Meredith Kirkmann
Name: Meredith Kirkmann
Title: Associate Professor of Engineering Technology
Department: Construction Engineering Technology, School of Engineering Technology
How long have you been teaching? 8 Years.
How long have you been at UMaine? (Also) 8 Years.
SEATLE Award for: “The Heavy Lift Award”
Meet Meredith
Courses you Teach
Soil Mechanics, Construction Safety, Heavy Construction Quality Assurance, Civil Infrastructure
Tell us a bit about you
What’s something you would secretly love to teach, even if it has nothing to do with your field?
I would love to teach about Jane Austen’s writing and how it deeply values the role of women and everyday life in her own context, but also plays with and interacts with writing and cultural ideas of the time. Her books remain relevant and interesting hundreds of years later.
What’s something you’d walk across campus in a snowstorm for?
I love walking across campus in a snowstorm! I went to UMaine as an undergrad and once I walked across campus in a blizzard for my physics final. When it got out 2 hours later we almost couldn’t get the front doors open.
Tell us a bit about your approach to teaching
How would you describe what you feel to be meaningful changes to your course design or approaches to teaching that have emerged as you have grown as an instructor?
I have really changed my courses to emphasize community and collaboration over the years. This includes substantial group work with check-ins and community building, project-based learning, and reducing the amount of lectures that I give so that there is time during class for other activities.
How would you describe the impact of these changes on the students in your classes?
Student learning has improved, with more time for students to practice and make certain that they understand difficult material, instead of me lecturing or providing the information to students for the first time during our time in the classroom.
As a result of this work, what has changed for you as an instructor and/or colleague in terms of your own teaching?
I have much stronger relationships with folks all across UMaine because of the time and effort I’ve spent on my teaching. These relationships have fundamentally changed me and enriched my life.
What would be a piece of advice you might give a new instructor at UMaine?
Trying things can be uncomfortable, and sometimes you might fail. This means that you took a big swing and you can learn from it. Having a strong community around your teaching can help you with this.