Graduate Student Minjun Choi wins 2024 Teaching Prize
Each year at the University of Chicago, the Physical Sciences Collegiate Division and the Physical Sciences Division present a Teaching Prize to UChicago graduate students, recognizing their exceptional teaching of the college’s undergraduate student body. Up to six prizes of $1,000 and a certificate are awarded annually to those judged to have been most effective in undergraduate instruction in a physical science course during the previous year.
This year, University of Chicago Department of Chemistry PhD student Minjun Choi of the Scott Snyder Group has been awarded the 2024 Teaching Prize.
The award is especially significant as it determinations are based on the nominations provided by students.
We spoke with Choi about the prize, his teaching philosophy, and his practice in the classroom that has meant so much to his students.
The award for the Teaching Prize is based on the recommendations and nominations provided by students That means your students like and value you. Can you tell me a little about your experience with teaching?
I have taught mathematics and science to high school and younger students through private tutoring several times. Particularly among the younger students, I trained those talented in mathematics and science, focusing on advanced concepts and creative problem-solving techniques. For high school students with a keen interest in chemistry, I taught topics ranging from general chemistry to college-level, emphasizing practical applications and critical thinking. During my master’s degree program, I also served as a teaching assistant for organic chemistry and laboratory courses. Although all of my prior teaching experiences were in Korean, I successfully transitioned to teaching in English during my TA role at the UChicago, which was initially a challenging but rewarding experience.
Can you describe what it’s like in your classroom and how you prepare for class?
During my first quarter, I explored various methods to optimally use the allocated 50 minutes of discussion time to ensure that most students were satisfied and learned a lot. Designing a 50-minute class that satisfied students at different levels was quite challenging. To address this, I started each class with a 15-minute review of the basic content and mechanisms of the reactions we covered that week. To save time and facilitate a more focused discussion on complex problems, I pre-wrote the essential content on the blackboard 20 minutes before class. This strategy not only saved class time but also provided a review opportunity for students as they entered the classroom. The next 20 minutes were spent discussing difficult mechanisms and covering important problems from the textbook, allowing students to naturally apply their knowledge. The final 15 minutes were dedicated to challenging problems including synthesis problems, which are crucial for their exams. The night before class, I invested time in creating about ten complex problems of my own, encouraging students to apply their learned knowledge to find the solutions. Usually, I created more problems than we could cover, so any unresolved ones were posted over the weekend with model answers. Although creating these problems and model answers required significant time, I couldn't give it up. Because I felt the students' knowledge and application skills visibly improving, they started to demand more challenging problems.
What would you say is your teaching philosophy?
My teaching philosophy centers on guiding students to find their own paths to a common goal. Recognizing that each student has unique tendencies, majors, and learning paces, I dedicated the initial weeks of each quarter to understanding their individual inclinations during our 50-minute discussion sessions and lab sections. This allowed me to tailor my approach to effectively assist them in reaching their objectives.
During office hours, many students presented various questions. Rather than simply providing answers to their challenges, I focused on identifying where they struggled, discussing the fundamental knowledge and mechanisms required to address these issues, enabling them to discover the solutions on their own. This process not only allowed the questioner to identify their misunderstandings or knowledge gaps and apply this insight to find the answer, but it also gave other students present an opportunity to verify their own understanding of the information.
For more challenging problems, I generally provided additional hints to foster independent problem-solving skills. While this approach demanded more of my time, it significantly enhanced the students’ abilities to tackle new challenges during exams and in future scenarios. Notably, in the final quarter, students sometimes found more efficient solutions to complex synthesis problems than those I had suggested, demonstrating that this approach effectively nurtured their creativity and application skills.
What do you to engage with students?
After each discussion class, I remained in the classroom for an additional 20 minutes to address any residual questions. All materials from the discussion, along with extra content and problems I prepared, were organized over the weekend and uploaded to our section's Canvas page.
Although office hours were officially set for two hours per week, I recognized that students' varying schedules might prevent some from attending. Consequently, I regularly scheduled and announced extra office hours. Initially, only a few students attended, but as time passed, not only students from my section but also those from other sections began to participate. By the final quarter, each office hour attracted over ten students, essentially becoming a second discussion session. This was honestly more demanding for me, but as this effort proved very helpful to many students, I continued offering additional office hours.
In the discussion sessions, I encouraged students to actively participate by answering posed problems. I provided continuous feedback on their responses, offering corrections and better approaches when necessary. This process helped active students recognize the limits of their knowledge and grow, while introverted students could learn and self-check their knowledge from their peers’ interactions. Over time, even the reserved students began to have courage to engage more actively and confidently in discussions, which was impressive.
What do you value about teaching?
Throughout my life, I have been profoundly influenced by exceptional teachers, which has shaped my values in education. Initially, during my freshman year of college, I struggled with organic chemistry due to previous misconceptions from incorrect teaching methods, which obscured the true beauty of this field. This changed dramatically when I met my master degree's advisor. His teachings not only clarified the organic chemistry knowledge for me but also unveiled its allure and my own passion and aptitude for it, steering me towards pursuing this field.
I believe that effective teaching has the power to illuminate the most compelling aspects of a field and reveal students’ hidden talents. This is particularly vital in advanced courses, where the delivery of complex knowledge must be efficient and capable of capturing students' focus within limited time frames. My current advisor, Professor Scott Snyder, exemplifies this approach. His graduate-level class provided me with a deep understanding of advanced organic chemistry and greatly inspired me about effective teaching methods. I have tried to apply these insights during my discussion sessions to maximize learning outcomes for all students.
What does receiving this award mean to you? Do you plan to make teaching a part of your career?
Receiving this award is not only a great honor but also deeply meaningful to me more than just the joy of recognition. Although I had teaching experience in Korea, teaching in English was new to me, which posed a significant challenge for me. Despite my diligent preparations, I frequently wondered whether my teaching methods would be effective or satisfactory for American college students. The fact that this award is based on direct nominations from students reassures me that my efforts have made a positive impact, which fills me with immense joy and satisfaction.
As for my career aspirations, I am fully committed to pursuing an academic path with the ultimate aim of becoming a distinguished professor. Therefore, I believe that there will continue to be opportunities for teaching in the future, and plan to use the experiences from this TA position to refine my teaching methods. My dedication to developing and implementing more effective teaching strategies remains unwavering, as I strive to better support and inspire my students.