Naperville resident’s video series empowers next generation of students

“What advice would you give to students just starting your major?”

Last year, Iman Salehinia of Naperville posed that question to his mechanical engineering students at Northern Illinois University. Answers from over 130 of them are at the heart of a nine-part video series dubbed “College Success Series: Top Strategies from a Professor.”

Along with an introductory segment and a “final thoughts and conclusions” segment, the video took dozens of hours to create. Brimming with an array of creative graphics and visuals that augment Salehinia’s remarks, the material emerged from rigorous blending of student feedback with his own academic journey as a student and professor and research from an array of fields.

Salehinia drew on his experience growing up in Iran, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at universities in Tehran, and then after coming to the United States, where he earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Washington State University in 2013. He also tapped extensively into cognitive and educational research to convey proven best practices.

His efforts were a factor in his receiving the Outstanding Teacher Award at the NIU College of Engineering and Engineering Technology’s (CEET) Scholarship, Staff, Faculty and Student Awards ceremony.

For Salehinia, whose wife, Sahar Vahabzadeh, is also a mechanical engineering associate professor at NIU, it is a labor of love.

“I’m passionate about innovative teaching in engineering and committed to student success,” he said. “After 10 years at NIU, I’ve found that small yet vital skills, especially if taught from freshman year, can empower students throughout their academic journey. To be frank, after reviewing many online resources, this playlist is possibly one of the most comprehensive and practical ones.”

Since Salehinia posted the videos last October, his channel has attracted nearly 700 subscribers, drawn not only from CEET students but the general public. Along the way, the five- to 10-minute segments have drawn praise from colleagues who recognize the content as a practical, engaging and innovative way to help all students—not only those in engineering.

Norman Fortenberry, former executive director of the American Society of Engineering Education, called the series “fantastic.”

“The series has excellent topical coverage, good use of graphics and visual variety, and includes appropriate references,” Fortenberry wrote on LinkedIn.

“For generations, engineering has had a reputation for being one of the toughest majors, often causing more students to drop out than nearly any other field. The volume of complex technical content can quickly become overwhelming,” said CEET Dean Dave Grewell. “I admire Iman’s commitment to guiding students through those rough patches. It’s so important to have professors dedicated to helping our next generation’s engineers not only survive but thrive in and out of the classroom.”

A member of the CEET faculty since 2015, Salehinia distilled the top responses from engineering students as they neared graduation in Spring and Fall 2024:

1. Mastering Fundamental Concepts
2. Time Management and Class Assignments
3. Attending Classes Regularly
4. Communicating with Professors
5. Forming Study Groups
6. Developing Professional Habits
7. Gaining Practical Industry Experience
8. Staying Mentally Resilient
9. Exam Essentials

In April, NIU’s Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning featured Salehinia’s video series, calling it “a valuable resource for students at all stages of their academic journey—whether just starting out, midway through their program, or approaching graduation—as well as for educators seeking fresh and effective ways to support student learning and engagement.”

Last Thursday, Salehinia was invited to make a presentation about his initiative to the NIU Board of Trustees at their monthly meeting. His efforts drew praise from officials, including Trustee Veronica Herrero, who said his work creates “a more supportive and caring culture” at NIU.

“You as a faculty member, sharing these messages and showing that you care about (student) success makes you that much more approachable,” Herrero said. “...I hope this is contagious and students and faculty alike get inspired.”

The process helped grow Salehinia as an instructor, refining his thinking and sparking new ways to strengthen his students’ experience. For example, in his video on the importance of attending classes regularly, he mentioned that “while talking about this, an idea just came to my mind: I can dedicate the last five minutes of every class for students to refine their notes.”

In the spring, he implemented that approach twice in his Design of Machine Elements course.

“After just five minutes, students approached me with numerous questions directly related to the notes they had taken,” Salehinia recalled. “That showed strong engagement and curiosity.”

Salehinia is now working on the video “FEA Playbook: Pro Moves Backed by Essential Theory,” which covers practical tips for performing reliable finite element analysis in engineering design. He also plans to create videos on design, manufacturing processes, critical thinking, mechanics of materials and various FEA topics.

Additionally, he’s developing “MechCADemy Notes”—accompanying resources for technical videos—and has plans to interview alumni, students and faculty in a podcast format.

Meantime, you might just bump into him around Naperville, where he and his wife moved in 2016. They were attracted to the community’s outstanding schools, its cultural diversity and its reputation for being an excellent place to reside and raise a family.

The Naperville Farmer’s Market, Block 59 and the DuPage Children’s Museum are among their favorite excursion destinations with their two sons, who are 5 and 8 years old.

“There are a lot of things to do as a family in Naperville,” Salehinia said. “Its downtown is very lively and it’s a very diverse town, which is something we love about it.”

👉 Watch the playlist: College Success Series – MechCADemy

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