Photo by: Paul Martens
Maan Omran
Part-Time Lecturer in Mathematics, School of Science,
IUPUI
| "Every student in my
class is smart—they just have different math backgrounds."
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| —Maan Omran |
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Maan Omran is well aware that many students approach mathematics
with the anxiety befitting a trek to Mount Everest’s peak.
"Every semester, I ask my students to look at me as a guide
taking them on a trip that might be fun and enjoyable to some, but
might be very hard for others, just like hiking down the Grand Canyon,"
Omran said. "At the end, we all reach the final destination,
and my job will be done when everyone arrives safely. Most importantly,
we will look back to see that everyone did enjoy the trip and did
learn a lot, despite the demanding hard work."
Since joining the IUPUI mathematical sciences faculty in 1984 as
a part-time associate faculty member, Omran has "guided"
nearly 10,000 students in seven different math courses. An overwhelming
majority of his students have enjoyed the journey, and in recognition
of these talents, Omran has received four Teaching Excellence Recognition
Awards and IUPUI’s 2001 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence
in Teaching by a Part-Time Faculty Member.
Omran’s contributions go beyond the classroom. For the past
several years, he has assisted in the ongoing development and maintenance
of the instructional Web pages for almost all the developmental
and introductory math courses. And as a veteran instructor, he volunteers
to mentor new part-time lecturers, sharing syllabi and assignment
lists and detailing the positive and negative attributes of each—not
to mention giving organizational, logistical and technical guidance.
With Omran as a guide, it’s clear more students are navigating
the sometimes bumpy road to math.
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