Georgetown College. Georgetown University.

Douglas Finley intends to teach in the Dominican Republic after graduating. (Photo: Roland Dimaya)

By LiAnna Davis

Georgetown senior Douglas Finley first encountered Dr. Jim Sandefur while taking Foundations of Mathematics, a course required for Finley’s minor in mathematics. He was drawn to Dr. Sandefur’s teaching style, which emphasized how well students learned.

“He was a really good teacher,” says Finley. “He helped me out a lot.”

When Dr. Sandefur needed student volunteers for his video education project, Finley jumped at the chance to return the favor for his professor. Many of the problems Finley worked on while being taped for Dr. Sandefur’s project were ones out of the Foundations of Mathematics class, enabling Finley to brush up on his mathematics skills.

Dr. Sandefur would provide a proof for Finley and ask him to solve it. If it was a difficult one, Finley would work with another student volunteer to solve the problem together. Working with a partner created a natural dialogue explaining their reasoning, making the videos useful for novice students who would be overwhelmed by such a problem.

“The problems were hard,” Finley says. “I learned a lot after I was finished solving them. The good thing about the research is that the videos are used for future math students. It lets them know different strategies in solving the proofs. They get to watch somebody struggle through the problems with various approaches, then eventually answer it.”

Finley and other student volunteers set an example that serves as both a confidence booster for students new to the major—even advanced students are challenged by such problems—while also providing a taped procedure for them to follow when they are asked to complete similar problem-solving tasks.

This dedication to making sure students are learning is one of the traits that makes Dr. Sandefur stand out in Finley’s mind. In addition to helping students on academic questions, Dr. Sandefur is also approachable for discussing other matters. Finley, for example, enjoys discussing the Washington Wizards basketball team with Dr. Sandefur.

And volunteering to work through the problems helps Finley in his courses as well. As a Computer Science major and Mathematics minor, Finley uses the problem solving skills Dr. Sandefur developed in him daily in classes for both disciplines.

Finley intends to use the pedagogy example Dr. Sandefur set after he graduates by educating young children.

“I plan on working at an international language school in the Dominican Republic,” Finley explains. “It won’t be too related to math, but it is in education. Hopefully, we can have computer classes at the school.”

A native of Slidell, Louisiana, Finley received the 2007 Frank Newman Leadership Award, a national award for outstanding civic leadership, for his work with the Georgetown University Young Scholars program. As president of the organization, he expanded the program to include college preparation, cultural immersion experiences, and mentoring.

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