– Article by Sheetal Sohoni.
For any organization to flourish and progress, it needs support and commitment from its members. One such committed member of the IUCEE team is Dr. Claire Komives. She is a global citizen in its true sense. Consortium members associated with IUCEE must have come across a fearless lady, who travels in public transport in India with no fuss, tries Indian delicacies with gusto, and speaks her mind for bringing in change in the engineering education ecosystem across the globe.
Claire is professor at San José State University, San José California. She is the founder of IUCEE Silicon Valley Chapter, instructor for IUCEE International Engineering Education Certification Program (IIEECP), and one of the active core committee members of the ICUEE team. She works diligently to improve understanding of engineering ethics. Throughout her career, she has conducted many effective teaching workshops, which focus on how people learn, student-centric teaching, active learning techniques, teaching professional skills, problem solving skills, course design, effective lecturing, assessment techniques including the use of rubrics, and use of technology in the classroom.
Claire is a seasoned researcher, and does not provide half-baked solutions to problems. To provide effective solutions to problems faced by colleges and universities in India, she communicated with various colleges and universities to get a clear picture. In Claire’s own words, “I have studied the NBA (National Board of Accreditation) accreditation guidelines for engineering colleges and gave a presentation on obtaining accreditation from NBA. I have modified my workshops to accentuate the positive aspects of Indian culture and to address the better-known shortcomings of the approach taken in many private colleges. I have learned to ask for their ideas rather than dictate solutions. However, I am not afraid to ask pointed questions when participants shrug off making changes because ‘a change of policy is required.’ There are many positive transformations the faculty can implement in their daily approach to teaching that can make a big difference in student engagement, professional skills development, and higher order thinking skills.”
IUCEE team is appreciative of Dr.Claire Komives for her support. Team IUCEE wishes Dr. Komives all the best for your future endeavors!