Ting Huang joins W&M Curriculum & Instruction faculty
This spring, the School of Education welcomed a new faculty member, Ting Huang, who joins us as an assistant professor in the Curriculum & Instruction program.
Tell us a little about your background and what brought you to W&M.
I grew up in Zhejiang Province of China, a small city named Haining. Haining has long been known as the land of fish and rice, the home of silk, a place of rich cultural heritage and scenery (well-known scholars, poets, and literacy traditions), and a typical water-bred city in southern China. My family has a lot of teachers, ranging from K-12 to higher education. Before their retirement, my parents were middle school and high school teachers. In terms of my own teaching, I am an online and onsite educator. I began my teaching career as an English teacher. Since then, on different campuses, I have taught K-12 literacy, foreign language courses, culture and literature courses, digital literacies, as well as sociology, social science research, and second language acquisition to undergraduate and graduate students. Most recently, I taught a group of pre-service teachers in an Intercultural Competence course, which was partly related to digitalization.
Before I joined W&M, I led program development on a few campuses. I spent two years at the University of Minnesota (UMN) developing two undergraduate programs and teaching online in the College of Education. I also spent seven years at the University of Rochester growing their Chinese program.
This is a perfect job for me! This tenure-line faculty position and the opportunity of developing our new online M.A.ED. in Curriculum & Instruction was a dream position for me. I am honored to join W&M. I was excited about the job opportunity when I saw it online and felt this was a great fit. Then, when Professor Elizabeth Talbott showed me around campus during my first campus visit, I fell in love with Williamsburg immediately. I was fascinated by W&M’s history and people. I felt very connected during the campus visit, and also thought that I could bring my varied experiences to the School of Education Curriculum & Instruction program. It turned out that the feeling was mutual (that both the school and I think this job is a good fit for me!). I look forward to working with students and colleagues here at W&M!
What’s your area of research and what question are you most passionate about answering right now?
As an online instructor, I am passionate about informal learning, digital literacies, diversity in education, and video learning, which are vital parts of online education. As online programs become options in schools of Education, I am particularly interested in knowing learners’ experiences, so that we can make a better future for them. I have some research experience connecting online education with interdisciplinary inquires, such as Chinese media studies, popular culture, and higher education learning communities. In terms of studying how to successfully transition from face-to-face education to online, situated, and multimodal learning, I use both interpretive and critical perspectives.
What else are you hoping to get involved with on campus or in the community?
I am searching for ways to support the Curriculum & Instruction program, development of our new online M.A.ED. program, and to learn from and support local teachers. I am also interested in the intersections of traditional literacies with digital literacies, focusing specifically on how teacher education can positively respond to the current rapid change of the technology landscape. As a Chinese educator, I can use my interdisciplinary background to support a more equal and just educational system. I hope to utilize my various experiences and practices in teaching diversity education curriculum.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I am excited to have the opportunity to learn from, connect with, and work together with students and colleagues at W&M, as well as local teachers and students in the community.
