Associate professor Aleš Rubina regularly ranks in the questionnaire of popularity of teachers at the Faculty of Civil Engineering at Brno University of Technology in Brno in the master's degree programme. He is the head of the Department of Technical Equipment of Buildings, and in addition to teaching, he is also engaged in research activities. He teaches difficult subjects, yet manages to motivate and engage his students in his teaching.

Why are you a popular teacher, Mr. Associate Professor?
The word popular is misleading. Students say that on average, teaching at the faculty is mostly drill and knowledge accumulation. I think we need not to talk about pure teaching material, but to use stories, ideally from our own lives. I have a lot of content in my lecture, and when I want to highlight something really important, I intersperse it with stories from construction. I want learners to look at any assignment or theory from a different perspective, to understand how different variables interact and what the implications are in engineering practice. To ask why and discover the meaning. Physics, which I mainly teach, is not about patterns, but relationships. I show them the connections and I don't teach theoretical physics separate from engineering. I tell them to investigate, to discover for themselves that the more one learns, the less one knows, the horizons become both larger and more complex. The desire for knowledge is natural to man.

But not everyone can make the most of it. Do you have a special teaching trick to motivate them?
A teacher's primary role is to get students excited about their field. To encourage them and to hold them accountable. Only a minority of people who apply are clear about why they are studying civil engineering. And that's an opportunity for us. To show them that our field is complex, attractive, valued and has a direct impact on people's lives. Our main task is to educate expert builders, so I try to show them how they can apply the knowledge they gain in theoretical subjects in practice. I want them to understand that construction is interesting and promising, that they can apply theoretical knowledge in meaningful and concrete work.

Despite this, the technical fields have long faced declining interest from applicants. Why do you think this is?
A subtle but persistent reason for the low interest in studying civil engineering is the negative publicity given to civil engineering as an industry. Only a very small percentage of construction really has a problem, but unfortunately the negative news is given increased attention. Construction faculties can contribute significantly to a more favourable image of the industry as a whole through better communication and openness. I often tell my students that when they come out of school, they will be seen as respected professionals, responsible engineers who will be respected by people on the job site, that they will have a great job for the rest of their lives. That doesn't come across very often in the public arena. In addition, we are going to have many large construction projects in the Czech Republic that will need qualified people.

In your opinion, the university has not only a professional but also an educational function?
Certainly, a teacher is also a mentor, not just one who imparts professional knowledge. I am an advocate of openness and mutual trust with learners is a fundamental value for me. They also tell me a lot afterwards. A college should educate in a positive sense, inspire, but also lead to discipline and responsibility. Construction practice requires not only knowledge, but also a certain level of resilience and a willingness to stand by one's professional decisions.

Why did you decide to become a teacher?
One has something to bring to the world. In the twenty years I have been teaching, I have found that I can impart knowledge to young people, they understand and both parties enjoy it. I can lure them into my field. I can't imagine anything better. I often meet my former students on construction sites and they all apply to me. I think that's the best feedback.

Do your current students feel the same way?
They think differently from their predecessors 15 years ago. It's not a question of intelligence or upbringing, but today's young people have technology that gives them lightning-fast access to information. When we used to need to know something, we would spend a week looking in the literature; today it takes two minutes. It has taught us perseverance and discipline, something that is virtually impossible today. Of course, they also experience setbacks in their studies and I feel that they are more sensitive to them than earlier generations. I always tell them that a failed exam is just one of many, not to give up, think honestly about where they went wrong, prepare better and go again. Everyone has experienced being fired from an exam, and it's part of studying. I try to cultivate perseverance in them.

What makes a student a good builder?
Ideally, he should be strongly intrinsically motivated, passionate about the field and patience and a little humility comes in handy. He should expect that it will take some time before the student becomes a technical expert who is also well paid. Most of them know that. And those who are interested in engineering and devote time and effort to studying it make excellent experts. Good teamwork is also essential for technical practice, which a fresh graduate must also learn. They have a great theoretical knowledge base, and when they combine this with a few years of practice, they become real experts. My job is to encourage their interest and support them when they experience partial failure.

In addition to teaching, you are involved in research and knowledge transfer. Does this affect teaching?
The air engineering or applied physics I teach is 80% the same, but I update each lecture with the latest scientific findings and examples of their application in engineering practice. Thanks to my scientific activities I have access to many resources and I like to use them. Of course, learners are immediately more interested and enjoy it when they see real outputs.

Where do innovation and modern technology stand in the construction industry?
Our market is small and conservative, everyone knows each other personally, and to push something new is to defend it against established practices. Novelty often represents a higher upfront cost and during tenders, the purchase price is usually the decisive criterion, regardless of more economical operation, long-term energy savings and higher durability of the solution.

Storytelling is a method of conveying information and facts. It is based on an ancient tradition that has been used by mankind since the beginning of time. In teaching practice, it usually uses personal experience and anecdotes to not only share knowledge more attractively but also to engage learners more. Another advantage is the ability to connect different topics and reveal to the audience the higher meaning of the material being discussed. Experts refer to stories of this kind as narrative case studies.