My teaching philosophy centers around three principles: 1) change mindsets, 2) less is more, 3) the role of a facilitator.
I see my teaching as effective and successful if students leave my class with a different mindset about at least one thing. For example, they may enter my class thinking AI is going to replace all jobs and take over the world, especially after the popularity of ChatGPT. They will graduate from my class knowing that even ChatGPT is still a weak form of AI due to the lack of general intelligence.
I design each of my class around a few key learning objectives. For each learning objective, I explain why it is important to learn and use active learning techniques to help students practice. Each class has clear key takeaways.
With the sheer amount of information and knowledge, the teacher should not be the sole source of knowledge, especially for graduate and executive level teaching. I see myself more as a facilitator to help students learn not only from me but also from one another.
Over the years, I have participated in many workshops on course design, syllabus development, student motivation and evaluation, active learning, case-based teaching, multimedia presentations, online course design.
Here are a list of courses that I have developed and taught in recent years:
Executive Courses in Digital Transformation and Emerging Technologies
This course is designed to help top executives to become tech savvy and prepare their organizations for the rapidly changing technological environments. We start with a deep dive into IT as a disruptive force and how companies and individuals can be innovative. We cover the fundamentals of business analytics and how emerging technologies such as the artificial intelligence, blockchain, and quantum computing can continue to transform and shape our businesses, lives, and society.
AI for Competitive Advantage (Master Level)
This course is about artificial intelligence and its business applications. Through a combination of readings, case discussions, exercises, and projects, we will explore the following questions:
- What is artificial intelligence? How do machines learn? What are major machine learning techniques?
- How do machines play games, recognize images and speeches, translate, answer questions?
- What are convolutional neural networks? What is reinforcement learning?
- What are business applications of AI in finance, accounting, human resources, marketing, sales, etc.?
- What is explainable AI? What are the ethical risks and challenges associated with AI?
- What is the impact of AI on humanity? Will or when will superintelligence emerge?
Web 2.0: The Business of Social Media (MBA and Undergraduate)
This course focuses on key social media technologies and their business applications in marketing, advertising, innovation, and collaboration. How to design and implement a social media marketing strategy or campaign? How can businesses effectively respond to social media crises? How can managers use to social media to promote employee engagement and collaboration? What are the risks and "dark sides" of social media. Students will read, think, and discuss these questions through a combination of readings, cases analyses, and hands-on projects.
IDSC 3001 Information Systems for Business Processes and Management (up to 120 undergraduate per section)
This is a broad survey course required of all Carlson School undergraduate students. It covers topics including enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), electronic commerce, social media, privacy, security, IT infrastructure, database, artificial intelligence, Internet of things, etc. The course equips business students with a comprehensive and solid understanding of digital technologies and how they have and will continue to transform businesses.
Research Seminar on Emerging Technologies: Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, & Virtual Reality (PhD)
This course covers the latest research on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, metaverse, and social media. Example topics include AI transparency, AI aversion, human-robot interactions, designs and mechanisms of blockchain, the impact of augmented reality and virtual reality, peer production, and online social networks. We will be reading and discussing book chapters and articles from multiple disciplines including but not limited to information systems, human-computer interaction, management, communication, and computer science.
Research Seminar on Social Media and Online Communities (PhD)
This is a PhD seminar to expose students to theories and methods related to social media and online communities. We cover key topics in motivation, identity, collaboration and innovation, social networks, community dynamics and evolution, electronic word-of-mouth, and risks associated with social media. Through readings and class discussions, students will learn how to read academic papers, how to synthesize papers to understand the big picture, how to motivate a research question, how to theorize, and how to write papers.
I see my teaching as effective and successful if students leave my class with a different mindset about at least one thing. For example, they may enter my class thinking AI is going to replace all jobs and take over the world, especially after the popularity of ChatGPT. They will graduate from my class knowing that even ChatGPT is still a weak form of AI due to the lack of general intelligence.
I design each of my class around a few key learning objectives. For each learning objective, I explain why it is important to learn and use active learning techniques to help students practice. Each class has clear key takeaways.
With the sheer amount of information and knowledge, the teacher should not be the sole source of knowledge, especially for graduate and executive level teaching. I see myself more as a facilitator to help students learn not only from me but also from one another.
Over the years, I have participated in many workshops on course design, syllabus development, student motivation and evaluation, active learning, case-based teaching, multimedia presentations, online course design.
Here are a list of courses that I have developed and taught in recent years:
Executive Courses in Digital Transformation and Emerging Technologies
This course is designed to help top executives to become tech savvy and prepare their organizations for the rapidly changing technological environments. We start with a deep dive into IT as a disruptive force and how companies and individuals can be innovative. We cover the fundamentals of business analytics and how emerging technologies such as the artificial intelligence, blockchain, and quantum computing can continue to transform and shape our businesses, lives, and society.
AI for Competitive Advantage (Master Level)
This course is about artificial intelligence and its business applications. Through a combination of readings, case discussions, exercises, and projects, we will explore the following questions:
- What is artificial intelligence? How do machines learn? What are major machine learning techniques?
- How do machines play games, recognize images and speeches, translate, answer questions?
- What are convolutional neural networks? What is reinforcement learning?
- What are business applications of AI in finance, accounting, human resources, marketing, sales, etc.?
- What is explainable AI? What are the ethical risks and challenges associated with AI?
- What is the impact of AI on humanity? Will or when will superintelligence emerge?
Web 2.0: The Business of Social Media (MBA and Undergraduate)
This course focuses on key social media technologies and their business applications in marketing, advertising, innovation, and collaboration. How to design and implement a social media marketing strategy or campaign? How can businesses effectively respond to social media crises? How can managers use to social media to promote employee engagement and collaboration? What are the risks and "dark sides" of social media. Students will read, think, and discuss these questions through a combination of readings, cases analyses, and hands-on projects.
IDSC 3001 Information Systems for Business Processes and Management (up to 120 undergraduate per section)
This is a broad survey course required of all Carlson School undergraduate students. It covers topics including enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), electronic commerce, social media, privacy, security, IT infrastructure, database, artificial intelligence, Internet of things, etc. The course equips business students with a comprehensive and solid understanding of digital technologies and how they have and will continue to transform businesses.
Research Seminar on Emerging Technologies: Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, & Virtual Reality (PhD)
This course covers the latest research on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, metaverse, and social media. Example topics include AI transparency, AI aversion, human-robot interactions, designs and mechanisms of blockchain, the impact of augmented reality and virtual reality, peer production, and online social networks. We will be reading and discussing book chapters and articles from multiple disciplines including but not limited to information systems, human-computer interaction, management, communication, and computer science.
Research Seminar on Social Media and Online Communities (PhD)
This is a PhD seminar to expose students to theories and methods related to social media and online communities. We cover key topics in motivation, identity, collaboration and innovation, social networks, community dynamics and evolution, electronic word-of-mouth, and risks associated with social media. Through readings and class discussions, students will learn how to read academic papers, how to synthesize papers to understand the big picture, how to motivate a research question, how to theorize, and how to write papers.