{"139011":{"#nid":"139011","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Teamwork Is Key to Feigh\u2019s Teaching Strategy","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFor Karen Feigh, regularly putting her students into teams isn\u2019t just about making sure they learn the material \u2014 it\u2019s also about making sure they learn about each other.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u2019ve realized that students have a hard time breaking the ice with one another,\u201d said Feigh, an assistant professor in the School of Aerospace Engineering. \u201cI would put money on the fact that students who don\u2019t know anyone in a class aren\u2019t as connected, and in turn, they don\u2019t do as well.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESo Feigh regularly puts students in her undergraduate and graduate classes into teams to do homework and to take in-class quizzes as teams (after they take the quizzes by themselves).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOnce the students have gotten to know one another and feel comfortable, they\u2019re more likely to participate and be engaged in our class discussions and assignments,\u201d Feigh added. \u201cThe benefits of using this type of peer-based learning are endless.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecently, The Whistle had an opportunity to learn more about Feigh and her time at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat did you want to be when you were a child, and how did you arrive in your current field?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EFrom ages 7 to 10, I lived in Hawaii and wanted to be a marine biologist, because I loved dolphins. I eventually figured out that I wanted to be an engineer of some sort and as an undergraduate attended Georgia Tech\u2019s aerospace engineering program. I returned to Tech to complete my PhD in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering\u2019s human integrated systems program and eventually accepted my current position in 2008.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell us about your research.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EI design computer systems to assist people whose work requires them to make quick decisions. For example, right now I\u2019m working on a program that simulates how pilots descend into Los Angeles International Airport, which will help the airport upgrade its air-traffic control system.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the most satisfying aspect of your research?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI work with researchers from a wide variety of fields, and while we all speak English, we have been trained to use a highly technical version of the language, which results in most of us not understanding each other. So the most satisfying part is when you can make yourself understood and feel like you can finally understand the other person\u2019s position. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat have you learned from your students?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA lot of computer shortcuts. In class, I will sometimes struggle with getting things done on the computer, and one of my students will shout out a shortcut that I wasn\u2019t aware of. It\u2019s great.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIf you weren\u2019t in your current field, what would you be doing?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI\u2019d probably be an economist.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat piece of technology could you not live without?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMy laptop. I\u2019d be worthless without it. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat\u2019s the biggest risk you\u2019ve taken, and did it pay off?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EThe risk involved hitchhiking in the Alps \u2014 and the fact that I\u2019m still talking to you means that it did.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIf you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMy grandfather, because he died before I was old enough to get to know him.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat\u2019s the best advice you\u2019ve ever received?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EDon\u2019t ask for permission. Just do it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is your favorite place to grab lunch?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt was Junior\u2019s. I loved how I could walk over there for lunch alone \u2014 whether I was a student or faculty member \u2014 and could always find someone to eat with. Now it would have to be Spoon.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIf you were stranded on an island, what is the one book you would want with you?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EBeing the pragmatic person that I am, it would be the Army Survival Manual; barring that, probably a guide to edible plants and animals.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell us something unique about yourself.\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EI have a group of girlfriends from college, and every year we take a major trip to places that have included South America, Europe and Thailand.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFor Karen Feigh, regularly putting her students into teams isn\u2019t just about making sure they learn the material \u2014 it\u2019s also about making sure they learn about each other.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"For Karen Feigh, regularly putting her students into teams isn\u2019t just about making sure they learn the material \u2014 it\u2019s also about making sure they learn about each other."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2012-07-05 13:52:10","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:29","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-07-09T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-07-09T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"138761":{"id":"138761","type":"image","title":"Karen Feigh","body":null,"created":"1449178698","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:38:18","changed":"1475894769","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:09","alt":"Karen Feigh","file":{"fid":"194884","name":"karen.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/karen_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/karen_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1176932,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/karen_0.jpg?itok=RH9fJVyg"}}},"media_ids":["138761"],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"11039","name":"Karen Feigh"},{"id":"167589","name":"School of Aerospace Engineering"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications \u0026amp; Marketing\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-4142\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}