Auburn’s faculty has been prestigious and well respected throughout the school’s history. The methods of teaching from any field of study are unparalleled by any other university and faculty are able to freely discuss their teachings with their students. All teachers have different approaches to learning techniques and tactics that they share with their pupils including independent approaches and structured approaches. All colleges within the university vary in teaching methods which gives Auburn its creative aura and thus proving that Auburn’s graduates are prepared to take on any kind of situation life throws at them.
Associate Professor Linda Ruth of Auburn’s College of Architecture has taken a new teaching approach in her respective field of instruction. Last summer, some of her undergraduate students and one graduate student took a trip to various foreign countries to examine famous architectural works such as the pyramids, ancient cathedrals and man-made marvels including The Parthenon. The one objective Ruth was trying to accomplish for her students was to gain more knowledge on how architecturally significant these structures are to building history and why their construction is significant to the advancement of the highly sophisticated structures we see today.
Ruth’s students were unaware of the direction she was taking them going into the fall semester. Her plan was for them to become aware of the problems builders came across 2,000 years ago and less and how they managed to surpass difficult obstacles and construct some of the most successful and most beautiful buildings known to man. The standard material textbooks were supplying was bland and not as informative as Ruth would have liked, so her idea of creating a new textbook was implemented into the curriculum, but this was going to be no ordinary text book.
This new textbook was designed for students, by students. Each student was assigned a structure to study independently and was then expected to report on it. When the group approached a specific structure, the student in charge of researching the structure would share information with the rest of the group. With all of this information accumulated, it was then contemplated to compile it into a new textbook, each building considered a chapter.
The selection process for participants in the compilation of this textbook was rigorous and time consuming. Each student was given a thorough background check and academic evaluation including a writing test and assessment of research capability.
This new approach to teaching can be considered a milestone in education tactics because it involves students in hands-on learning which can be deemed as a strong and effective teaching technique. With the creation of this new teaching practice, it is possible that the methods of teaching here at Auburn University can become more effective and keep students interested and on their toes regarding their schoolwork.