Experienced electrical engineer and circuits designer teaches engineering subjects. Online interactive classes of Analog and Digital Electronics, VHDL, Electrical Circuits, Robotics, Mathematics, Phys

Find out more about Tofigh

• 1) When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  As a child, I was given an electrical circuits kit that I absolutely loved. I then moved on to kits for soldering electronic components onto circuit boards and started reading about how they worked. I would buy components and invent my own circuits.
  
  When I got my first computer, my father encouraged me to learn programming rather than just play games. That was how I entered the world of programming, and by the age of 15, I was already programming in assembly language.
  
  So, I can honestly say that electrical engineering and computer science have been my passion from a very young age!

• 2) Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  I have always enjoyed being a "maker". The subjects I studied at university gave me the perspective and theoretical foundation to analyze, in greater depth, things I had already encountered in equipment, kits, toys, and so on. I found answers to many of the questions I had in my mind by studying subjects such as circuit theory, analog and digital electronics, microprocessor- and microcontroller-based systems, programming, control systems, and telecommunications.
  
  I was passionate about being able to design something that fully met the requirements, and then verify it either through simulation or by actually implementing it as a real system.
  
  However, there were a couple of subjects that were quite theoretical. In other words, you had to wrestle with the formulas without really being able to anticipate what kind of result you were going to get. Of course, at more advanced levels, you eventually began to see the value of that theoretical foundation. But, well, pure theory was not quite as "passionate" for me back then...

• 3) Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  I was fortunate enough to study at one of the best universities, with extremely knowledgeable professors. They were authors of leading textbooks, patent holders, executives at technology companies, and so on. I had the opportunity to work with some of them as a teaching assistant and as a member of the industrial projects group. There, I learned a tremendous amount of things that the limited time available in a regular class simply doesn't allow you to explore.
  
  As someone who has been a source of inspiration for me, I would mention Dr. Walter Lewin, the famous physicist from MIT. He was not one of my professors, but his practical approach to teaching—essentially turning the classroom into a laboratory—has been a huge inspiration to me.

• 4) What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  If you want to become an expert in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, you need to be intelligent, thoughtful, and patient. You have to explore different solutions and approaches and compare their advantages and disadvantages without getting bored or worn out!
  
  In this field of engineering, new devices and systems with improved performance and features emerge every day. Higher education should keep pace with—or, better yet, promote—this continuous evolution. Therefore, it is a professor's core responsibility to stay up to date and adopt the ever-changing tools and techniques in the field.

• 5) Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  At the Logic Circuits class, the professor was teaching the Moore Machine and wanted to see if we could find the output waveform for an example state diagram.
  
  He drew the input waveforms on the blackboard and drew only a short line for the output to be continued as the solution. He forgot to mention the initial state or the 0 or 1 value on the line, leaving it ambiguous.
  
  He then asked for the value of the output at the next “clock edge.” Some students replied “one,” others “zero.” By analyzing the diagram, I knew that the value would be “one” if it was currently at “zero” and vice versa, but that it would be impossible to determine with certainty without the information about the initial state.
  
  I raised my hand and answered: “The value will change!” without saying "one" or "zero." The professor did not expect a “political” response in a digital electronics class. So, he turned, looked back at the blackboard, and in a glimpse, realized that he had not included that crucial piece of information.
  
  “You could be a good politician!” the usually serious professor told me. He would soon become one of my favorite professors, teaching me not only the technical aspects of engineering, but also key concepts in project management and professional teamwork.

• 6) What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or still facing in your subject?

  I was a hard-working student, and I enjoyed almost all of my classes. But… there were a few exceptions.
  
  Some subjects are quite hands-on, while others are not as much. For example, Semiconductor Physics, which is based on quantum physics, is full of formulas that you have to memorize without being able to experiment with them at the undergraduate level. So, at that point, the subject remained purely theoretical and, therefore, was not that interesting to me.
  
  Another factor is the amount of time you dedicate to a subject. The first time I took Telecommunications Circuits, I narrowly failed. The reason was that I had a lot of other classes that semester and, somehow, I "sacrificed" that subject for the others. The second time I enrolled in it, I dedicated a lot more time to it and completed all the assigned exercises very thoroughly. The result: I got the second-highest grade in the class!

• 7) Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  I enjoy art, photography, and video production. I have also done some graphic design, and I think that this interest is reflected in the visual and graphic approach I use in my presentations and notes. I believe that the diagrams and conceptual maps I incorporate make learning easier and help students retain the concepts.
  
  I am passionate about learning languages, and I speak several.
  
  I also enjoy analyzing designs created by other engineers—what is known as reverse engineering. When I follow a systematic process to repair and troubleshoot a piece of equipment, I am essentially "reading" the way a fellow engineer, perhaps on the other side of the world, thought when designing it.
  
  History and popular culture are also among my great passions. I am interested in psychology and sociology. In addition, I have studied and worked in business management, consulting, and business development.

• 8) What makes you a Superprof (besides answering this interview questions :-P)?

  My students and I form a team, just like in a sport. Our shared goal is for students to learn and, at the same time, enjoy the process. That sense of trust and unity is essential because it creates an atmosphere of commitment and motivation.
  
  My teaching method is completely interactive, whether the class is in person or online. I ask questions all the time, and if a student gives a wrong answer to one of them, or has difficulty understanding a theoretical concept, I explain it in a different way or use different examples until they “get it.” And that doesn’t tire me out at all—I have all the patience in the world!
  
  Decades of teaching experience allow me to anticipate the questions that tend to arise at the most confusing or ambiguous points in the subjects I teach. I highlight the most important details or summarize them in reference tables that students can keep at hand, helping to avoid any mistakes.
  
  I do my homework, too! I analyze the notes, exams, and specific exercises that students bring me from their university or educational institution, and I design the strategy that best suits what they need to master in order to earn a good grade.
  
  Finally, whenever possible, I put each topic into a practical context. When students see the real-world usefulness of what they are learning for their future professional careers, they absorb it with much greater motivation and ease.