UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State faculty members are helping online students connect academic study with practical application through engaging, career-focused learning experiences. This month, Penn State World Campus is highlighting a faculty member in finance and another in the arts who each bring a distinct but complementary approach to shaping the online learning experience.
Eric Robbins is an associate teaching professor of finance with Penn State Behrend's Black School of Business. He teaches in the online bachelor’s in finance degree program that is offered through Penn State World Campus.
Peter Aeschbacher is an associate professor of architecture and landscape architecture from the College of Arts and Architecture. He teaches an art general education course for World Campus.
Robbins and Aeschbacher share a commitment to making online students feel seen. Through consistent communication, personalized feedback, and intentional course design, they work to ensure that their students feel supported and challenged.
Robbins, who is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP), brings more than a decade of wealth management experience into his online courses. He designs projects for his courses that are vetted by industry executives — work that students can present in job interviews as evidence of real analytical skills. In 2020, he received the UPCEA Mid-Atlantic Region Excellence in Teaching Award for his commitment to online learners.
"I believe in giving students projects that they could highlight in interviews," Robbins said. "They work with real data and conduct real analysis — the kind of work they'd actually do in the professional world."
Learn more about Robbins on the Penn State World Campus website.