BuiltWithNOF
Instructor

Ab VanEtten

Age: 49 Married

3 Children

Live in:
Olympia, Washington

abvechr@hotmail.com


Teaching Experience:
          
The Evergreen State College,  Adj. Professor of Computer Science, 2001-present
-Teach Java and Foundations of Computing classes and programs
-Developed hybrid distance learning courses and programs
-Developed extensive web-based learning environment
-Excellent student and administrative evaluations
-Recommended for Fulbright Scholarship

Nexus Learning:  2005  Taught Math courses online to students on the East Coast

Pierce College,  Tenured 1989-2004
-Teach computer science and introductory computer courses
-Developed Distance Learning Courses.  Java programs,  web development, video
-International Education: China trips from 1996-1998
 java progogramming seminars, 6 Major Univ. in Eastern PRC
-Excellent teaching evaluations, but with high rigor, accountability, and standards

Saint Martin’s College,  Assistant Professor,  1987-1990
-Director of the Computer Education Masters Program, 1987-1990
-Taught all of the upper division Computer Science courses
-Supervised Student Teachers/ Conducted Teacher workshops on Computers

Oregon State University,  Teaching Assistant, 1985-1987
-Taught Computer classes for pre-service teachers,  supervise student teachers

High School Teaching,  Philomath, OR,  Winston OR, Glide OR 1979-1985
-Taught Math and Computers/ Coach Basketball and Football


Education:

Oregon State University:  Doctoral Candidate, Computer Science Education 1987
-masters sequences in computer science and software engineering
University of Oregon: Masters courses in Computer Education  1983-1985
Oregon State University:  Masters (1982)  Bachelors (1979) Counseling,  Math Education
-Blue Key, House and ICC president, Grad. with Honors, OSU Varsity Basketball

Programming Work:
Java Programming,  Distance Learning classes,  Pierce College: 1997-1999
-Developed web-based chat program, listserve, file share, and web testing program
-Experience with Java sockets, URLs, threads,  and client/server interaction
Programmer,  NovaNet Corporation,  Tucson AZ:  1995  (4 months)
-Developed testing programs for this large distributor of Distance Learning software
Programmer,  Iconix Software,  CA: 1986-7
-Developed the GUI for a CASE tool for the Mac ($500). ASM and Mac toolbox

International:
Taught 6 months in China (1995-6), Computer programming and English. 
Was invited back to China by former students to teach Java programming in 1998
Teaching at BFSU Spring semester of 2004


Personal History
I was born in Puyallup WA in 1956 and graduated from Rogers High School in 1974. After a year of working and completing National Guard training, I attended Oregon State University. While there I played basketball for 2 years and was involved with school leadership activities.  I graduated in 1979 in General Science/Math. In March of 1980 I married the love of my life, Laura, and we had 3 children in 2.5 years (more about them later..)  After teaching and coaching in southern Oregon for 5 years, I taught and did graduate work at Oregon State University.  In 1987, after finishing my coursework, we decided to return to Washington and I taught at Saint Martin’s College for 3 years.  Currently, I am retiring from Pierce College this year, and will probably be teaching part-time for Western Washington University or The Evergreen State College in the summer and fall.

My Family consists of Bethany (21), Adam (19), and Gregory (18) along with my wife Laura (??). Bethany is a junior at the Univ. of Washington this fall.  She ran the Seattle marathon, and ran cross-country and track at Steilacoom High School for 4 years. She is studying political science and environmental science.   Adam is in his second year at the University of Washington after deciding to turn down Harvard and Stanford (pretty picky..). He is studying physics and astronomy and hopes to attend grad school in a few years.  He is also a good runner. Gregory is in his first year at the University of Washington and has not decided what to major in at school.  He is a good athlete, competing at state in running and wrestling as well as being a good pitcher in baseball. My wife was a stay-at-home mom until this last year, when she worked half-time as an elementary school librarian.


Our family is very involved with travel and outdoor activities.  We have all done extensive hiking since Gregory was 3. In 1995 I took a 6-month leave and worked in Tucson for 3 months while we hiked and explored the desert southwest.  Laura home-schooled the kids. In early May we toured the National Parks in the west on our way to Washington DC and surrounding areas. It was a fantastic trip for us. In 1996 I obtained an exchange appointment to teach computers and English in Beijing, China. Again, Laura home-schooled the kids, but the kids were actually ‘working’ also since they helped me teach my oral English classes. We really enjoyed the different culture, the places we saw, but mostly the people we met. We still correspond with many of ‘our’ students.  In January, we left for a 2 week assignment to a town in southeast China where foreigners had not been previously permitted.  We were there to promote a foreign language school and to certify allowing foreign teachers to the school.  Our experience was a strange mix between being a rock star or a monkey in a zoo.  The vast majority of the folks we saw had never seen a non-Chinese face. Ask me for stories, if interested..  We then traveled in China for a few weeks, relaxed in Hawaii for a month, before coming home in Feb. Also a great trip.  In the following fall quarter, I was contacted by several of our students in China to do some workshops in Java, which I was just starting to teach.  Since I was interested in Distance Education, I had made some Java tools for chat, testing, discussion groups, and file sharing.  A couple of my Chinese students studied Java from me remotely. In April of 1998 we took the family back to China for 10 weeks. We traveled to 6 universities around eastern China.  In early June we took the Trans-Siberian Railroad to Europe and traveled around Europe for 10 weeks.  One more time, a great trip! If you have interest in travel or stories of your own about places you have been, I would love to hear them.


Other interests of ours are hiking (we really enjoyed the John Muir trail several years ago and my wife and I hiked from canada to Oregon for a month this last summer), mountain climbing, biking, and rowing.  We returned in June of 2004 from teaching in Beijing for a semester.

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