Yes, the title is correct. No, it shouldn't read 'How Teaching Benefits FROM my Research'. Well, OK, it could read that way as well, it's totally a two way street. But just for now, I'll talk about one side.

I have come across many academics who see teaching as a burden that takes them away from their research. And let's be honest, sometimes the administrative overhead can be a drag. But I strongly believe that just as as teaching should be informed by research, the converse is also true.

I have been teaching in some way, shape, or form since Kindergarten. From peer tutoring to coaching sporting teams, running short courses, and university lecturing, I have done it all. I learn from those better and more experienced than me who demonstrate fantastic teaching skills. And often I learn even more from those who are lacking.

Perhaps one of the most important things that teaching has taught me, is that everything I know is something that I learned. Obvious, right? But this realisation has a big implication. What this means is that I should never take my knowledge for granted, and just assume that others know these things too. Because maybe they haven't learned them just yet. This is important when considering a target audience for a research paper or talk. Mostly they won't know all that I am going to write or say. If they did, then why am I bothering to tell them?

It's sometimes hard to remember back to a time when I didn't understand a particular basic concept in my discipline (remote sensing). It feels like common knowledge. But often these 'basic' things are really challenging for first timers. So here's the next thing that teaching has taught me - keep it simple.

One of my favourite movie quotes comes from Denzel Washington in his role as a Lawyer in Philadelphia: "Explain it to me like I'm a six year old". I consider this quote a lot in my teaching, and challenge myself to break down the most complex concepts into ideas that a child could understand.

By actively practicing simplicity in my classes, it is filtering through to other aspects of my life. And one of the major beneficiaries is my research.

I believe that simplicity is a foundation of good communication, including for research. This doesn't mean that my work needs to be 'dumbed down'. It is about engaging the audience in language that they understand. It's not about trying to impress or over-awe them with technical jargon.

I want my research to be widely read. I want my proposals to be funded. Who doesn't? Teaching - or perhaps more correctly - my students, have taught me the importance of simple language. The importance of graphics. They are my critics along with the research community and funding bodies. I have changed my research writing and presentation styles to reflect the simplicity that my students demand, and I believe (qualitatively) that I am achieving positive results.

Every week I have five hours in front of students. Granted I am not 'presenting' as such the entire time, but even so - how many other non-teaching academics get this kind of practice in public speaking or explaining concepts? Many I know might be lucky to attend one conference per year for a mere 20 minute presentation. I am certain that my improving research writing and presentation skills are primarily attributed to my teaching practice.

And of course, without teaching, there are no students. Chicken or egg? Regardless, many students look for a pathway from coursework to research. If they like my classes, they look for research projects for credit, or just as a volunteer. Either way, my own research benefits from theirs.

So research and teaching are intrinsically linked, just as they should be. I only wish that more academic staff would open their eyes to this.

Buying a remote controlled 'copter is not easy. Sure, you can buy an El cheapo one on eBay, but say you want something quality. Something that you trust to provide a platform for some expensive kit. That won't crash. In the ocean.

The market for Unmanned Airborne Systems (UAS) or drones, has exploded in the past three to five years. What was originally either a small child's toy or a military craft, now occupies a far greater spectrum of uses. Diversifying use has been driven by leaps in technology - firstly in terms of platform design, but also in developing small and lightweight sensors or cameras to use as payload. Airborne imagery for personal or professional use has never before been so accessible.

So whether you opt for a $30 beginner drone, invest in a $500 Harvey Norman special, or get into big business with a model for tens of thousands of dollars, getting your hands on one is incredibly simple. Sort of.

Actually it's not simple at all if you are fortunate enough to be in my situation! In 2014 I was lucky enough to be awarded a substantial grant to create a state of the art UAS for remote sensing environmental monitoring in Northern Australia. At the time I thought it was challenging to write the proposal, but that's nothing compared to what I face when it comes down to the real decision making! 

UAS and their components are a moving feast. For example, the items in my proposed budget are no longer available. More advanced (and hopefully better) items are on the market and are constantly being upgraded and superseded. That's how quickly the technology is moving. As is the Aussie Dollar, but that's another story! 

I used to have a rule of thumb which said that the sensor payload should cost less than 10% of the platform itself. It seemed sensible at the time to make that rule, to protect expensive payloads by housing them on suitably robust and reliable platforms. It still makes sense to me. But in this instance, I'm going to have to break my own rule as I really want a hyperspectral imager, and these don't come cheap. In fact for a quality sensor, the cost outweighs the platform. I'm hoping the platform will still do its job. And not crash. In the ocean.

Maybe one day we'll be able to go to our local drone dealership and test fly a few models. See which ones feel good. Which ones are likely to be lemons. And which ones don't live up to their manufacturer's claims. But not yet. We have to trust the company specs and online reviews. Even so, the exact configuration we want has not yet been created - this was always going to be a custom build. So there ARE no reviews! It's a big investment to make sure it all works. That's a lot of responsibility that both excites me and makes me nervous.

I never expected building a UAS capability to be a fast process, and therefore committed a significant amount of my time to completing the project.  As I'm learning every day, this commitment was certainly not an underestimate. Embarking on a serious UAS project is not for the feint hearted. And successfully getting through the custom build and acquisition is only the beginning. Next comes the processing...

View the link below for one of my training systems.

