Gokhan Sarpkaya, Ph.D.

Accomplished and "unexpectedly" hands-on project manager (certified PMP), result-oriented lean & six sigma master black belt, humble consultant, innovative change facilitator, diligent team player, effective communicator, and motivating lean & six sigma and PMP trainer/instructor/mentor with proven track records of seven-digit annual cost savings. A dedicated proponent of design of experiments and a follower of Dr. Douglas Montgomery through his MBB training at Arizona State University. A quadrilingual industrial engineer with financial engineering, and operations research focused academic background recognized as a hands-on performer with strong work ethics and commitment to excellence. Doctoral dissertation about deployment of real options methodology for floor space valuation at high-volume high-product mix automotive electronics manufacturing environment.

Educating students for a successful career is the basis of my teaching philosophy. I concentrate more on providing the fundamentals of the course to the students as well as building a foundation toward the prospect of attending graduate school. I focus on offering the student an educational opportunity that integrates educational ideas and methods with practical applications. I feel this perspective helps the student to develop skills that meet the needs of their future employers. To meet these goals, I incorporate practical examples, online simulation games, and case studies which illustrate the uses of educational materials in industrial applications. While my assignments and tests are often considered challenging they are intended to instill a level of work ethic and commitment expected in today’s job market.

I also believe that it is important to integrate university research with student education to illustrate to the student the importance of applied research and allow the student to have insight into developing and implementing a research program. When applicable, I assign team projects to students to investigate specific components of active research projects and illustrate the impact of these activities on the overall research activities.

Independent of the classroom setting, my goal is always to explain the course material in such a way that it is understood clearly by everyone in the classroom.

The graduate level teaching is relatively more challenging and more rewarding than undergraduate teaching. While communicating the subject matter is essential, creating an environment in which students can thrive intellectually is also important. I would like to design the graduate classes in such a way that students can learn the class material and envision possible research opportunities. various methodologies and applications in current research topics.

Finally, in terms of self-evaluation, I think that a teacher should change methods of teaching depending upon student evaluations, which I occasionally do. Student evaluations for the courses that I have taught have always met and exceeded expectations, with students emphasizing the effectiveness of my course organization, my willingness to help, and fairness.