Professor of Physics Roger Tobin, chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, is this year's winner of the Lillian and Joseph Leibner Award for Distinguished Teaching and Advising, recognizing his success in engaging students.
The annual award for faculty members is regularly rotated between four disciplines — arts and humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and engineering. The awards committee this year solicited nominations from the individual science departments, which each nominated one candidate for consideration.
Professor of Physics Lawrence Ford explained that student course evaluations played a major role in the nomination process, and he noted that Tobin tends to have good chemistry with students.
"[Tobin] has a good rapport with students; they feel comfortable talking to him," Ford said.
Tobin teaches a number of undergraduate courses at Tufts, ranging from introductory level classes like Introduction to Physics II to more advanced classes in quantum physics. He also serves as an undergraduate advisor, and his research specializes in condensed matter physics and experimental surface science.
Ford also cited Tobin's effectiveness at teaching and communicating as another reason for his receiving the Leibner Award.
"Some of the concepts in physics are subtle, so students think they understand it, but they don't," he said. "[Tobin] gets students to understand clearly what they don't understand."
Tobin said he found out last week that he had received the award and expressed his excitement at being chosen for the honor. "I'm honored to be teaching at Tufts and be recognized at Tufts. It's a great thrill for me," he said.
He credits his continuing engagement in research for allowing him to bring a unique and updated perspective into his classroom teaching.
"Being involved in research keeps me aware of what's going on in the world of science and in the world of physics," Tobin said.
Tobin explained that he makes an effort to use interactive teaching methods — even in his bigger classes — to avoid letting his students remain passive recipients of information.
"In every class, I try very hard to engage the students actively in what's going on in the classroom," Tobin said.
Tobin further noted that these methods have to be modified to specifically cater to the nature and size of the class.
"[In a small class, the teacher] can ask specific questions; it's a more Socratic kind of process, which is not possible in the same way in classes with 100 students," Tobin said.
Some of the techniques Tobin uses to keep students engaged include question-asking, i-clickers and flashcards. While technological advances have increased the options available to teachers, Tobin continues to emphasize the importance of teaching methodology.
"I've been around long enough to go from mostly chalk to overhead projectors to Powerpoints," Tobin said. "You still have to be working; [teaching is] still a social process, working with human beings with their own thoughts."
Tobin's colleagues in the department praised his approachability.
"I've heard great things about his teaching and can ask him for advice when I have questions," Cristian Staii, assistant professor of physics, said. "[He's] knowledgeable, a very nice person, available. Any question I have, [he's] very helpful in figuring things out."
Ford agreed that Tobin is very willing to share his teaching expertise with fellow colleagues.
I've talked to him about teaching, and he's given me some advice which has been very useful, including interactive styles of teaching, which I'm using this term" Ford said. "[Tobin] showed me a number of quantitative education research articles on how well students learn in different conditions."
One of the techniques Ford is incorporating in the classes he is teaching this semester — Introduction to Physics I and General Physics I — is clicker questions: Students are asked questions in class and can respond interactively.
Ford has noticed a marked improvement in his teaching after employing these interactive methods. "It works better than just a lecture and keeps the students engaged," he said.
