TEACHING

This MSW foundation course provides Master of Social Work students with essential training in research methods and statistical skills. 

Drawing on my memories as a first-year MSW student, I entirely redesigned the lecture slides for data management and analysis to make fundamental research concepts as easy as possible. I focused on using plain language, recognizing that many students come from practice-based backgrounds rather than research. 

In doing so, I not only supported students’ learning but also reinforced my own understanding by translating complex research ideas into simple, straightforward explanations.

This MPH foundation course was more advanced compared to the MSW research methods course, as MPH students were generally more accustomed to research and data analysis. From this experience, I learned that every class is different and requires customization based on students’ backgrounds. 

I led weekly R lab sessions and, midway through the semester, introduced Padlet to gather feedback and suggestions. Students provided thoughtful input, which I openly discussed and incorporated into the remaining sessions. This approach worked well and taught me the importance of interacting with students rather than relying solely on one-way lecturing.

Students and the course team visited multiple sites representing different housing/social service models in South Korea.

We did not stay only in Seoul - we've also traveled to rural areas of South Korea!

This was my first experience serving as a teaching assistant for an online course, and I realized that the setting itself does not matter as much as the dedication and passion of the instructor and the active participation of students. Through this role, I learned valuable lessons on how to engage students in lectures, design effective assignments, and foster an inclusive learning community.

Dan and I met almost every week to prepare for the class, and every PowerPoint slide was carefully crafted to maximize student learning. I also had the opportunity to lecture on senior nutrition programs and loneliness, as well as to recap social welfare policies I had studied during my MSW program. Altogether, this experience became one of the biggest milestones and learning opportunities of my semester.

This is a course I truly enjoy—I served as a TA twice, first in 2020 (before starting my PhD) and again in 2023. Beyond the fact that it is an aging-focused course, it also provided me with the opportunity to engage students in meaningful discussions about major aging issues and policies. My primary role was to provoke critical thinking about these aging policies and their implications. 

Because policy classes can easily become heavy lecture-based sessions, I sought to make the discussion more engaging by helping students see these issues as personally relevant and applicable to real-world contexts. Through this experience, I developed valuable skills in discussion facilitation and classroom management.