AE Professor Mayuresh Patil is making a difference to his students in all the ways that matter. Patil’s students from the AE: 3140 Structural Analysis course in Limerick, Ireland, took the time to share their positive feedback on his teaching, earning him a place in the Summer 2023 Course Instructor Opinion Survey (CIOS) honor roll. Instructors are ranked on their respect and concern for students, enthusiasm about the course, and ability to stimulate the student’s interest in the subject matter.

“Mayuresh Patil’s unwavering commitment to teaching and guiding our students is truly commendable. His passion and dedication create an optimal learning environment where future engineers can flourish. Thank you for being a source of inspiration and making a profound impact on our student’s educational journey,” said Interim Chair Tim Lieuwen.

Patil earned his master’s degree and Ph.D. from Georgia Tech and returned to his alma mater in 2021 after teaching at Virginia Tech for 17 years. He was inspired to teach by the caring and positive energy of his mentor, the late AE Professor Dewey Hodges.

Patil teaches mechanics and dynamics courses and makes his students work really hard, giving them two weekly homework assignments, three creative assignments, three tests, and one final. Still, he understands that life happens and is more flexible than in the past. No one assignment can break them, and he wants the best for them.

“I need them to trust that I'm not making them work just because I want them to.
I'm making them work because that is how they will learn. Engineering is difficult,” he explained.

The professor of the practice has learned a lot about teaching over the past 20 years and has shifted from an authoritarian faculty-centric approach to a flexible student-centric approach, seeing each student as an individual, not just a part of a class.

“Students are human beings. Their classes are one piece of their full life. Their lives are often filled with many non-academic constraints as well as aspirations. Academics are the focus, but you must show them you care about their challenges and life events through your actions. Then they are more likely to trust you and do what you ask,” he shared.

He finds teaching very rewarding because he can see the results right away. However, he also finds fulfillment in sustaining a good research portfolio. After 20 years, Patil still enjoys preparing his courses and lessons because he gets to create and build the class. “You spend months creating slides, homework, and projects, and then the pieces fall into place, and you see the students learn from it. You implement your ideas and help others. What could be better than that?”