In the words of my students

Selected anonymous comments from Student Rating of Teaching surveys, drawn from nine years of teaching at the University of Minnesota — as Lecturer at the Carlson School of Management, Teaching Assistant in the Department of Economics, and Instructor of Record for Principles of Microeconomics.

As Lecturer

MGMT 1001 · Contemporary Management

Carlson School of Management, 2017–2020

"I thought every lesson was well prepared! Especially that first lecture, I was beyond impressed. It felt as though, every Tuesday and Thursday, we as a class were receiving our own TED talk."

"Professor Liao is by far one of the most influential teachers I've ever had. She taught me far beyond management skills and gave me confidence and motivation to always put forth my best effort."

"So supportive. Someone I can trust. Incredibly smart. Tough, but always pushed me to do my best. Believed in all of us."

"Professor Liao did a great job of spacing out all components of the course so I never felt overwhelmed with the quizzes, pulse papers, team book project, self-development paper, exams, homework assignments, and readings. The book project and self-development paper had many steps due throughout the semester instead of all at once. This helped me focus learning with less stress throughout the course."

"Professor Liao was one of the best professors to have, especially as a freshman still transitioning to college. She gave very good feedback in response to assignments and tests, and checked in with students at each step as we completed them. She is immensely well organized and answers questions extremely well. Professor Liao also ensured that we made a healthy transition to college by laying out expectations and giving out helpful pointers."

"She deeply cares about your learning and also pushes you to think critically and reach your full potential."

"She used plenty of real-world examples that helped us apply what we had been learning to the real world. She also came to class very well prepared and knew her content very well. We all love her!"

"She really cared about all the students, and made everyone feel special. I also was impressed by how well she presented the course material."

"The amount of effort and passion that was put in to truly benefit all students was visibly clear. All through classes, Professor Liao made an effort to keep the class motivated and interested. I could tell that she believed in us and this made me enjoy the class more."

"Professor Liao is one of my favorite professors at the U. She is engaging and always has encouraging words to say. She covers the material in depth and concisely."

"She paid particular attention to every student — not easy to do, even in a smaller lecture."

"She made class extremely interesting, and with her ready energy to engage class. This was my favorite class this semester."

"LOVE Professor Liao! Her spunky and energetic personality rubs off on everyone and creates a great atmosphere for all students. It is also easily apparent how much she cares about everyone she teaches."

"Everything the instructor did helped my understanding of the subject matter. By far my best experience at this university because of the instructor, the subject matter, and the environment she created."

"LOVED HER."

As Teaching Assistant

ECON 1101 · Principles of Microeconomics

Recitation sections, Department of Economics, 2020–2022

"She was always so prepared and took the time to make detailed, step-by-step explanations in her slideshows. Without fail, every time I would come confused from the morning lecture, she would clarify the material and I would leave with a better understanding. She engaged everyone and you can tell she genuinely cares about students, because she takes the time to learn names, even though we only see her once a week. Her heart is very much in the content that she's teaching and it shows."

"Ruyan was so kind and approachable! She was always so chipper for a 9am class, and while we may not have reciprocated the same energy at times, I really appreciated it. She made sure to cover the necessary material for each week's discussion while also providing us with constant encouragement. She was a breath of fresh air during online learning. "

"I really appreciate how respectful Ruyan was to everyone in the class. It felt as if she cared about each and every one of us. Some concepts that were cloudy in lecture became clear during recitation. One time, I missed two recitations in a row due to other events. Ruyan personally reached out to me to let me know that I was doing well in the class and asked if I needed any help. Ruyan is a wonderful teacher and human being."

"Ruyan offered the most professional and positive classroom experience I have ever been a part of. She truly gets what college is about, especially at the more general level: professional development. She would give the class feedback on its conduct, and she would reward good behavior and participation. My only regret is that I had her my first semester at the University and I will not get a TA as professional ever again."

"Throughout the course, she always made sure to break down more complex ideas into smaller pieces and explained the big picture of what we were learning. She also took an active interest in her students' success and would congratulate them for performing well on an exam."

"She was very kind and encouraged us to be the best we can be. She told us she believed in us — which is really nice to hear — and was just overall one of the best TAs I have ever had. Economics is a tough subject and she made it bearable."

"She was fantastic, literally the best TA I've ever had. She always came prepared and interacted with her students very well."

As Instructor of Record

ECON 1101 · Section 301 · Asynchronous Online

Principles of Microeconomics, 2023–present

"Ruyan was absolutely fantastic. This is a very new topic area for me and was a bit challenging. Every time I reached out for support, I got a significant amount of support and encouragement. Ruyan clearly cared about the success of every individual student, which I'm sure is challenging in large and online-only classes."

"Ruyan was the best professor I have ever had when taking an online class. Since the class is fully online, communication is more limited, but Ruyan made up for this. She responded to emails quickly and thoroughly, sent out messages to the whole class when it seemed like a topic was more difficult to understand, and even reached out to students who excelled on the midterm so they could share some study tips for finals."

"The clear and consistent expectations, instructions, and guidance she provided was outstanding. I've never had an instructor be so well organized and responsive."

"Each week the instructor sent out thorough, concise, and helpful emails outlining what could be done better, who did an excellent job, and expectations moving forward. For an online class, this email alone was extremely helpful and allowed me to know what to study as well as how I could be doing better."

"Ruyan was an incredible instructor. The expectations were clearly and strictly outlined at the beginning of the course and she held us to high standards. These standards furthered my learning and made it easier to understand what was expected of me. She was also so helpful, kind, and encouraging with the feedback she gave throughout the course."

"Very interesting class. I learned a lot about economics and enjoyed the content. I really liked the weekly format — with the assigned readings and videos and then the assignments and discussion beneath. I felt very organized in this way, which reduced my stress."

Comments anonymized and reproduced from Student Rating of Teaching (SRT) surveys, University of Minnesota.
Light copyediting has been applied for spelling and clarity; no substantive content has been altered.