Graduate Faculty Focus | George Dimitoglou

"There is an adage about how teachers are measured by the number of students who have surpassed them, and I can happily claim that I have been left in the dust by students who have taken my courses. Many of them have achieved great feats; some continued their education and went to research, others had remarkable industry careers."

George Dimitoglou, Ph.D.

Program

Cybersecurity (M.S., Certificate)

Department

Computer Science & Information Technology

Faculty
Graduate School
Graduate Student

Academics
Math & Computer Sciences

11/03/2023

George Dimitoglou, Ph.D., is an associate professor of computer science and the program director of the cybersecurity program at Hood College. Dimitoglou earned his Ph.D. in computer science from the School of Engineering and Applied Science at George Washington University. We spoke with Dimitoglou about his experiences teaching in the computer science department and mentoring current students.

How long have you been teaching at Hood College? What brought you here?

I have been teaching computer science courses at Hood College for almost two decades. Having the opportunity to be part of a vibrant academic community and working with students have been the motivating factors.

Roughly how many students do you tutor per semester?

It varies! I teach mostly at the graduate level, so there are times I might have a section of 10 students, and other times the same course might have 25 students.

Are there any particular strategies that you use to mentor students?

I like to be as helpful as possible while increasing the students’ sense of ownership of their education over time. I can share my expertise, knowledge and experience, but unless a student “owns” their education, it is hard for any strategy to be effective. Thankfully, the majority of the students tend to have a high degree of commitment and interest in their studies—especially in computing fields.

How do you balance your work schedule while having accessible hours for students?

I try to be accessible to the students by meeting them where they are. So, I make myself available on different modalities: in-person, on the phone and online. Having multiple different ways to reach me seems to work well for them.

Are there any standout student accomplishments that have come as a result of your help?

There is an adage about how teachers are measured by the number of students who have surpassed them, and I can happily claim that I have been left in the dust by students who have taken my courses. Many of them have achieved great feats; some continued their education and went to research, others had remarkable industry careers. I hope each one of my students succeeded in the way they aspired to be successful. I am proud of them.

Are there any fun facts or trivia about yourself that you would like to share?

I have hiked the Samaria Gorge, which is considered to be one of the longest gorges in Europe at 10 miles. It starts from an altitude of 1,230 meters, about 4,000 feet, and ends up at sea level. It is considered a challenging route and takes more than seven hours to complete. Fun fact, as if the hike was not hard enough, we hiked the gorge in the middle of the summer under 89-degree heat.

Inspired by Professor Dimitoglou’s tutoring and other efforts to help students? Ready to #GOFURTHER in your career? Learn more about Hood College’s graduate programs, such as computer science, by clicking here.