Faculty Spotlight - Michael Nevins
What do you teach at EvCC?
I teach mathematics. My teaching focus is Algebra and Calculus I/II.
Tell us a little about your professional background.
I started teaching at EvCC in fall 2008, after receiving my Master of Science degree in Mathematics from Eastern Washington University. I began my career focused on improving student success in pre-college algebra courses. Along with others in the math department, I helped to redesign our under 100-level math sequence and the math placement system. In an effort to combat ridiculous textbook prices, I wrote an OER algebra textbook five years ago. (Open Educational Resources (OER) are any type of educational materials that are in the public domain or introduced with an open license. The nature of these open materials means that anyone can legally and freely copy, use, adapt and re-share them. OERs range from textbooks to curricula, syllabi, lecture notes, assignments, tests, projects, audio, video and animation, according to UNESCO).
Shortly after writing my textbook, I began creating YouTube videos to support my students’ learning efforts. Last summer, I built a lightboard video studio at my house. My goal with the studio is to design and build a new type of mathematics resource that blends video and text in an intuitive package.
Why did you choose EvCC?
I grew up in Lynden, Washington and I have family and many friends in Western Washington. I love the mountains and recreational opportunities in this area, especially Mt. Baker and Steven’s Pass. This is a truly special place to live. I'm proud to teach at a college that serves the region that I love and consider my home.
How has the pandemic affected you? How are you doing?
My family and I are doing very well. I miss holidays with family and hanging out with my friends. I can’t wait until the state parks open and we are allowed to go camping again. That said, I have loved the extra time I have had with my children - Sophia(7), Izzy(5), and Landon(6 months) - and the extra time I’ve been able to dedicate to my garden and landscaping.
How have you adapted your curriculum and teaching methods to support students who are learning from home?
Everything I have been working on over the last five years (my OER textbook and YouTube videos) works perfectly in this learning environment. For years, I have believed that the college learning environment should move (and is moving) towards online/hybrid learning. Using my lightboard studio, Math instructor Julian Trujillo and I have collaborated to develop a complete set of lectures for Calculus I, during spring 2020. Our Youtube channel for these videos is called Differentiated Calculus. Using WAMAP (a free-to-use mathematics Learning Management System), we have created online homework sets and embedded our lecture videos into these homework sets.
What advice do you have for students who are taking online or livestream classes for the first time?
Set aside time each day for your online class. Schedule it in the same way you’d schedule going to class. Instead of “I’ll do my math homework sometime today,” you should have your life organized so that your friends and family know “Sarah is busy with her math class 9 a.m.-11 a.m. Monday-Thursday.” The most difficult part of online learning is staying motivated and working each day. People underestimate the power of the classroom’s social environment. Going to class every day with the same classmates and instructor provides important socially-driven motivation and structure that isn’t necessarily present in an online class. It is your responsibility, as a college student, to manufacture that structure.
What do you like to do for fun?
During the winter, skiing is my absolute favorite activity. During the rest of the year, I mountain bike, hike, play softball, and have paintball parties at my house. During the summer, we spend most weekends camping at state parks around Washington and Oregon. Outside of those activities, most of my time is spent working on my garden, landscaping, and making trails in my woods.
What is your favorite snack?
Mixed nuts. I consume an alarming amount of Costco unsalted mixed nuts.
Anything else you’d like to add?
I strongly believe that college instructors need to be active in developing the resources provided to their students. We have become too dependent on textbook publishers. Technology has reached the point where it is now possible for instructors to develop their own text and video resources that rival publisher resources (at a fraction of the cost to students). The textbook economy is broken, and has been for some time. In some subjects, students are paying $250+ for textbook resources that could easily be replaced with faculty-created resources. I envision a near-future where all instructors are active in developing and refining resources that are higher-quality and much lower-cost than those currently provided by national textbook publishers.