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Desmond F. Lawler, Ph.D., P.E.
University of Texas Distinguished Teaching Professor, Bob R. Dorsey Professor of Engineering
Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
UT Austin
My philosophy of teaching is to be personally supportive yet intellectually demanding of students.
I believe this philosophy of teaching is equally applicable from pre-school through doctoral programs, although the style of personal support and the level of intellectual challenge change at different points in the educational process. In my teaching, I set high intellectual standards but try to help students see they are attainable. Class time is thinking time. My decisions about what to teach and how to teach it every day are guided by this thought. In my view, thinking deeply is intrinsically fun or exciting to the educated person. So, if class time is thinking time, then class time is fun time, excited time.
