William R. Schleter

Name: William R. Schleter
Date: February 4, 2020
Present rank: Distinguished Lecturer, Engineering Fundamentals
Years at UTK: 22½

Introduction

Welcome. This page intends to provide a concise overview of my dossier. The style is informal - no impersonal third-person narrative allowed. Since a large part of my work revolves around the use of technology in teaching, I thought it appropriate to format this document for the web while still providing it in a traditional sequential format as well. For the printed record, the web address of this package is http://netlore.com/wrs/dossier. All sections of the web version can be accessed via the menu at the top. Supporting material is linked throughout. A pdf version, without supporting material, is also available. Your time and consideration in reviewing this information is sincerely appreciated.

To summarize my career, I've never been driven by a job description, but by a desire to perform at the highest possible level and to continually learn and improve. I've always been proactive and self-directed and I'm always looking for new and better ways of doing things. I have a skill set that combines an engineering and teaching education along with experience in industry, business, and education. I combine this with an avid interest in and experience with applying computer tools and technologies to enhance whatever I do. My expectations for myself have always been well above those of my position and this has always led to significant responsibilities that usually exceed those of others in similar assignments.

"a critical part of the success of Engineering Fundamentals"
"an outstanding contributor to the Engineering Fundamentals program, and an indispensable member of the team."
"Highly valued member of EFD who consistently performs above his rank."
"a leader in developing and applying instructional technology."

Vita

I grew up in Indiana, graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering, and worked as an computer-aided design engineer for 12 years in Oak Ridge, TN. I have taught as an instructor/lecturer/senior lecturer in the Engineering Fundamentals division at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville since 1997. While teaching I earned a Masters of Science degree in Instructional Technology in 2005. In 2012 I was promoted to senior lecturer (the first year that designation was available) and in 2016 was promoted to distinguished lecturer. I've started my own business and done consulting in the areas of web system development and computer-aided engineering. While at UT I've received several significant teaching awards, presented papers at several conferences, and have regularly volunteered to help with engineering related events.

Teaching

I always try to put myself in the students' shoes and I try to see things from their perspective. I make myself available and continually try to improve whatever course I am teaching. I have team-taught large freshman engineering classes for more than 15 years and have always received very positive feedback from students. This feedback is especially significant considering the large class size and topics. I have developed or co-developed new curriculum and all supporting materials for all of the engineering fundamentals classes. I have been a campus leader in the implementation of technology in teaching. I have implemented a fully on-line class. I have a blog to share thoughts, ideas, resources, and experiences. It is notable that the class materials for virtually all classes that I've been involved with are still available via the web.

Support

I believe the work that I've done in support of my teaching responsibilities is what really distinguishes me from most faculty. The development of a comprehensive web system for managing the large, multi-section courses taught in EF is my most significant accomplishment. This system allows all faculty in EF to be much more effective and efficient. Major components of the system are a student database, a gradebook, parameterized on-line homework, a dropbox, a discussion board, a survey system , a calendar, team management, and a Banner interface. Another significant responsibility outside of teaching has been the configuration and administration of departmental computer resources. In 2014, in addition to my teaching responsibilities, I have led the effort to create a departmental makerspace - the Innovation and Collaboration Studio. This is now (2017) expanding and evolving into a college resource.

Research

Formal research is not a requirement of my position. However, I have presented papers at several engineering education conferences, have been involved in several NSF grants, and have been involved in many informal studies. In AY 2012-2013 I served as the OIT faculty fellow. I have also been heavily involved in OIT led pilot programs for classrooms response systems (clickers), mobile devices, and learning management systems.

Service