Pursuit of Academic Success

((A Personal Perspective)

p )

Marolo C. Alfaro, P.Eng.,

g Ph.D.
Civil Engineering Professor
University of Manitoba

Filipino-Canadian Students in Secondary and Post-Secondary Schools – April 19, 2008

 Inspirational example . . . . .

Thomas Edison – inventor of light bulbs

‘I never perfected an invention that I did not think about in

terms of the service it might give others... I find out what
the world needs, then I proceed to invent....’
Learning from Thomas

• He had his goal set to develop

light bulbs
• Did not give up even after over
thousand trials
• Had p positive attitude towards
failures
• He was open to new ideas
and easily accepted changes
Responsibilities and Expectations

Planning your course

Perseverance and
dddetermination
i i
Positive attitude on failures
Preparation of Plan ‘B’
Parental support
Professors’ guidance
Responsibilities and Expectations

Planning your course

Perseverance and determination
Positive attitude on failures
Preparation of Plan ‘B’
Parental support
Professors’ guidance
If you want to get somewhere
you have to know where you want to go
go.

Then a couple of things parents kept on

reminding us . . . . .
 Focus on what you are doing.
Avoid multi-tasking.
multi tasking. (quality vs. quantity)
 Finish what you are doing.
Avoid procrastinating. (mañana habit)
Responsibilities and Expectations

Planning your course

Perseverance and determination
Positive attitude on failures
Preparation of Plan ‘B’
Parental support
Professors’ guidance
‘If you wantt to
t gett somewhere
h you have
h to
t know
k
where you want to go and how to get there.
Then never,
never never
never, never give up
up.’
Norman Vincent Peale
In your pursuit of academic
success,

there are only few smooth rides.

Most often you will hit many bumpy roads.

There is no giant step that does it.
It is
i a lot
l t off little
littl steps.
t
Responsibilities and Expectations

Planning your course

Perseverance and determination
Positive attitude on failures
Preparation of Plan ‘B’
Parental support
Professors’ guidance
 Edison’s tests of light bulbs – Many failures!

Learn from failures.

When you fail, you learn what’s not working.
And you get the opportunity to try new approaches
approaches.
Like Mike!

‘I have missed more than 9,000

shots in my career. I have lost
almost 300 games. Twenty-six
times, I have been trusted to take
the game-winning shot and
missed. I have failed over and
over and over again
g in my
y life.
And that is why I succeed.’
- Michael Jordan

Michael was
unafraid to fail!
‘Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever
achieve greatly.’
- Robert F
F. Kennedy
Responsibilities and Expectations

Planning your course

P
Perseverance and
dddetermination
t i ti
Positive attitude on failures
Preparation of Plan ‘B’
a e ta suppo
Parental supportt
Professors’ guidance
• This does not mean you are giving up your dreams.
• Sometimes,
Sometimes the door is closed in your path
path.
A closing door . . .

could mean an open window.

Unexpected
p changes
g are
opportunities in disguise.

Plan for your NEW COURSE

Responsibilities and Expectations

Planning your course

P
Perseverance and
dddetermination
t i ti
Positive attitude on failures
Preparation of Plan ‘B’
a e ta suppo
Parental supportt
Professors’ guidance
There’s help
p . . . . . when yyou need it
There’s a lending
hand when you fall.

There’s encouragement
when you’re
you re down and out
out.
Parent’s effective Way of Teaching - Go Fishing!

‘Give a man a fish, he has food for the day.

Teach him how to fish, he has food all the days
off his life.’
f (Author unknown)
Responsibilities and Expectations

Planning your course

P
Perseverance and
dddetermination
t i ti
Positive attitude on failures
Preparation of Plan ‘B’
Parental support
Professors’ guidance
Think
Thi k off professors
f as
‘guide on the side’

Not as ‘sage on the stage’

 Professors provide an
environment in which
students can learn to be
productive, creative people
especially
i ll ffor th
the early
l
years of their careers.

They impart to students the basic attributes –

concepts,
t techniques,
t h i skills,
kill h habits
bit andd iinsights
i ht –
that are believed to be of lasting value and
pp y
applicability.’
Students are expected to pass exams

Professors
P f test
t t the
th
students what they know,
not what theyy do not know.
Students must demonstrate they are ready to carry
out their personal and professional responsibilities
expected
t d from
f them
th after
ft graduation.
d ti
• Teaching and learning works in both ways.
‘In
In teaching you will learn, in learning you will teach.’
teach.
(a line from a song of a Disney movie, TARZAN)

• Teaching and learning requires teamwork

teamwork.

‘United
United we stand
stand, divided we fall
fall.’
 Perception on Education

Your brain is NOT a

receptacle of information.

Information is NOT education.

Education is what remains after the information

g is forgotten.
that has been taught g
 Prof. John Burland, a civil engineer responsible
for saving the Leaning Tower of Pisa

‘The soul and spirit of education is that habit of

mind which remains when students have
completely
l t l fforgotten
tt everything
thi they
th have
h ever
been taught.’ (Burland 1987)
 Dr. David Suzuki, an environmental scientist
and activist who is an advocate of sustainable
energy and of reversing global climate change

‘Almost all the information from my college science

courses is hopelessly out-of-date, inaccurate and
i l
irrelevant. Y
Yet I still
ill use skills
kill I llearned
d then.
h Th
That iis
because the emphasis was on process, not nickel-
knowledgeg facts.’ ((Suzuki 1987))
In your Pursuit of Academic Success

You are expected to:

• Set your goals with focused heart and mind
• Persevere and don’t give up easily
• Learn from your failures
• Prepare for back-up plans if door is closed
Expect
p support
pp and guidance
g from:
• Elders
• Teachers
 An Engineer
Engineer’ss Perspective

n
{ (
E (X) = ∑ p i ⋅ P X = p i
i= 1
)}
Expectation =
Sum of
{ (each
( y) x
of the responsibility)
p
(the probability of responsibilities being done) }
A Student’s
Student s Perspective

Drafted by 2008 Civil Engineering graduating students at U of Manitoba