Jonas Wagner
This portfolio is a compilation of a few of my past works in education. Within my CV more detailed information about my history and background can be seen while this portfolio aims to provide a few examples of my teaching works within an official capacity.
I believe I have a strong background in teaching and am prepared to be an instructor.
During my time as a student at the University of Wisconsin - Platteville, I was a design and controls mentor for the local FIRST Robotics Competition Team, The Cheese Curd Herd. % I also served in administrative roles as Secretary and Travel Coordinator, building a lasting administrative structure to allow the college student mentors to effectively operate the team independently. I began the effort to implement CAD in the design process and teaching students to use manufacturing drawings and Trello for a more robust manufacturing pipeline. More importantly though, I was working directly with students in a teaching role and getting to explain the math and science concepts that have interested me for my entire life.
While an undergraduate student I was given multiple opportunities to help in various aspects of the Engineering Program. One of my first official responsibilities was to develop asynchronous lecture materials for a new online graduate course on control system fundamentals for the Electrical Engineering department. During my senior year, I was a lab assistant for both the Intro to Engineering Project and the Electrical Engineering Automatic Controls labs. When classes abruptly went online in Spring of 2020, I was then tasked with transitioning all the Auto Controls labs into an online format. I created detailed procedures and recorded lectures for students to perform the labs by creating a Simulink model and running the same experiments. This virtual lab is still being used by remote students today and hundreds of others have used my recorded lectures on YouTube to create and test their own simulations.
My first year as I was a TA for Introduction to Mechanical Engineering I and II (MECH 1100/1208) and was responsible for grading weekly assignments, managing the discussion boards, and answering questions for over 160 students. Being online made teaching more difficult but I tried my best to help the students was ultimately awarded for my ‘outstanding contributions to undergraduate education’ as a TA.
The following year I was the sole TA for MECH 1100 and am responsible for grading the weekly assignments of all four sections with over 220 students. During the first few weeks I also ensured labs ran smoothly until graders were assigned. Being back in person improved the learning experience and allowed me to directly interact with and help students face-to-face. Within my role as a TA I also was tasked with reviewing course materials and assignments each week to catch any errors and make recommendations making it easier for students to learn.
In Fall 2023, I was given the opportunity to shadow Dr. Li while the TA for MECH 4301. In addition to grading the weekly homework assignments, I was tasked with providing review lectures and also proposed and managed an optional project to provide extra-credit to struggling students. My bi-weekly office hours were also very popular and often became recitation sessions on the homework topics.
My teaching philosophy has changed over the years, although my main tenets are: (i) providing all students with the knowledge and resources to succeed in an accessible learning environment; (ii) focusing on communication with technical reports and in-class presentations; and (iii) giving students the opportunity to learn through hands-on and practical experience with labs and projects.
My primary objective in teaching is to provide all students with the knowledge and resources to succeed, including: providing asynchronous resources like detailed lecture notes or other online references; providing more flexibility to students by streaming and recording all lectures; ensuring that all assignments have clear and detailed grading rubrics and policies; and providing students with step-by-step lab procedures in writing and video.
Another important component of my teaching philosophy is a focus on technical communication. I believe that it is important to teach good writing and presentation skills throughout the entire curriculum and have students write technical reports and give presentations on labs and projects in every class.
I believe one way to improve engineering curriculum in particular, is to have more of an emphasis on project-based learning. I also hope to give students the opportunity to learn through hands-on experience and practical applications in every course. Specifically, I believe having flexible projects relying on work done for research, engineering competition teams, or entrepreneurial endeavors is a great way for students to learn by using concepts on projects they are genuinely interested in. Implementation for each course would likely be different, but from personal experience, I know that in-class demonstrations, real-world based assignments and, individual or group-based labs or projects were beneficial then traditional homework and exams.
My future goals are continually intertwined with a desire to truly understand how the world works and what fundamental laws govern the reality we experience. I intend to pursue a career in academia and hope to one day be a professor in physics or engineering to inspire and teach students based on the fundamental concepts that have interested me my whole life. Since the landscape of innovation is constantly changing it is important that both my teaching methods and research aims are adjusted to support students effectively. From a research perspective, I aim to support students to do the same thing by providing the knowledge and tools needed to pursue what interests them the most.