Today’s students have more ways to access information than any generation before them. They can watch tutorials online, find worked examples in seconds and use new technologies to answer questions almost instantly.
That reality has changed the way I think about teaching. Instead of asking: “How can I deliver this content more effectively?” I use a different question: “What can students experience in my classroom that they can’t get anywhere else?”
For me, the answer isn’t just bringing industry expertise. It’s also creating an environment where students feel comfortable enough to engage. So many teaching decisions I make – from where I hold office hours to the examples I use in class – are designed to remove barriers to learning. Students learn best when they feel comfortable asking questions, testing ideas and admitting what they don’t yet understand. If we can make those interactions easier, we’ve already improved learning before we’ve taught a single concept.
Communication is a two-way street
One of the simplest ways I try to do that is by making a large class seem a little smaller. I teach courses with hundreds of engineering students – an environment where students can easily feel anonymous and unseen. So, I need to work harder to make the classroom more personal. I make a deliberate effort to learn students’ names, ask about their interests and remember what motivates them. Those conversations aren’t simply about being amiable; they create trust.
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I often describe my goal as making sure communication flows in both directions. Students need to hear what I’m saying, but I also need them to feel comfortable telling me when something isn’t clear. When students feel known, they’re far more willing to seek help and participate in discussions.
Accessibility beyond the classroom
That same philosophy extends beyond the classroom. Like many instructors, I’ve noticed that traditional office hours attract fewer students than they once did. Rather than assuming students simply don’t want help, I started asking what makes office hours feel intimidating.
Sometimes the answer is surprisingly simple. Whenever the weather cooperates, I move office hours outside to a campus plaza or meet students at a local coffee shop instead of behind my desk. A more informal setting often changes the conversation; students relax and ask questions they might never have asked in a formal office.
The value of student teaching assistants
One of the most valuable teaching resources is another student. Graduate (GTA) and undergraduate (UTA) teaching assistants have become an essential part of my courses. They’re approachable in ways faculty members sometimes aren’t, and students often feel much more comfortable admitting confusion to a peer. In the case of UTAs, because they’ve recently completed the class themselves, they can explain difficult concepts from a student’s perspective. Students also come to UTAs for informal mentorship, advice and empathy.
The benefits don’t stop there. I meet with my UTAs every week, and we stay in regular contact throughout the semester. Their feedback gives me an honest picture of what’s happening in the classroom. They tell me which concepts students are struggling with, what questions keep coming up, and where I may need to slow down or explain something differently. That continuous feedback allows me to adjust while the course is still in progress instead of waiting until end-of-semester evaluations.
Contextualising abstract challenges
Making students feel comfortable is only part of the equation. They also need to understand why what they’re learning matters. Engineering concepts can feel abstract if they’re presented in isolation, so I work hard to connect every topic to a broader context. Sometimes that means sharing the history behind an engineering method or introducing the people who developed it. Students are often surprised to learn that some of the numerical methods we use today trace back thousands of years. Those stories remind them that engineering is part of a much larger human story of curiosity and problem-solving.
Just as importantly, I try to bring authentic engineering into the classroom. Many of the examples we work through are based on real data rather than textbook exercises. Through associations with colleagues at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and the Helmet Lab, I’ve introduced students to engineering challenges drawn from current research. One lesson, for example, uses vehicle acceleration and braking data to examine what feels comfortable – or uncomfortable – to passengers. Students aren’t simply solving equations. They’re analysing data that engineers use to make decisions.
Those examples answer one of the most common questions students ask, whether they say it aloud or not: why does this matter? When students understand where they’ll encounter a concept in practice, they’re far more invested in learning it.
Technology will continue to change how students learn, and that’s something educators should embrace rather than resist. New tools can make students more efficient and expose them to ideas more quickly than ever before. But those tools don’t replace the role of an instructor.
Our greatest contribution as educators has never been simply providing information but rather helping students make sense of it. We provide context. We ask better questions. We encourage curiosity. We create spaces where students feel comfortable wrestling with difficult ideas alongside other people. We build the relationships that allow meaningful learning to happen. These are experiences artificial intelligence cannot provide – and it’s why the human side of teaching has never mattered more.
Matt Nowinski is a collegiate associate professor in the department of mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech. He was the 2025 College of Engineering Sporn Award recipient.
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