Several of UAB IT’s employees get a first-hand look at the technology and academic needs of students and instructors — by teaching themselves in the classroom.

Brian Rivers, associate vice president and chief technology officer for UAB IT

Rivers started teaching in the College of Arts and Science’s Department of Computer Science in summer 2022. He is the instructor for CS 476: Introduction to Game Development.

“The opportunity to teach here at UAB has been an amazing experience and as educational for me as for the students,” he said. “I don’t believe there is a better way for UAB staff to understand and appreciate the experiences of our students and faculty. I’m thankful for the relationships, experience and opportunities this has forged.”

Not only are students learning from Rivers as an IT professional, but he has received lessons from students as well. Understanding how and why IT services work can be tricky — and he is taking these challenges back to the office to help solve those challenges.

“Since becoming an instructor, it has helped me to better understand their experiences and challenges with UAB and UAB IT services,” Rivers said.

Chuck White, director of Telecommunication Services:

In summer 2023, Chuck White helped bring upgraded WiFi to campus and also taught a class on networking in the Department of Computer Science at CAS.

CS 334/534 Networking includes learning about the fundamentals of computer networking. It is designed to introduce students to terminology, concepts, and design, and includes a hands-on lab.

“For me, the quote ‘the best way to learn is to teach’ encompasses my experience,” White said. “I relearned lost material, learned new skills, gained understanding on how to serve my students, and developed a new relationship with my TA’s and the CS faculty.”

After teaching a semester, White has now started a journey in the Collat School of Business to learn more about modernized IT leadership. The experience of teaching was eye opening, and White was able to see and feel the pain points of faculty, instructors, and students for instruction. This led him to volunteer to serve on UAB’s Classroom Technologies committee, which serves to enhance classroom technologies across campus and is working on a new classroom technology standard.

Ala Fedorova, applications architect with Enterprise Applications & Solutions

Ala Fedorova started with the Department of Computer Science department in fall 2023, teaching CS 221: Introductory Web Development, an in-person course.

In this class, students learn the fundamental building blocks of front-end web development: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This class covers modern design concepts and language syntax to ensure students can create functional and aesthetically pleasing websites.

“Collaborating with the Computer Science department allowed me to help students grow and develop their professional skills,” Federova said. “At the same time, it has been a good opportunity to see the learning challenges students face, so that we – as IT – can provide a better quality of service for them.”

Fedorova wants her students to succeed in their coursework. She said students are always curious and have a thirst for knowledge — asking about real-world experiences and practical application of material being taught.

Rachel Moorehead, executive director for Infrastructure and Operations,

Rachel Moorehead is one of the more recent additions to the Department of Computer Science, teaching CS 332/532: System Programming. This course covers a lot of bases such as:

• Unix architecture, with an emphasis on Linux.
• Shell scripting
• Distributions of Linux for various computing platforms and embedded computing devices.
• Introduction to the C programming language

As an instructor, Moorehead brings relevant industry knowledge to her classrooms, and helps students apply lessons to practical matters that might arise in their future positions.

Since starting her teaching journey, Moorehead said she has learned as well as taught. She has been able to maneuver UAB systems as a faculty member and to see where the user experience for some of UAB’s systems and processes can be improved. Between improving user experience with IT services and grading projects, Moorehead has been inspired by students and their thirst for knowledge.

“Teaching has given me a new perspective on student life and faculty life on campus,” Moorehead said. “I truly appreciate all the support from Dr. Zheng and Dr. Unan, my co-instructor, as I embark on this new experience within their programming,”

Robert Howard, associate vice president and deputy chief information officer

Robert Howard has been an instructor in higher education for more than a decade, beginning at Miami University and now at UAB. In 2016, Howard joined the adjunct faculty at UAB Collat School of Business, and then took on extra classes in the School of Health Professions in 2019.

This spring, Howard is teaching multiple master's level classes, both in the Collat School of Business and School of Health Professions:

• IS 611 IT and Business Strategy: This course is designed to improve understanding of business strategy and the information technology that supports and shapes it.
• IS 621 Incident Response and Business Continuity: This course provides students with the knowledge necessary to prepare for and respond to computer security incidents. Topics include incident response preparation, detection, reaction, recovery, and maintenance. Computer-related disaster recovery and business continuity planning are also addressed.
• HA674 Health Care Innovation for Health Professions’ Executive MS in Healthcare Administration program, which is the No. 1 health care management graduate program in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report. The course is an Introduction to innovation management concepts, theories of idea generation, methods to select strategically innovative services, service delivery models, and project management concepts.

Howard said his real-life experience gives students an in-depth look at the coursework. “We live in this world, and have experience to combine textbook knowledge with practical application,” he said. “Assuming these students want to work in the field, we are also helping coach them in how to be productive employees, teammates, and entrepreneurs.”

Howard said he enjoys getting out of the administrator bubble.

“It is wonderful to be a direct part” of one of the primary missions of UAB, he said.

Like other UAB IT professionals in the classroom, he finds his work as an instructor helpful to relate to the challenges faculty face when navigating technology in practice — and finding ways to provide solutions.