My teaching interests span many topics: organizational behavior, leadership, management, organizational culture, ethics and ethical leadership, leading and managing change, and performance management. I have taught across all levels throughout my career (PhDs, executives, MBAs, masters, and undergraduates) and in multiple formats (online, face-to-face, and hybrid); won seven teaching awards; and taught in the USA, France, and Australia. The essence of my teaching philosophy is captured in the following quote:

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"No one can education (sic) you. You must talk, you must read, you must build, you must listen. Merely being present as someone else tries to pour something into you does not mean that you are learning. You must be actively engaged (Schanker, 1990).”

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This quote succinctly captures my beliefs about learning and my role as an educator. I feel the distinction between an educator and one that merely instructs is important. The former describes one who facilitates or coaches the development of knowledge, ideas, and character, while the latter implies a one-way transfer of information to passive student spectators.

 

This difference is highlighted further with the following analogy. None of us likes to be "sold" something, as we often feel dissatisfied or even deceived regarding the usefulness or quality of the product or service (e.g., buyer’s remorse). Most people instead prefer to possess enough knowledge and skill to determine the alternative that best suits their personal needs and situation.  I believe this also applies to teaching, learning, and education.  People prefer to learn by doing or discovering rather than being told, sold, or lectured to—they come away more convinced, more satisfied, more enriched, and more capable. I therefore do my best to make learning a highly interactive and engaging experience, one in which students acquire, present, test, refine, and apply their knowledge.

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To view Professor Fugate's teaching philosophy, click here.