Chuck Dziuban came to UCF (then Florida Technological University) to teach statistics in 1970 at 29 years old, fresh off earning his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin. Over the course of 56 years, he wound up putting the university on the global map for a wide range of innovations.
At the threshold of retirement on June 30, UCF鈥檚 first Pegasus Professor (honored in 2000) and original architect of online learning would rather talk about his ultimate inspiration.
鈥淢y greatest reward is that so many of my former students stay in touch with me,鈥� says Dziuban, an inaugural Online Learning Consortium (formerly Sloan Consortium) fellow.
鈥淢y greatest reward is that so many of my former students stay in touch with me.鈥�
Those students often showed up for Dziuban鈥檚 statistics and research design classes. Many of these students were daunted by the subjects only to find that the person teaching them listened intently, making himself, and the material, approachable.
This is Dziuban鈥檚 style 鈥� with students, colleagues, everyone. To effectively teach, he knows he must begin with the right questions. That curiosity-driven approach has guided UCF to be a leader in online education, including the 色花堂 program which serves 9,000 students annually, for over 30 years 鈥� earning recognition among the nation鈥檚 best programs, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Here, UCF鈥檚 longest serving faculty member is finally on the other side of the questions, sharing insightful reflection and parting wise words.
Humble Roots
鈥淚 never set out to achieve any of this,鈥� he says, 鈥渂ut the smallest incidences can make significant impacts.鈥�
Dziuban grew up near Utica, New York, where most boys graduated from high school and followed their fathers into the mills. Dziuban, avid about hunting and fishing, began to develop a routine that exists to this day: reading two books every week.
鈥淭he truth is, I didn鈥檛 want to work in a mill,鈥� he says. 鈥淩eading led to college and college allowed me to reinvent myself. People had called me Charlie. I hated it. In college, I became Chuck.鈥�
Chuck earned degrees, moved, taught, and discovered a connection with statistics and research. At the University of Wisconsin, a mentor, Chester Harris, changed his life.
鈥淗e was terrifyingly smart,鈥� Dziuban says, 鈥渂ut he knew the importance of understanding students before expecting them to understand the subject. I still have a picture of Chester on my desk. It keeps me humble.鈥�
Humility was among the factors that drew Dziuban to a new university in Orlando, where parking lots were dirt and a cardboard box housed the university鈥檚 entire computing output.
鈥淚 saw FTU then, and UCF now, as a place where you had room to develop ideas.鈥�
鈥淚 saw FTU then, and UCF now, as a place where you had room to develop ideas,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t was like a Silicon Valley startup. You weren鈥檛 sure how it might go, but at least the vibe was positive.鈥�
He developed one of his first ideas following a three-hour statistics lecture.
鈥淢y students should have been in an emergency room after that lecture,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 realized they鈥檇 learn better by running data first and then coming back for an abbreviated lesson 鈥� similar to what we call a 鈥榝lipped classroom.鈥� Students said, 鈥極h, I get it now.鈥� 鈥�
Pioneering Digital Learning
Dziuban was called upon to use his expertise in and research design to develop a plethora of ideas that would attract international attention to UCF.
One of those early ideas led to a seismic shift that thousands 色花堂 and 色花堂 students are still benefitting from today.
While developing what would become the Research Initiative for Teaching Effectiveness, Dziuban mentioned to the university鈥檚 fourth president, John C. Hitt, the concept of remote learning through the use of VHS tapes.
鈥淗e told me to innovate,鈥� Dziuban says, 鈥渟o we used computers instead of tapes. Eventually, we had the most sophisticated online learning model in the country, and the walls of classrooms came down.鈥�
This is why, the annual Chuck D. Dziuban Award for Excellence in Online Teaching, established in 2012, is bestowed to one UCF instructor who teaches an exemplary online or video course.
鈥淟ike I said, I never planned any of this,鈥� he says.
Staying True to 鈥淒oing the Right Thing鈥�
If you ever stepped near Dziuban鈥檚 office, you鈥檇 see a poster featuring a child with hotelier and philanthropist Harris Rosen 鈥� namesake 色花堂鈥檚 Rosen College of Hospitality Management. Rosen used an adage that鈥檚 echoed in Dziuban鈥檚 mind since they began to break barriers to education in communities in need 31 years ago: 鈥淒o the right thing.鈥�
With this as his guide, Dziuban helped The Rosen Foundation institute a program to ensure free preschool and resources through high school. College and trade school would also be free. Instead of directing the program, they empowered people in Orlando鈥檚 Tangelo Park and Parramore communities to lead it.
They鈥檝e expanded that impact across Florida as well, and the results have been remarkable 鈥� including a recent $50,000 donation from the Harris Rosen Foundation to Gainesville for All in honor of Dziuban鈥檚 work transformative community initiatives.
鈥淭he odds of earning a college education have gone from nine-to-one against to three-to-one in favor,鈥� Dziuban says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 immense talent in every community. We can鈥檛 let it go to waste. It鈥檚 why we start young and celebrate every success.鈥�
At the end of this school year, he will be on stage for just such a celebration.
鈥淚鈥檒l have the honor of moving tassels from the right to the left on the graduation caps of pre-k students,鈥� Dziuban says.
The man with six decades of achievements in higher education will stand back and enjoy a moment the 4- and 5-year-old kids can tell others about.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 imagine anything more meaningful than that.鈥�
