“In 2015, while pursuing my Master of Commerce in Australia, I noticed students struggled with traditional courses. I shared my understanding through YouTube videos, which soon caught the attention of the University of Sydney.
Leading me to become a tutor for the Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) in 2016 at university. And in 2018, I met John Buchanan, Head of the Discipline of Business Analytics, who appreciated my teaching and offered me a full-time university position.
Over the past six years, I’ve made meaningful progress teaching small classes of around 20 students. And now becoming a Course Coordinator, allows me to reach a broader group of students and bring my teaching vision of students to seeing that the value of a lecture lies not just in its content but in how it’s delivered. As a former student, I understand how hard it can be to stay focused during long lectures, so my goal is to make learning enjoyable and engaging.
One breakthrough came when I combined dance with teaching statistics. Faced with a formula-heavy course, I was worried that the students might lose interest. However, I tried a new approach in one class where I played the K-pop song Flowers to introduce binomial and hypergeometric distributions. Midway, I surprised students by performing a dance. Later, I asked them to calculate the proportion of white flowers in the video, blending the light-hearted moment with the lesson. This approach exceeded my expectations, as students engaged enthusiastically.
Looking back, despite teaching the same course for years, I never felt bored. Each day, I wake up excited for the lessons ahead. Teaching is more than a job—it’s my passion. I believe that blending academic content with creativity requires a love and deep subject knowledge. This balance comes from experience, reflection, and the courage to push the boundaries of classroom tradition.
I believe, education is not just about imparting knowledge—it’s about sparking potential through creativity and passion and I am on the journey to make this difference.” Ce (Tony) Shang, FHEA