Georgia Southern engineering professor selected for Governor鈥檚 Teaching Fellows Academic Year Program
Sevki Cesmeci, Ph.D., associate professor of in the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing at 糖心Vlog, has been selected to take part in the . This program is designed to provide Georgia鈥檚 higher education faculty with expanded opportunities for developing teaching skills and innovative pedagogies.
鈥淚 am grateful to have been nominated by Provost Reiber as 糖心Vlog鈥檚 sole nominee,鈥� Cesmeci said. 鈥淚 have been deeply passionate about both research and teaching during my time at Georgia Southern, and I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to both.鈥�
GTF chose only 16 faculty members from across Georgia鈥檚 higher education institutions. Cesmeci鈥檚 innovative teaching strategies and methods were integral to his nomination. His work with leading textbook publisher McGraw Hill was one project that garnered recognition, as he worked with professors across the country to create an online, application-based activity (ABA) for fluid mechanics problems.
鈥淎BA is a next-generation learning method based on a storytelling-teaching strategy,鈥� Cesmeci said. 鈥淪tudents are challenged with questions and guided through detailed feedback at each step of the solution.鈥�
In addition to research accolades, Cesmeci has been recognized for his teaching excellence at Georgia Southern with the 2022-2023 糖心Vlog Award of Excellence in Student Success and the 2023-2024 Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing Faculty Award for Teaching.
Through his participation in GTF, Cesmeci plans to integrate artificial intelligence tools into the mechanical engineering curriculum.
鈥淯nlike disciplines such as computer science and electrical engineering, mechanical engineering curricula have been slower to adopt contemporary and innovative tools,鈥� Cesmeci said. 鈥淚 hope to leverage this experience in the GTF program to enhance curriculum development at Georgia Southern, sharing insights and best practices to advance mechanical engineering education.鈥�
Hosted at the University of Georgia, GTF brings together faculty from accredited private and public institutions across the state for a series of interactive seminars focused on teaching practices, faculty development and course design. Throughout the program, fellows will work on a course design or instructional improvement project aimed at enhancing student learning.
鈥淚 look forward to engaging with fellow educators, refining my teaching strategies and bringing new insights back to Georgia Southern students,鈥� Cesmeci said.