TEACHING STATEMENT
Teaching is the foundation of my pursuit of a Ph.D. and an academic career. Teaching is my lifelong professional endeavor. I greatly enjoy teaching, as communicating and working with students broadens horizons for both me and my students.
During my time as a research assistant professor at Northwestern University, I designed and taught a new course, “Data Analytics for Transportation and Infrastructure Applications”, which was the first of its kind in a U.S. transportation program by then in 2016 spring. Because this course was new, the class roster included graduate and undergraduate students from various departments, including Computer Science, Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences, Materials Science and Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. To teach effectively in an environment of diverse learners, I tailored the learning process to support students with a variety of backgrounds. For instance, I encouraged some Master students to identify specific data sets in their fields and work on their final projects at the beginning of my class. For Ph.D. students who expected to get publications from their projects, I set up weekly meetings to provide additional discussion time. Given the emerging trend of big data, I continued to work closely with some students even after the course ended.
Due to the pandemic, Northwestern University moved all classes online in Spring 2020. I adjusted my teaching strategies and provided more flexible office hours for all my students, considering their specific locations. Besides lectures, I also designed a social bookmarking activity for the course using Piazza. This activity allowed each student to explore and foster their own interest in data analytics by focusing on applications that were most interesting or relevant to them. This facilitated student interactions and discussions related to the course material outside class time, creating a learning environment where students could share their interests with one another.
I continually update my curriculum with new case studies from my research work, popular algorithms, and cases from industry. As a result, more students requested to conduct research with me, and student papers based on their course projects were accepted for publication in top journals and presentation at Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. Due to high demand for my course in Spring 2022, I developed a new course, “Data Analytics for the Built Environment,” for the Master of Science in Project Management program to accommodate students’ curiosity and eagerness to learn more about data science.
In Winter 2023, I designed and taught a new undergraduate level course, “Data Science for Urban Systems”, to address the critical role of data management in big data processes. This course equips students with the fundamental knowledge and skills needed in data engineering, including its ecosystem, lifecycle, and tools for managing data, which are essential for implementing data analytics/science and building machine learning models. This course also covers how to solve large-scale data problems using right algorithms such as k-means, DBSCAN, deep leaning etc., with examples from different urban systems. By the end of the course, students gain a competitive edge by tapping into the power of data science.
Since Fall 2021, I have been teaching CIV_ENV 306 Uncertainty Analysis course. I redesigned this course to cover not only the basic concepts of traditional probability and statistics but also the fundamental processes for collecting, displaying and analyzing data. The goal was to prepare students for advanced analytics and data science courses with a firm understanding of these concepts. However, after teaching the course for three years, I learned that some undergraduate students felt overwhelmed by the numerous topics covered, although graduate students found it beneficial for their future studies. Considering this is a required core course for undergraduates in our department, I plan to redesign the course to help students better understand probability and statistics by introducing important concepts and theorems with examples in civil and environmental engineering.
I am energized by and dedicated to teaching. Witnessing students grasp complex concepts and develop their own insights brings me immense joy and fulfillment. The moments when a student’s eye lights up with understanding or when they make connections between examples, applications, or theories and their own research are what drive my passion. I strive to create an inclusive and stimulating learning environment where every student feels valued and motivated to explore their potential. I believe that education has the power to transform lives and shape the future. As a professor, I am excited to contribute to this transformative process, inspiring my students’ pursuit of knowledge and discovery. My ultimate goal is to equip them with the skills and mindset needed to tackle the complex problems of our world and to become lifelong learners and leaders in their respective fields.