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Cognitive Psychology, Human Computer Interaction, Mathematics Education
Prior to LDT, I was in a PhD program in Management Information Systems at the University of California at Irvine, The Paul Merage School of Business. Prior to that, I received my MBA from the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business, and my BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. I also had various work experiences: R&D Polymer Engineer at Yokohama Rubber Company (Japan), Semiconductor Process Engineer at MicroAssembly Technologies (California), Banking Supervision & Regulation Intern at Federal Reserve of San Francisco (California), and Advancement Via Individual Determination Tutor at Los Alisos Intermediate School (California).
Learning Goals
I was seeking for a new direction when I decided to enroll in LDT. I was searching for a field that I can be passionate about and an area that can really contribute something back to society. Because I always had a strong belief in the value of education for the youth of tomorrow and because I always loved technology, LDT became a natural place for me to further my own learning. I was hoping to learn about new research in education technologies, in educational equity, and in learning theories. I ended up learning all that, and more!
Courses
Fall – Quarter 1
CS376 – Research Topics in HCI
CS547 – Human Computer Interface Seminar
EDUC106 – Interactive Media in Education
EDUC229A – Learning Design & Technology Seminar
ED333A - Analyzing Functions and Needs in Learning Environments
EDUC391 – Web-based Teaching Technology
Winter – Quarter 2
EDUC124- Technology Integrated Curriculum
EDUC151 – Qualitative Research Methods
EDUC229B- Learning, Design & Technology Seminar
EDUC380- Internship
SOC226- Introduction to Social Networks
Spring – Quarter 3
COMM268- Experimental Research in Advanced User Interfaces
EDUC229C- Learning, Design & Technology Seminar
EDUC309X- Education Issues in China
EDUC328X- Topics in Learning Technology
EDUC380- Internship
Summer– Quarter 4
EDUC185- Master’s Thesis
EDUC229D- Learning, Design & Technology Seminar
EDUC380- Internship
See Project Portfolio
Internship
I interned at Apple Computer in the Apple Product Documentation (APD) group. My initial assignment was general: look at user feedback and analyze how it informed our design for documentation. Then, my assignment evolved based on my own interests. On one hand I ended up designing a system that parsed user feedback and presented analysis results. This system was a key tool for understanding how users learn to interact with technology using documentation. On the other hand, I hosted an innovation workshop session, where instructional designers participated in hands-on activities on pushing the boundaries of documentation.
Master’s Project
My Masters Project was titled Smart Shopping Pal. It was a joint project with Sun-Young Chun and Dahwun Kim, fellow LDT’ers. We wanted to make grocery shopping a learning experience for children. Particularly, we saw grocery stores as places with lots of tangible objects, which can be described, compared, and contrasted. Grocery stores were places with opportunities for children to learn literacy.
With this concept, we designed a touch-screen RFiD reader platform, along with a Flash program. Upon scanning an object, which required tangible interactions, the program would start a context-specific language learning game. This helped literacy learning.
Smart Shopping Pal
I am now working at IBM’s Silicon Valley Laboratory as a Usability Engineer in the User eXperience department. As an integral part of the software engineering process, I make sure our customers are an important part of every stage of our design process. I am also involved in the interface and architectural design, ensuring that IBM software products are usable with an easy learning path. More importantly, I need to make sure our products generate a great user experience. Overall, I am challenged everyday to think about learning theories, design processes, business practices, and technical underpinnings.
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