Jhih-yin "Diane" Lee, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Visual Art Education
University of Kansas
Areas of Interest:
digital visual culture, multiliteracies pedagogy, social justice
Email address:
jydianelee@ku.edu
As a former middle school teacher and writer/producer of educational TV shows for children in Taiwan, I earned a B.A. in Chinese Literature and an M.A. in Drama and Theater with a Secondary School Teacher Certificate from National Taiwan University. Sponsored by Taiwan Government Scholarship for Overseas Study, my husband and I moved to the United States where I earned an M.ED. in Art Education from the University of Houston (UH). Studying at UH provided me with valuable experiences such as being an intern and docent at Blaffer Art Museum and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX, where I helped develop teacher's guides, lead public tours, and facilitate studio art activities for family days. During this time I also served as an art teacher for the Star of Hope shelter, which involved weekly therapeutic art classes for homeless children in the shelter .
Currently, I am an Assistant Professor of Visual Art Education at the University of Kansas. I earned my Ph.D. in Art Education from the University of Georgia (UGA) and have completed the Graduate Certificate in Interdisciplinary Qualitative Studies as part of my doctorate. During my first year of the Ph.D. program, my husband and I found out we were expecting our first child, and our second one came two years later. For the subsequent years, I became a mother/scholar, managing my time raising my children while continuing my teaching, research, and service. I was a TA in the first year, assisting course instructors to lead class discussions, develop rubrics, grading, and student supervising in public schools. I then worked as Instructor of Record at UGA for four years, teaching Art and the Child and Art appreciation courses which won me the Outstanding Teaching Award (2019) and Excellence in Teaching Award (2020) from UGA's Center for Teaching and Learning.
I am passionate about sharing my research and teaching. I made presentations of my research and held workshops of teaching at conferences and seminars, such as the National Art Education Association Convention, International Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Conference, Art and Education for Social Justice Symposium, among others. When available, I contributed to departmental and community services.
After work and on the weekends, I enjoy family time and doing art projects with my two children.
Concerns with diversity, inclusion, and equity have been central to my research, teaching, and service. As the first and only child entering college in my family, an international student/teacher in the United States, I understand how equity differs from equality and how inequity can create barriers among people. When pursuing higher education degrees, I experienced many challenges—juggling school, work, and motherhood, navigating the limited scope of career choices generated by family members, the lack of learning opportunities to develop potential talent and gifts, insufficient financial support, low self-efficacy as a new international student, and more. My background has driven me to support under-served groups and remove barriers to learning in either physical or cyber settings.