Faculty Directory
Interview with Rob Cole
Recent Teaching History
The Olympic Peninsula: Salmon, Timber and Energy; 2000-2001; 1999-2000
Environmental Modeling; Spring 1999
Introduction to Natural Science/Foundations; Fall 1998/Winter 1999
Modeling Nature; 1997-98
Ecological Systems of Puget Sound; 1996-97
Introduction to Fractal Geometry and Chaos; Spring 1996
Introduction to Environmental Modeling; Fall 1995/Winter 1996
Matter and Motion; 1994-95
Recent and Current Areas of Interest
I am very interested in environmental modeling, the quantitative description of environmental or ecological systems. Much of the work we do around here is qualitatively oriented, but my work is really focused on this issue of mathematical modeling of biological systems. I find this to be a new way of seeing things. The modeling of complex systems has been in the realm of very abstract ideas. It is a very new field. With new computer technology this becomes accessible to students who don't have to know a lot of math. I am very interested in students learning what dynamic processes are and then playing a lot of "what if" games with the material. Both of these things can be readily done with computer technology. For a long time mathematics has been oriented towards producing solutions which happen at one moment in time, but modeling using computers allows you to look at how things evolve over time. So I am really interested in what you can learn about natural systems, how you teach mathematics and what is happening to the understanding of mathematics with the advent of new ideas and the power of computers, even of hand held calculators, to do all of the symbol manipulation.
Teaching mathematics today isn't about teaching students how to manipulate symbols or how to do calculations, so much as it is developing a conceptual and intuitive understanding of mathematics. In biological systems this means a math based on data rather than a math based in functions. So this goes right along with my interest in interpreting chaotic behavior of dynamical systems. The mathematics of data points lends itself beautifully to interpreting chaotic behavior. Biologists have been looking at this material for years, but haven't been able to do much with it mathematically due to the difficulty of the non-linear mathematics involved - computers have changed all that. The current computer software has developed to the point where you can concentrate on the system, not on the mathematics of the program, nor on the programming of the computer. You can look at plumbing diagrams of the system on interactions of the parts. This is really a gain and it gives students a visceral feel for what happens when systems evolve and change.
I do have a real interest in the social uses of mathematics and feel it is really critical that students not avoid thinking mathematically. But this shouldn't have to force them to simply memorize equations or find simple solutions, but to think systematically and rigorously. I think there is a real utility in mathematics and mathematical literacy that goes outside or beyond the traditional courses. Students today are getting some hints of fractal geometry and chaos from television and it is that sort of thinking, very different from earlier problem solving, that needs to be developed in the 21st century.
Are there particular authors/artists/thinkers whose work you interested and which you often ask students to examine?
Whole systems approaches to things and some understanding of what chaotic behavior is about. These are the things I want to teach students, but they need to be ready to think about these things. I want them to understand the idea of resilience and complexity are in ecological systems.
Are there specific areas of interest or issues you want to work with students on in the current year?
Solar Energy, mathematical modeling, chaos and fractal geometry, and quantitative biology are all areas where I would like to see some advanced students. I am particularly interested in working with internship contracts where students are working with agencies about some of these issues.
Specific Skills, Competence, Techniques:
In quantitative skills areas there is a basic mathematical literacy, eg. understandings graphs, interpreting data sets, curve fitting, the routine quantitative skills. I can and do teach much more advanced mathematics, but this is the material I teach with beginning groups.
I place great emphasis on clear writing. In the best cases I am looking for students to advance an argument that is clear and persuasive.
Group work skills in small groups. In most programs in which I teach, group work plays a fairly large role. I have developed assessment tools to help judge the difference between the student's work in the group and the substantive material learned. They would learn about what a well functioning group is, the kinds of roles and tasks needed, how to deal with conflict, and a self awareness about their own comfort zones.
What are key qualities you look for in student work? What techniques you use to assess their work? How do you help students assess their work?
I look for effort and honesty. I am increasingly impatient with people who don't want to try hard to learn material. I like to see honesty about the about their own level of interest and work.
Good work is clear and easy to follow. It has substance, not filled with foam or pretention. Generally it is about something that matters. In spite of being theoretical; I love applications and problems, especially about things environmental. I find myself really interested in the applications and not terribly interested in great theoretical expositions at this point.
I am interested in students developing some sense of the big picture. This is demonstrated by the ability to connect across levels in the system. I often ask students to do personal audits of their behavior/consumptions in order to help them place their own behavior in the world. So connections are important not simply between levels in the system, but also to their own autobiography. Students who are connecting issues and ideas to their own life and their own choices are doing, to my way of thinking, very good work.
I assess much of this through reflective journal writing, seminar writing, the kinds of projects they select. I get a strong idea through my informal questions with them. I help students assess their own changes by simply asking them to look carefully at their work, to talk about what is important in it and make assignments that connect them, their learning, and their world.
Teaching Style:How would you characterize yourself as a teacher?
Increasingly, I see myself as a person whose main job it is to create situations for students to create "ah ha" experiences for themselves - situations that will provoke students to act. I see myself as an orchestrator where students are doing the work. I set up situations that force grappling with issues.
I am a demanding teacher. I like students to come away a from my programs with a sense of having accomplished something, having learned something. I expect considerable work both in and out of class. I don't like it when students don't do the work, because, as in any sequential subject matter, you aren't going to do very well if you don't keep up. I expect work you can't laugh your way through school or bull shit your way through seminar. These demands aren't an end in themselves, but as a means to get student to feel good about what they have accomplished.
I love to teach in teams, I like the interaction and opportunity to learn form colleagues. I enjoy that stimulation for working with them.
I tend to push students until they say they have had enough.
What types of students tend to do well with you?
Any student who makes an effort . I tend to be patient with students who demonstrate that they are making an effort, even if they aren't getting it. I am convinced that all of the material I am teaching is learnable. There is no magic in this work. I get along well with students who are open to new experience, who demonstrate a willingness to try. I find that I tend to spend a lot of time and effort with weaker students, trying to help them get up to speed.
What types of students have a hard time with you?
I am not at all patient with people who are real flakes. People who don't make the effort, read the book, come to class, I have very low tolerance for. I really have a problem with people who are smug about their own position and ideas. This past year we had a lot of students who were smug about race, who were convinced that they were not racist and because they were not, there was no problem in the larger social arena. That is naive and not productive thinking.
What do your student evaluations say about the way you come across to students?
My evaluations talk about my patience, my interested in assisting students and access. They also have a lot to say bout my energy, enthusiasm and my interested and ability to connect a wide variety of subjects and knowledge.
Expectations about Contracts, Internships, and Evaluations
What qualities do you look for in a student who comes to you for work in a contract?
I look for the ability to do the contracts as advertised. This usually means that I know something about the student. I also want to know if the contract makes sense, both does it make sense for the student in their career, bout also does it make sense for me to take on this work now. This usually depends on defining a manageable piece of work with some substance and a realistic timeline.
What information do you want to see when a person comes to look for a contract?
I want to know if the contract make sense. I will work with students to develop a question and a draft proposal, but the actual draft is the student's responsibility. I want all of the information on the contract for the activities, their background, the things they hope to accomplish and the like. If I don't already know the student, I look for previous work and programs they have been involved with. I will often contact those faculty to find out if they think the student is capable of doing the work.
Interviewer: Matt Smith