Dr. Rick Jerz Instruction Information

Quick links: Who is Dr. Jerz Video, My Vitae, Courses taught at The University of Iowa, Courses taught at St. Ambrose, my Ph.D. Dissertation, Examples of Lecture Videos

 

I am currently on sabbatical and would love to teach at your school when you need me.  Thank you for considering me!

I am passionate about teaching and would like to share some information with you. My teaching includes a small private school (St. Ambrose and a large Big 10 school (The University of Iowa).  In general, Big 10 schools offer "better" education, but they are much more into "high volumn" techniques, meaning big classes, TA's, standardized instruction, and focus on research instead of instruction for university income.    

I had the honor of being a full-time lecturer at The University of Iowa located in Iowa City, Iowa. My main areas of focus were Operations Management, Foundations of Business Analytics, and Information Systems. I taught these subjects at the undergraduate level, and Business Analytics  and Data Management and Visual Analytics at the graduate (MBA) level.

Prior to teaching full time at The University of Iowa, I taught part-time as an adjunct professor in the college of Business and the college of Engineering. In the college of Engineering, I taught Design for Manufacturing, Robotics, and Manufacturing Processes.

I was a full-time professor at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa before joining The University of Iowa. During my time there, I taught Operations Management at both undergraduate and graduate levels, Business Statistics at the undergraduate level, and Quantitative Reasoning at the undergraduate level as well. These courses were offered by the Management Department of the College of Business. Prior to that, I taught technology-based engineering courses as a full-time faculty professor in the Industrial Engineering department.

I hold a Ph.D. and BS degrees in Industrial Engineering, and a Masters in Business Administration degree.

I have a strong passion for teaching with the aid of technology. I have been using various technologies in my classroom for several years now. Here are some significant dates that mark the milestones of my journey.

• In 1998, I created a website using Microsoft Frontpage to provide course instructional materials.
• The following year, I made my first instructional digital videos, distributed using the Internet and DVDs.
• In 2002, I began using Blackboard for course management. I used Blackboard, which was an early Learning Management System (LMS), to complement my course website.
• In 2003, I conducted my first "electronic" (hybrid) lecture week for MBA670 in Muscatine, Iowa. This was before the word "hybrid" became associated with a form of online education.
• I first used "wireless" technology to connect to the Internet in 2004. Prior to that, I used modem (i.e., telephone) technology.
• In the same year, I switched to using the WebCT LMS instead of Blackboard at The University of Iowa.
• In 2005, I started using "clickers" in my classes. I also began using the Desire2Learn LMS at The University of Iowa the same year.
• In 2006, I moved my videos to iTunes and started “podcasting” my lectures.
• A year later, in 2007, I moved my website material to self-hosting using GoDaddy.
• In 2008, I started using the Moodle LMS as my primary learning management system (LMS) and hosted it on my server.
• That same year, I switched to Dreamweaver and revamped my website.
• In 2011, I switched from a hosted server to a "virtual private server" for my website content and Moodle. I also upgraded Moodle to version 2.
• In 2013, I made my website "responsive" and redesigned it.
• In 2013, I switched to using a Macintosh computer.
• I taught Business Statistics completely online in the summer of 2014 and Operations Management (MBA) completely online in the Spring of 2016 at St. Ambrose. I now exclusively teach using Moodle 4, while continuing to produce educational videos and online content.

As an instructor, I strongly believe that high-quality instruction requires significant interaction between myself and my students. When teaching online, I find that the ideal class size is between 15 and 20 students. I prefer asynchronous delivery, which is why I create my own carefully edited videos and utilize the Moodle LMS platform for delivering quizzes, exams, discussions, and assignments. I strive to incorporate the latest technology and business tools that students will need in real-life business environments. In 2019, I obtained Quality Matters certification for my Business Analytics course at The University of Iowa.