Dr. Simon Sultana

I spent a decade as an electrical engineer in the auto industry before I moved to higher education. I am passionate about helping teachers prepare their students with skills they can use in technical fields and others. Computer science has become increasingly important in our personal and professional lives and it is important that we prepare students properly. Students also need to be exposed to these topics early on in their education so they can start to envision themselves learning these skills for their careers and personal lives.

Professional Experience: Computer Science Instructor, Reedley College (2020-Present); Google Faculty-In-Residence (2021); Program Director, Fresno Pacific University (2015-2020); Program Dean, DeVry University (2006-2015); Senior Engineer, ASI Integrators, Inc. (2005-2006); Senior Engineer, Motorola Inc (2004-2005); Senior Engineer, Chrysler Corporation (1995-2004)

Personal Experience: Youth soccer coach, 20 years; Youth soccer referee/assignor 15 years

Scholarly Interests: Introductory computer science courses, curriculum design to match regional needs

Publications: Hammond, S., Nagpal, S., Sultana, S., & Weikle, D. “Breakout Rooms for Collaborative Groups,” CS POGIL Online Workshop, July 9, 2020; “Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning in the computer science classroom,” Active Learning Conference 2020, Merced College, January 2020; “Designing curriculum to meet varied community needs with limited resources,” Liberal Arts Curriculum Pre-Symposium, Portland, March 2020; “Online Summer Bridge Program Increases Pass Rates for Latinx, First-generation, and Low-income Students,” Gateway Course Experience Conference, Chicago, March 2020; Sultana, S., & Reed, P. (2018). Curriculum for an introductory computer science course: Identifying recommendations from academia and industry. Journal of Technology Studies, 43(2), 80-92; Sultana, S. (2015). [Review of the book Rethinking engineering: The CDIO approach by Crawley, Malmqvist, Östlund, Brodeur, & Eström]. Journal of Technology Education, 26(2), 74-79.

Recommended Reading: Review of the book Rethinking engineering: The CDIO approach by Crawley, Malmqvist, Östlund, Brodeur, & Eström

Favorite Bible Verse: Luke 14:28 ~ "And indeed, which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it?" 

Favorite Music: Classic rock, hard rock, heavy metal, 70s and 80s popular music

Favorite Activities: Spending time with family, soccer

Family Info: Wife Jeanette, married 24 years. She is a Client Services Specialist. Daughter Brittany, 19. Forestry major at Reedley College. Son Nicholas, 17. High school student. Daughter Natalie, 10. Elementary school student.

What Matters: Daily prayer, reflection

Pet Peeves: Grammar

What I Like About FPU: Community