaluation of IE102 Course” . The talk will start historical anecdotes of discussions that took place before establishing the course. Most of the discussions were focused on the students’ abstraction skill, which was seen as a key issue for the success of graduates. The course has slightly changed over the years, mostly in the way that students are assessed, and of course with refinements in the way topics are covered. The talk aims to share my experiences with the course, as well as my self-assessment of its performance. Objectives of the course and accompanying material covered in the course are detailed, followed by the description of the weekly program. Explanation on how assessment has been carried out, together with some the approach considered for course conduct will be presented. Some hints on how to keep student concentration alive in the classroom, as well as some methods used to create student interaction will be explained. As conclusion, I will attempt to assess the value of the course, as well as share some thoughts on improving the course.

Bio: Prof. Erkip received his M.S. and Ph.D. from Stanford University and his B.S. from Middle East Technical University. He has been teaching since 1979 and has held visiting and research positions Cornell University, Stanford University, University of California at Berkeley and New York University in the United States and University of Eindhoven in Holland. He served as a Fulbright Scholar in 1995-96. He worked for Middle East Technical University over 20 years and is currently at Bilkent University where he joined in 2005. He is a scholar in field of industrial engineering, mentored dozens of M.S. and Ph.D. students, and served as associate editor in a few journals. Currently, he serves in the editorial board of Flexible Services and Manufacturing Journal. He worked at the Scientific and Technological Research Institute of Turkey, is a founding member of Science and Technology Policy Studies Graduate Program at Middle East Technical University, and had been part of several initiatives active in preparing reports on Science and Technology Policy issues in Turkey. For details: http://nesim.bilkent.edu.tr/