Eric Dobbs | Leadership + Academic Portfolio

Academic Profile & Teaching Portfolio

Industry-informed programming instruction, technical evaluation, and student preparation for real-world software development roles.

Academic Positioning

Adjunct instructor and software engineering professional with 20+ years of industry experience in enterprise application development, distributed systems, and modern software engineering practices.

I specialize in teaching programming fundamentals, object-oriented design, structured problem-solving, debugging, and practical software development workflows using Java and Python.

Why This Matters

Students need more than syntax. They need to understand how employers evaluate problem solving, code quality, debugging, communication, and readiness for real engineering work.

Teaching Experience

Gwinnett Technical College — Adjunct Professor, Programming Languages

Instructional Scope

  • Teach foundational and intermediate programming concepts using Java and Python.
  • Guide students through object-oriented programming, flowcharting, pseudocode, and structured problem-solving.
  • Develop hands-on coding labs that simulate real-world development workflows.
  • Evaluate student performance and provide targeted feedback to improve logic, clarity, and coding proficiency.

Classroom Approach

  • Emphasize conceptual understanding over memorization.
  • Connect classroom exercises to professional software development practices.
  • Introduce debugging, testing, version control, and clean code principles.
  • Mentor students preparing for internships, certifications, and entry-level development roles.

Technical Evaluation & Industry Alignment

Six years of technical screening experience evaluating coding exercises and technical competencies for major U.S. companies.

Technical Screener Experience

  • Conduct technical assessments for mid-to-senior engineering roles across Java, Spring Boot, Python, AWS, SQL, and related technologies.
  • Proctor live coding exercises and evaluate real-time problem solving, debugging ability, and code quality.
  • Assess system design thinking, architectural reasoning, communication clarity, and practical development judgment.
  • Provide structured hiring recommendations based on technical depth and performance under discussion.

Academic Value

  • Bring current hiring expectations into the classroom.
  • Help students understand how technical interviews assess reasoning, not just syntax.
  • Align assignments with real-world employer expectations.
  • Prepare students to explain their code, defend decisions, and debug under constraints.
Teaching Differentiator: I do not only teach software development concepts; I also evaluate working engineers against industry standards. That perspective helps students connect classroom learning to employability.

Student-Relevant Project Examples

AI-Powered Applications

Use AI-generated content workflows to demonstrate modern product development and responsible AI integration.

Web-Based Systems

Use full-stack applications to explain UI, REST APIs, backend services, persistence, and system integration.

Progressive Web Apps

Use mobile-first, offline-capable tools to teach usability, constraints, and real-world workflow design.

Academic Resume Focus Areas

Instructional Strengths

  • Programming fundamentals
  • Object-oriented design
  • Problem decomposition
  • Debugging and testing
  • Applied coding labs

Industry Bridge

  • Technical interview preparation
  • Code articulation
  • Professional development workflows
  • Employer-aligned competency expectations
  • AI-era software engineering awareness