VALDOSTA – Valdosta State University’s Dr. Jiyoon Jung earns the 2025 Regents’ Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award and grant.
Release:
Valdosta State University’s Dr. Jiyoon Jung has earned the 2025 Regents’ Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award and a $5,000 faculty development grant.
Presented by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, this highly coveted recognition is a testament to Jung’s steadfast commitment to investigating teaching practices with a focus on fostering significant, long-lasting learning for all students as well as enhancing the practice and profession of teaching for all.
“The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is incredibly valuable to me because it bridges the gap between theory and practice — something I find myself increasingly drawn to in my research,” she said. “As an educational researcher, exploring how people learn and how educators should teach was not a new concept. However, what initially sparked my interest in SoTL was the opportunity to dive deeper into teaching and learning practices across disciplines of academia, beyond teacher education.
“As an educator, SoTL offers a powerful framework for intentional reflection and self-alignment. It pushes me to critically think about what I’m teaching, as well as how and why. It prompts me to step back and critically examine the effectiveness of my teaching strategies and overall course experience through a theoretical lens. Revisiting my own actions and analyzing student data — whether through discussions, reflections, or course artifacts — is both challenging and deeply rewarding. At times, it reveals that students’ immediate reactions or perceptions in course evaluations — I don’t have the greatest Student Opinion of Instruction scores — may not fully capture their learning. This reflective process anchors me in my purpose as a professional educator. This continuously guides me toward more informed, inclusive, and impactful practices.”
Jung joined the faculty of VSU’s James L. and Dorothy H. Dewar College of Education and Human Services in 2020 and currently serves as an associate professor in the Department of Leadership, Technology, and Workforce Development and as the coordinator of the Master of Education in Instructional Technology program. She previously earned VSU’s 2024 Presidential Excellence Award for The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning for her efforts to produce scholarly work on the science of teaching and learning and regularly contribute new knowledge on the subject.
“Winning the 2025 Regents’ Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award has been a deeply affirming and invigorating experience,” she said. “As an educator, it has reinforced my commitment to student-centered learning and the importance of continually evolving my teaching strategies to better support diverse learners. The recognition reminds me that classroom-based innovations work better, if you know your learners and theories well.
“As a researcher, this award has inspired me to further explore the intersections of pedagogy, engagement, and equity. It has given me renewed motivation to publish and share insights that can help shape more inclusive and effective teaching practices for a diverse spectrum of learners — not only at VSU, but also across the broader landscape of higher education.
“In my role as a program coordinator, the award has enhanced my confidence and credibility in leading initiatives that prioritize academic excellence and student success. The award has deepened my passion for the work we do at VSU and reminded me of the powerful role educators play in shaping the future. It’s both a celebration of past accomplishments and a call to continue striving for meaningful impact.”
Jung has published on different topics and uses her research findings to improve her teaching practice as appropriate. This includes using reflections in almost every course she designs and teaches “because I view reflection to be a necessary tool for consolidating knowledge from course experiences, especially if the courses are designed with more constructivist or experiential approaches to learning.”
She also incorporates instructional design approaches such as authentic learning and case-based instruction in her courses. For example, in her ITED 7070: Educational Data Use and Visualization courses, she uses “real-world cases to engage students in thinking like educational data analysts, encouraging them to make recommendations across various levels of educational settings—elementary, secondary, and higher education. While these approaches are not always immediately embraced by all students, I have continuously revised the course design to meet learners where they are.”
Jung said every course she has developed and taught at VSU has undergone multiple rounds of revision to better align with the evolving needs of her students. She believes it is important for educators to do the work necessary to identify strategies that focus on active engagement, make learning relevant, and address diverse needs.
The Regents’ Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award Selection Committee members said they were impressed with Jung’s portfolio, particularly “its strong teaching philosophy, rooted in well-defined research questions focused on classroom teaching and learning.” They said her award application highlighted “a solid foundation in SoTL theory, a systematic approach to studying meaningful and authentic learning, and a commitment to publicly sharing her findings and their impact on student learning.”
On the Web:
https://www.valdosta.edu/colleges/education