So you want to follow the 'flipped classroom' model where you ask the students to do some theory stuff at home first so that you can do some fun stuff in the 'lecture'. Good start.

But here's the most common complaint I hear from colleagues: 'No one is completing my pre-class work!' 

Which then leads the colleague to also complain in frustration that they had to spend their in-class time going through the pre-class work and couldn't move on. Otherwise the students would not have understood. What a waste of time for the academic to chaperone students through a reading.

OK, stop right there. If you go through the pre-class work in-class, then the students will NEVER do it before they come to class! You have to set this rule along with your expectations from week 1. You can do this by making the pre-class material for week 1 so simple and brief that the students will do it without thinking. And then in-class have an activity which makes the benefit of having done the pre-class work obvious.

Here's what I do before week 1 starts. I send the students a short survey with some basic questions about themselves. It's easy for them, and they don't feel like they have to get the 'right' answer. This also helps me understand their background and interests, which I can use later. In the survey, I ask them to sign up to the class discussion site. When they come to class, if they haven't signed up, then they lose their mid-lecture break as they have to catch up in this time. This is harmless and doesn't impact on my lesson planning, but sends the message that I expect the pre-class work to be done for a reason. They need to see value in it.

In subsequent weeks, the pre-class work is more content based. I simply assume that it has been done and don't rehash any of it at all. If a student has not done the work, they quickly learn that they will have a hard time understanding. I only go over the pre-class work if I have identified a consistent mis-understanding through the class answers.

Of course the other incentive I use is to allocate a small portion of the class grade to a 'reasonable' attempt at the pre-class work.

The other problem with the above complaint is that the academic is frequently assigning a reading from a  textbook as pre-class learning. Sometimes even several chapters! For some students, reading might work, but for the vast majority - BORING! Just because you had to read copious amounts of text when you were at uni way back in the day, doesn't mean that your students need to pass through that same right of passage! In your pre-internet era, maybe there weren't a lot of interactive resources available?

Not that we need to pander to every whim and desire of our clients... I mean students... but if they think something is boring, then they are less likely to absorb and apply its meaning. We are therefore failing in our role as educators. So look out for other ways to engage your students. You don't need to create the stuff for yourself half the time - find some good YouTube videos to get started. That's not to say 'don't assign readings' - but just mix it up.

Have a look at the short video below for more of my thoughts about successfully flipping the classroom.

I’m not a huge fan of blogs. To be honest, I never read them. In fact I’m probably close to the blogophobe end of the scale, if there is such a thing. But I do frequently scroll through them. This is because many of the best recipes I have found are hidden at the end of someone’s blog. And they generally have fabulous photos so I can see exactly what my food is going to look like.

So I love food, and recipes, and I love writing. Why not write a recipe? Well, I’m fairly certain that any recipe I write would lead to inedible food. But what about a recipe for something that I actually have experience in? And if it’s a recipe, apparently nowadays it needs to be a blog. So I thought that this would be a perfect opportunity to see if I can become more blogophilic.

Here’s my little bloggy recipe for a flipped classroom. Flipping is a technique where we get students to complete some preparatory theory work at home before coming to class. This is the sort of stuff that’s usually delivered in a lecture, and can be kind of non-exciting. They also have to answer some 'pre-class questions' to keep them on track and accountable.

The ‘lecture’ then turns into a range of interactive exercises for the students. It’s a fun way to teach and really gets the students to engage. There is a bunch of learning benefits also, but that’s for another day.

One of the best things about flipping is that you can ditch the 1,000 slide powerpoint lecture in favour of small ‘snippets’.

If you’re not into lots of chatter and high levels of noise in your class, then this technique is not for you. Maybe you should be a librarian :) I loved having all the students talking and being active participants. They enjoyed it too.

Prep time: More than you are ever allocated
Class time: 1-2 hrs
Total time: 1-2 hrs ++
Serves: 1 flipped class
Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients:
•    1 traditional powerpoint (or similar) lecture
•    Willingness to experiment
•    Access to technology (optional, and preferable)

Instructions:
Mise en place
1.    Turn off email and set phone off the hook
2.    Be prepared to sacrifice the volume of unit content for depth of understanding
3.    Review all lecture slides and determine what your students need to be capable of DOING once they leave class
4.    Determine the theoretical knowledge they need to have before trying to do (3). This is the stuff that requires less understanding and may simply need to be rote learned to provide a foundation
5.    Remove (4) from your lecture and find a relevant reading, video, or activity for the students to do before coming to class – this is your ‘pre-class activity’
6.    Devise a method of accountability for the pre-class activity, e.g. filling in answers in a google-docs survey
7.    Create an activity / activities to address (3) – this is your ‘in-class activity’. Test and adjust the timings required to complete
8.    Create a list for students to highlight what they need to know vs. what they need to do
9.    Delete irrelevant powerpoint slides. Note that I like to keep some or create some new ones to help explain the activity
10.    Develop your class choreography, including listing of materials required
11.    Release your pre-class activity to your class with adequate time for completion

Service
1.    Arrive ten minutes before class
2.    Check submissions for the pre-class activity to note any areas of mis-understanding to address at the beginning of class
3.    Arrange class materials as required
4.    Greet students as they arrive
5.    Work through your choregraphy using interaction to ‘connect, correct, commend’ your students
6.    Note any timing or activity changes required for next time around