Teaching
Instructor
Spring 2023
Survey Research and Statistical Analysis (SOCI120), Santa Clara University
Immigrant Businesses in the US (SOCI150/ETHN170), Santa Clara University
Winter 2023
Race and Inequality (SOCI175/ETHN167), Santa Clara University
Religion, Science, and Technology (SOCI128), Santa Clara University
Fall 2022
Survey Research and Statistical Analysis (SOCI120), Santa Clara University
Immigrant Businesses in the US (SOCI150/ETHN170), Santa Clara University
Spring 2022
Race and Inequality (SOCI175/ETHN167), Santa Clara University
Stakeholder Diversity Issues in Contemporary US Organizations (SOCI148), Santa Clara University
Winter 2022
Survey Research and Statistical Analysis (SOCI120), Santa Clara University
Immigrant Businesses in the US (SOCI150/ETHN170), Santa Clara University
Fall 2021
Survey Research and Statistical Analysis (SOCI120), Santa Clara University
Religion, Science, and Technology (SOCI128), Santa Clara University
Spring 2021
Race and Inequality (SOCI175/ETHN167), Santa Clara University
Stakeholder Diversity Issues in Contemporary US Organizations (SOCI148), Santa Clara University
Winter 2021
Survey Research and Statistical Analysis (SOCI120), Santa Clara University
Immigrant Businesses in the US (SOCI150/ETHN170), Santa Clara University
Fall 2020
Survey Research and Statistical Analysis (SOCI120), Santa Clara University
Race and Inequality (SOCI175/ETHN167), Santa Clara University
Spring 2020
Race and Inequality (SOCI175/ETHN167), Santa Clara University
Stakeholder Diversity Issues in Contemporary US Organizations (SOCI148), Santa Clara University
Winter 2019
Survey Research and Statistical Analysis (SOCI120), Santa Clara University
Immigrant Businesses in the US (SOCI150/ETHN170), Santa Clara University
Fall 2020
Survey Research and Statistical Analysis (SOCI120), Santa Clara University
Spring 2018
Sociology of Immigration (SOCI340), Rice University
qUANTITATIVE EVALUATION
| Table 1: Di Di Instructor Evaluation Compared to Average Rice Faculty Instructor Evaluations* | ||
|---|---|---|
| *Note: Evaluations are based on a 1 to 5 scale, where 1= “Outstanding” and 5= “Poor.” All available measures of instructional effectiveness are presented in the table. | ||
| Di Di | Rice Faculty | |
| Organization (preparation for class) | 1 | 1.61 |
| Presentation (presentation of class material) | 1.4 | 1.76 |
| Responsiveness (response to student questions and request for help) | 1 | 1.6 |
| Class Atmosphere (class atmosphere related to respect, support, civility, and equitable treatment for all members) | 1.2 | 1.59 |
| Independence (ability to encourage and foster development for independent thinking and/or creativity) | 1.2 | 1.66 |
| Stimulation (ability to stimulate intellectual curiosity) | 1.3 | 1.7 |
| Knowledge (ability to inspire confidence in the knowledge of the subject) | 1.2 | 1.59 |
| Effectiveness (effectiveness as a teacher) | 1.2 | 1.7 |
| Responsibility (responsibility in teaching and grading) | 1 | 1.47 |
Qualitative Review
“Di Di is my favorite professor here at Rice. She is super helpful and listens to input. She really cares about the students and puts them first. She also really knows her stuff, seeming to be able to find papers suitable for any area of interest in the sociology of immigration.”
“The BEST prof!!! SO kind and supportive. Really enjoyed her detailed notes on assignments and eagerness to accommodate all of our learning styles.”
“Di Di is awesome! She is an immigrant herself so I am glad that someone with that perspective was able to teach this class. She is so open to student feedback and changing the syllabus/class to improve it throughout the year. She really tries to make sure that this class isn’t a stressful experience and also tried to incorporate “fun” in-class activities that we still learned from. Her writing assignments could sometimes be confusing at first glance, but she responds really quickly by email if you have questions. Also gave really detailed feedback on assignments.”
teaching philosophy
I apply my teaching philosophy in every class that I design. For example, in my Research Methods course, I would divide students into groups and assign each the role of a different think-tank; students would then be required to provide professional consultation in the form of formal presentations and provide their strategies for solving real-life problems. Students would learn different perspectives from the group discussions and have the opportunity to act as professional researchers, and addressed real-life problems.
Similarly, in my Sociology of Gender class, I would ask students to do a mini content analyses of the comments under pop stars’ official Facebook pages.
In my Sociology of Religion class, I would assign experiential assignment to each student: (1) interview a religious friend; (2) observe a religious event; and (3) analyze a website about religion. Through this assignment, students would learn firsthand how religion impacts people's daily lives.
I am prepared to teach core sociological classes, such as Research Methods. I am also able to teach substantive sociological classes, in Gender, Religion, Race and Ethnicity, Science, and China.
Sample COURSE
Religion in a global context
Sociology of gender
Exploring modern china
Mentoring
I consistently expose students to research through mentoring. I have worked in the Religion and Public Life Program (RPLP) at Rice University, where we have mentored over 70 undergraduate students in various majors. Taking a leadership role, I have mentored undergraduate students in a variety of areas, including research ethics, research methods, data analysis, and presentation skills.
With the support from a Pre-Dissertation Research Grant at Rice University, a small grant from Boniuk Institute at Rice University, and a Student Research Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR), I also mentored undergraduate students throughout my independent master's thesis and dissertation project. When I mentor, I connect what students have learned in sociology classes with empirical data and expose them to all the building blocks of sociological research.