Recruiting students from across the U.S., Campus is the new alternative to online community college. Our online associate degree in business program consists of 100% live, online classes taught by professors who also teach at top-ranked colleges and universities. Read on to learn more about our talented teaching team.
Professor Todd Fitch is a wearer of many hats in academia and industry alike. In addition to teaching in our online associate degree in business program, he has an extensive background in education.
He’s currently a Lecturer at the Haas School of Business at the University of California-Berkeley, plus other teaching roles at Berkeley Law and Berkeley Economics.
And his teaching isn't just limited to Berkeley — he's also taught at the University of San Francisco, California Maritime Academy, and even Sichuan University in Chengdu, China.
Beyond the academic realm, Fitch also boasts an impressive career in the industry, spanning over three decades.
He has been an engineer, a leader, and even an entrepreneur. His journey has taken him through big-name companies like IBM and Intuit, and he's played a key role at two start-ups in Silicon Valley, both focused on big data and predicting trends.
On top of all that, Fitch is an esteemed inventor, holding thirty-one patents, many in the world of finance.
Why Campus?
Fitch is one of the many friendly faces behind the Campus Scholars program. In addition to being an instructor and serving as the Program Director for Campus's business program, Fitch is also a lifelong learner.
He brings this love of learning into every class he teaches, making sure his students understand the value of learning new things throughout life. Fitch also enjoys teaching a wide variety of courses, always making them engaging.
“I don't like to stick to any one subject. I like to teach a diversity of subjects,” Fitch said. “It's fun, and I think that any subject can be made to be fun and can be made to be applicable.”
His multifaceted approach to education spills into every corner of his work at Campus. Fitch’s rich experience in various fields, from business and engineering to economics and law, empowers him to bring a uniquely well-rounded perspective to the online classes he teaches and the curriculum he designs for the Campus Scholars program.
“I have a long background outside of academia, and I really enjoy teaching,” Fitch stated. “I enjoy passing along the knowledge that I've learned as well as the practical application of that knowledge.”
Fitch's passion for sharing knowledge across various disciplines led him straight to Campus, where he has become a key player in shaping the future of students. When we asked why he chose Campus's online business program, he was quick to point out that education is not just a job for him – it's a powerful asset that he's eager to share with others.
“I teach at Campus because I'm a firm believer that education can be a differentiator for people,” Fitch stated. “Education isn't as accessible as it could and should be, and I am a firm believer in making opportunities available to whoever wants them. The Campus Scholars Program is an excellent platform to do that.”
Professor Fun Fact: Outside of the classroom, Fitch also has a few hobbies that might surprise you. “I skydive and teach skydiving,” Fitch shared. “One of the things that I'm sort of studying is how to be better at organizing groups of skydivers to do coordinated skydives.”
The Right Teachers Can Really Make a Difference
Great instructors can truly be game-changers in a student's learning adventure, and Fitch’s own college experience exemplifies this impact.
During a recent interview with Campus, Fitch reflected on a few of the many educators who’ve shaped his path. One of the teachers who left a profound impression on Fitch taught a Russian Studies course during his undergraduate program.
“My professor was an ex-CIA officer who spoke fluent Russian, French, German, and probably a bunch of other languages,” Fitch shared. “He literally told war stories because he was in Eastern Europe when the Soviet Union still existed. He was a spy behind the Iron Curtain, and he just had great stories.”
Fitch went on to mention that because the class was held early in the morning, his Russian studies educator would invite his students to meet him for breakfast every morning before class to share stories and eat breakfast.
Naturally, Fitch jumped at the chance and visited with the instructor and his classmates on several occasions.
“We used to have eggs and stuff with the professor at seven in the morning before an eight A.M. class,“ Fitch said. “It was super fun because I learned a lot from him. He was a real person with some really interesting stories.”
After completing his undergraduate program at San Jose State University, Fitch went on to pursue an MBA degree from UC Berkeley. While he was there, he continued to meet other incredible teachers and discovered his passion for economics.
“I really enjoyed my economics classes when I did my MBA, which is why I ended up getting into teaching economics,” Fitch noted. “I had a fabulous professor who was really, really good at teaching very complex topics. He also had industry experience! He'd say, ‘Here's the theory, and here's why this is actually in the real world really hard to do’ and things like that.”
For Fitch, having access to a wide range of teachers who shared their experiences empowered him to continue his own educational and professional journey. “I learned a lot from them,” Fitch reflected. “They were all really formative.”
Learn more about Professor Todd Fitch and his teaching methods in this Campus Culture community interview
Cementing Concepts with Storytelling
Throughout his academic endeavors, Fitch absorbed valuable insights from his professors, which have since become integral parts of his own teaching approach. One of the pillars he identified and uses to create his own unique teaching style at Campus is storytelling.
“Stories can really cement learning,” Fitch observed.
“Just a bunch of facts or figures or theories without a story is not generally a great way to learn unless the person is super motivated to learn the subject or something like that. The stories really help. Ultimately, my view of it is that professors are storytellers and it's your it's our job to reel the students into the story.”
Fitch went on to share that he believes that if students are exposed to an educator who’s passionate about the courses they teach can help them better understand and learn lessons from the class concepts.
“We can all probably think of bad professors that we've had,” Fitch stated. “I think that a common thread would probably be that the class was just boring and it's really easy to tune out when things are boring. Instead, if you have a teacher who's passionate and hooks you with the stories, you may say, ‘Well, I really don't want to study that subject, but I learned something and I had a good time learning it.’”
One of the ways Fitch keeps the good times rolling in his courses is by sharing not just great stories, but also relatable examples that students can engage with.
The most interesting example he mentioned to us, centers on one of the foods he told us he would choose if he could only eat one food for the rest of his life.
“When I teach, a lot of my examples are about pizza,” Fitch told Campus with a smile.
“Even if you don't like pizza, generally everybody understands the ingredients of a pizza, how a pizza is made, and all those things. It's a great example when you're teaching because everyone can relate to it, versus talking about something like automobile manufacturing. You lose people because they just don't have the context, but pizza's pretty universal.”
A Peek Inside the Classroom
Another aspect of his classes that students might be interested to learn is that Fitch likes to create an active learning environment for students to interact with the course material.
“My classes tend to be very interactive,” Fitch added. “I try very hard not to just give a lecture because if I was going to do that, I could just record it and you could watch it and we could spend the class doing other things.”
What’s more, beyond encouraging his students to participate actively throughout the time in class, Fitch goes a step further by incorporating break-out sessions where students can talk with each other to discuss their thoughts on the questions raised in class.
“I make pretty heavy use of sort of pre-thought-out questions, but I also do ad hoc types of questions,” Fitch shared. “Even with some of the students who ask questions, I'll be like, ‘Yeah, that's a great question. Let's go from let's pair up and discuss it and come back and we'll talk about it.’”
By prompting students to work together in class, Fitch helps Campus build a strong and supportive learning community from day one. This teamwork doesn't just make classes more fun, but it also helps everyone learn more and make lasting connections that can last well after the class ends.
The Smart Way to Launch Your College Career
The Campus online associate degree in business program helps students knock out the first two years of college and supports them as they prepare for life after graduation.
Want to attend classes led by mission-driven educators like Todd Fitch? Apply now to be part of the next trailblazing cohort of the Campus program today.
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