Limed: Teaching with a Twist – Season 3, Episode 4

Matt Wittstein hosts Blake Hament from Elon University and Siobhan Oca from Duke University. Both are early career faculty teaching engineering courses and are considering ways to be empathetic while still maintaining the high expectations of engineering coursework. Our panel included Dr. Kay C. Dee, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Associate Dean of Learning and Technology, Dr. Bryan Dewsbury, Associate Professor of Biology at Florida International University and Director of the STEM Transformational Institute, and Tiffanie Grant, a third-year Exercise Science student and Center for Engaged Learning Student Scholar at Elon University. They share their experiences and philosophies on rigor, difficulty, empathy, authenticity, and developing resilience, and they provide some strategies to help balance rigor and empathy. 

View a transcript of this episode.

About Our Guests

Blake Hament is an Assistant Professor of Engineering at Elon University. He received a B.S. in Physics from Duke University and served as a research assistant at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN). After his undergraduate studies, Blake joined Teach for America, served as a robotics coach, and earned his M.Ed. in Science Education from University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He earned his Ph.D. with the Mechanical Engineering Department at University of Nevada, Las Vegas while conducting R&D with companies like Tesla, Lockheed Martin, Boston Dynamics, and local aerospace and robotics startups. Blake was awarded a US Congressional Commendation and a US Department of Transportation Outstanding Student of the Year award for these contributions.  

Siobhan Rigby Oca is an Assistant Professor of the Practice and Assistant Director of Robotics Programs in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Duke University, NC, USA. She received her B.Sc. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Masters in Translational Medicine from the Universities of California Berkeley and San Francisco. She completed her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Duke University. Her research interests include applied medical robotics, human robot interaction, and robotics education. 

Meet Our Panel

Kay C. Dee is the Associate Dean of Learning & Technology and a Professor of Biology and Biomedical Engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. She was the founding Director of the Rose-Hulman Center for the Practice and Scholarship of Education and received the 2024 Rose-Hulman Dean’s Outstanding Teaching Award. She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biomedical Engineers and an Associate Editor of the Journal of Biomedical Engineering Education. Her current pedagogical research focuses on fostering academic resilience in undergraduate STEM students. Lately, she’s been teaching engineering and human-centered design to students at any stage from first-term-first-year to last-term graduating seniors, as well as courses on medical device regulatory affairs and sustainability in health care. KC (who you can find on LinkedIn) enjoys giving workshops on making academic change happen, assessment for equity, and ways to foster more learning with less stress for faculty and students. 

Bryan Dewsbury is an Associate Professor of Biology at Florida International University (FIU). He is the Principal Investigator of the Science Education And Society (SEAS) research program, which blends research on the social context of teaching and learning, faculty development of inclusive practices, and programming in the cultivation of equity in education. He is an Associate Director of the STEM Transformational Institute where he directs the Division of Transformative Education. He is also a Fellow with the John N. Gardner Institute where he assists institutions of higher education cultivate best practices in inclusive education. He is the creator and executive producer of the Massive Open Online Course called Inclusive Teaching. He is a co-editor of the book the Norton Guide to Equity Minded Teaching. He has led faculty development workshops in over 150 institutions across North America, Europe and Western Africa. He is the host of the podcast Knowledge Unbound where he interviews people who do transformational work in education across the globe. Dewsbury grew up in Trinidad and Tobago and immigrated to the United States in 1999. He received a BS in biology from Morehouse College and an MS and PhD in biology from FIU. 

Tiffanie Grant, a junior from Charlotte, NC majoring in Exercise Science with a minor in Psychology at Elon University, embodies unwavering dedication to her studies. Recognized as an Odyssey Scholar and recipient of the Presidential Scholarship, Tiffanie is deeply committed to academic excellence. Engaged as a proactive Student Scholar for the Center of Engaged Learning, she actively fosters innovation and collaboration. Through this program, she hones valuable skills and knowledge crucial for her academic journey and beyond. Moreover, Tiffanie’s role as a Center for Engaged Learning Student Scholar offers a unique opportunity to provide a student perspective on a three-year research seminar focused on Mentoring Meaningful Learning Experiences. Her commitment to equitable practices and advocacy efforts reflects her diligent and exemplary leadership within the college community. Passionate about equitable healthcare practices, Tiffanie seeks to make a meaningful impact by advocating for inclusive healthcare practices and mentorship initiatives. 

Episode Credits

This episode was hosted and edited by Matt Wittstein, and produced by Matt Wittstein in collaboration with the Elon University Center for Engaged Learning. 

Explore Resources Related to this Episode

Arnett, Jeffrey Jensen. 2000. “Emerging Adulthood: A Theory of Development from the Late Teens through the Twenties.” American Psychologist 55(5): 469. 

Clark, David, and Robert Talbert. 2021, September 13. “Rigor.” Grading for Growth. https://gradingforgrowth.com/p/rigor.  

Elon University Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning. 2024. “Balancing Rigor & Compassion in Assessment during Times of Disruption.” Fostering Student Resilience in Courses. Accessed December 10, 2024. https://www.elon.edu/u/academics/catl/balancing-rigor-and-compassion/.  

MIT Teaching and Learning Lab. 2024. “Balancing High Expectations and Flexibility: Supporting Student and Faculty Mental Health with Compassionate Challenge.” Accessed December 10, 2024. https://tll.mit.edu/balancing-high-expectations-and-flexibility-supporting-student-and-faculty-mental-health-with-compassionate-challenge/.  

Zhou Dr, Ziqian. 2022. “Empathy in Education: A Critical Review.” International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 16(3): 2.