Prof Jing Wang
Department of Information Systems, Business Statistics and Operations Management
Course Taught: ISOM 2310 Chronicle of Internet Commerce

Since taking over the teaching of ISOM 2310 “Chronicle of Internet Commerce” in 2013, Professor Jing Wang has developed a series of new lectures on topics ranging from online retailing to social marketing and crowdsourcing. She has also updated the existing course materials to offer diversified and illustrative presentations enhanced with charts, images, videos, animations, news articles and optional reading.

Jing also enriches her course materials with state-of-the-art research findings in e-commerce and uses real-life scenarios and practical examples to illustrate concepts and demonstrate the connection between theoretical knowledge and the real world. She invites industry leaders as guest speakers to share their insights and practical perspectives on the topics.

Her enthusiasm for teaching, positive attitude and the interactive learning environment stimulate students to think creatively and critically. They feel motivated and inspired to participate, exchange views and learn from each other. Her passion and dedication to teaching spark students’ interest in the subject and several students indicated that they found internships and jobs in this field as a result.

Jing cares about her students. As her course enrolls students of various majors in different years of study, she tracks their performance and offers individual assistance to help them do better. She provides additional reference materials and offers face-to-face and email consultations whenever needed. Students praise her as a patient, caring and helpful lecturer who provides the opportunity for students to improve. They also speak highly of the course as interesting and timely.

Jing serves as an outstanding model in attaining the Common Core aspirations: to broaden students’ horizons, to inspire a passion for learning and to empower their development as compassionate, responsible and ethical citizens. The Selection Committee had the greatest pleasure to recommend her to be the recipient of the 2017 Common Core Teaching Excellence Award.

Prof Marshal Liu
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Course Taught: CENG 1800 Introduction to Food Science and Technology

Developing the new course CENG 1800 “Introduction to Food Science and Technology,” Professor Marshal Yuanshuai Liu included compelling experiential learning components and interactive classroom methods to arouse students’ interest and help them get a sound grasp of food science and technology with hands-on experience of the food production process from an engineering perspective.

The practicum and team-based activities in real-life context spark student’s curiosity and passion for learning, and stimulate their creativity. To many of them, the laboratory experiments are their first encounter with making food such as bread, cookies or beer and, interestingly, all in a chemical engineering laboratory.

These experiments and group projects help students put theories they have learned in the classroom into practice, while enjoying the close interaction and effective teamwork with their peers, or the group work on a creative project topic of their own choice.

Marshal also introduced talks delivered by industry professionals, class debates, lab demonstrations, industrial visits and other inspiring experiences, making classroom teaching engaging and active.

He finds every student’s strength and provides them a chance to shine in class by contributing with expertise based on their own major. To nurture students’ critical thinking, he often challenges them and encourages them to raise questions. Students praise him for pushing them to become objective and independent thinkers and boosting their curiosity to learn more about the secrets behind the food we eat every day.

Marshal has a strong passion for food science and technology and is enthusiastic in sharing it with his students. He is much admired for his friendly, approachable and caring character. Passionate and versatile in his teaching, Marshal richly deserves his Honorary Mention accorded for his excellence as a common core course instructor.