Dr. E. David Jansing:
A Focus on Discussions

Dr. E. David Jansing has considerable experience in algorithm and machine learning development for detection and extraction of optical and electromagnetic signatures, particularly in infrared (IR), hyperspectral imaging (HSI), and synthetic aperture radar (SAR). He currently works in the Imaging Group (QPI) of The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory as a Principal Remote Sensing Scientist. In this role, he derives actionable information from diverse and divergent data sources, particularly remotely sensed data of Earth. He is also an instructor and student advisor at Johns Hopkins University and the author of the textbook, Introduction to Synthetic Aperture Radar: Concepts and Practice.

Jansing approached his problem of practice by analyzing an area of his online course 525.748: Synthetic Aperture Radar, which he has taught since 2017. Based on feedback from students, one thing in the course that is considered positive yet unhelpful are the course discussions.

Jansing’s problem of practice is:

The prompts for the discussions in each of his online modules focus on SAR related questions or muddiest point questions (i.e., what the students had trouble understanding). Jansing says, “I tend to take a back seat to the students interacting with one another, not wanting to overshadow their peer interaction; this has been seen as being somewhat detached from the course.” To address these concerns, Jansing plans to restructure discussions, so they are spaced out and directly connected to assignments and course content across multiple modules.

Jansing also plans to rebrand his discussions and call them “Collaborations.” In these collaborative activities, students will work in groups of two to three people and create mock SAR companies. The groups will research a sensor from an existing system, learn about its capabilities, and develop products based on SAR imagery. The groups’ findings will be posted for the class to view. In addition to the name change, Jansing would like to increase the weight of the “Collaborations” to be worth 20% of the overall grade to emphasize the importance of the activities.

Jansing is adjusting his course for the fall term of 2021. He can be contacted at [email protected].

The faculty featured in this issue collaborated with their colleagues during the Faculty Forward Fellowship to identify specific problems of practice, a plan for implementation, and a timeline to put their plans into practice during the program.

Consider applying to the 2022 cohort if you are interested in learning more about best practices and the science of teaching and learning and exploring ways to engage and motivate students. The application is available at https://facultyforward.jhu.edu/faculty-forward-application/.