Soo Yeon Kim - Teaching

Teaching

Instructor of Record
Economics of Innovation (Summer 2025)

Introduced students to innovation, entrepreneurship, and market structures in the context of innovation
Guided a project-based curriculum applying concepts to real-world settings, where students designed innovative products, set prices using economic theory, and built online marketing websites

Guest Lectures
Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory (Fall 2025)

Intermediate Microeconomic Theory (Spring & Fall 2024)

Teaching Assistant
Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory (Spring 2022, 2023, 2025 · Fall 2022, 2023, 2025)

Intermediate Microeconomic Theory (Spring & Fall 2024)

Econometrics (Fall 2021)

TA Responsibilities: Led weekly discussion sections, held regular office hours, and provided grading and exam review support.

Teaching Evaluation

Student Feedback Highlights

"Soo is the best instructor I have had not only at UC Merced, but in my entire academic career. This course was extremely challenging, and Soo was truly the light in the darkness. She singlehandedly carried the entire class on her back and is the only reason most of us were able to learn anything at all. [ … ] I consistently scored in the top five on every exam solely from going to Soo’s discussions. That is how powerful and effective her teaching is. She made the topics enjoyable and digestible, turning material that was unbearable in lecture into something I could genuinely engage with and understand."
— Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory, Fall 2025

"The way the course was outlined was very straightforward, which made it easy to learn and know what was to come. The worksheets assigned in this course were also beneficial by enabling us to further practice what we were learning. The best thing about this course was the instructor. She was very kind and enthusiastic about what she taught, continuously seeking our clarification and understanding of the material as she lectured. The way she taught the course made it easy to understand and fun to learn! I would take this course again if taught by her!"
— Economics of Innovation, Summer 2025 (Instructor of Record)

"Kim is an excellent TA! She was very welcoming and thorough with her explanations of the topics and providing examples as well as clarifying confusion along with alternative ways to think about it to get students to better understand the topics. teaching was extremely effective I felt like I learned a great deal of the course through just this discussion alone."
— Intermediate Microeconomic Theory, Fall 2024

"I loved going to lab with Soo Yeon. She has great understanding of Econometrics and is always able to clear up any confusions. Lab hours were set up and used very wisely and efficiently by the instructor. She was always prepared and full of energy."
— Econometrics, Fall 2021

Teaching Awards/Certificates

Best Teaching Assistant Award, University of California, Merced (2023, 2025)
Awarded annually to top graduate teaching assistants in recognition of exceptional classroom instruction.

Certificate in Fundamentals of Teaching, University of California, Merced (Fall 2021)
One-week intensive training in inclusive teaching practices.

Teaching

Instructor of RecordEconomics of Innovation (Summer 2025)

Guest LecturesIntermediate Macroeconomic Theory (Fall 2025)

Teaching AssistantIntermediate Macroeconomic Theory (Spring 2022, 2023, 2025 · Fall 2022, 2023, 2025)

Teaching Evaluation

Instructor of Record
Economics of Innovation (Summer 2025)

Guest Lectures
Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory (Fall 2025)

Teaching Assistant
Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory (Spring 2022, 2023, 2025 · Fall 2022, 2023, 2025)