Edward Char

I believe my primary responsibility is to provide students with the skills, knowledge and experience necessary so that they can expand their current knowledge and have the ability to be successful in their chosen careers and lives. At the heart of my teaching philosophy is my belief that as faculty we are not just there to impart knowledge in a classroom setting, but to help them prepare to be successful not only in their jobs, but also in life.

Attitudes, skills, and insights developed and acquired at this time are the foundation for the rest of their years in a demanding and rewarding profession. I believe that teaching is much more than just delivering knowledge in a convenient format to our students. One of my most important functions is to help students learn how to learn, how to effectively solve problems, and how to evaluate the long-term impact of their solutions and recommendations on society. I strive to have to my students be active participants in their education.

Just taking notes in a classroom, does not grant the student the whole knowledge they will need to be successful. I will explain where they circuits they are solving for now are used in the “real world”, to show them they are just abstract problems in a book for them to solve. Everything they are learning has real life applications, and when they make those connections, it keeps their motivation to learn high. I frequently have the class solve problems on the board and highlight where mistakes were made and why they happened. I also reinforce that getting something wrong isn’t the end of the world. In fact, it’s a great opportunity to learn from these mistakes so they won’t make them again. To this end, I have tried many different approaches to classroom instructions such as flipped classrooms, team teaching and the use of blackboard to hold test review sessions outside of class.

There is a huge difference between staying current and passive and being passionately engaged in the advancement of technology and knowledge. To this end I have attended and presented at workshops given by VITAL on campus and from the KEEN foundation. Every semester I use the comments section of the CATS to re-evaluate the course and see where improvements can be made.

In short, I view my role in their lives not as someone who stands in a classroom imparting knowledge, but rather as a guide, who helps them gain the knowledge they will need to find their own path in life.

Honors and Awards

Farrell Award for Teaching Excellence 2000, 2012 and 2017; Lindback Award Semifinalist 17 times, most recently 2022. Was awarded the Engineering College's Inaugural Teaching Award in 2014, and Learning Support Services Bridge Builder Award in 2017. In the first class of Continuing Non-Tenure Track faculty to be promoted to Professor of the Practice.

Professional Experience

I have been teaching at Villanova in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department since the Fall of 1998.