Yale Patt: “The students are bright, but more than that.”

    “I feel strongly that this class offers the best introduction for serious students of computing, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to teach it at one of the top universities in China,” writes by Yale Patt in the email interview, Honorary Professor at Zhejiang University.

    Every summer, Professor Yale Patt comes to ZJU to teach “Introduction to Computing Systems” to undergraduate students. He believes the course can provide a foundation that allows students who master it to soar to whatever levels their intellect and energy can take them.  

    “Many professors are willing to SAY what is important; I prefer to DO what is important,” Patt says. In the eyes of the students, Patt has exactly demonstrated the importance of the course by his own enthusiasm and commitment.

    In turn, Patt has been very impressed with ZJU students. When he was first invited to teach the course in an accelerated fashion (15 hours/week for 3 weeks, rather than 3 hours/week for 15 weeks), he was afraid it would not work. He thought the students would need more time between lectures to digest what had been taught.  

    Nonetheless, Patt was soon amazed by how much the students could master under this very adverse pedagogical environment. “The students are bright, but more than that,” Patt says. “They are committed to working hard to learn the material.”

    The summer course exemplifies ZJU’s endeavor to internationalize its curricula and pedagogy. According to Patt, all top universities should embrace globalization and more international interaction will facilitate more accomplishment.