The IEEE Teaching Excellence Hub is dedicated to providing professional development resources for those teaching engineering, computing, and technology at the university level, and is always on the lookout for inspiring stories to share! In this spotlight, we highlight C. -C. Jay Kuo, who is a recent recipient of the IEEE Education Society’s Distinguished Lecturer Award!
Professor C.-C. Jay Kuo is a seasoned educator and presently Director of Media Communications Laboratory and Dean’s Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Southern California (USC). He is one of the most prolific researchers, an R&D trend-setter, and an internationally-recognized technology leader in the multimedia field for around 30 years with enduring impact on both the academic and industry realms. He has published about 250 journal papers, 900 conference papers and 14 books. His work has been cited more than 23,700 times and his h-index is 68 (source: Google Scholar).
What piece of advice do you wish someone shared with you before you became an educator? OR What questions do you wish you had asked during your tenure track faculty interview?
Before becoming an educator, one piece of advice I wish someone had shared with me is to ask questions about the practical aspects of building a successful academic career. For example, “How do I prepare a successful research proposal?” is a critical question. Writing strong research proposals is key to securing funding, which is essential for advancing research projects and career development.
Another question I wish I had asked is “How do I recruit new PhD students?” Building a strong research group is foundational to advancing one’s academic career, and attracting motivated and capable PhD students can be challenging. Understanding how to effectively recruit, mentor, and guide students through their doctoral studies is crucial for creating a productive and collaborative research environment.
Having insight and guidance into both these areas earlier on would have been helpful in establishing a strong academic foundation more quickly.
What, if any, changes have you seen over the years in how students learn? OR Has your teaching style changed over the years, and if so, how?
The evolving trend of students being better at programming but weaker at mathematics highlights the changing landscape of education, where applied skills are often prioritized over theoretical understanding.
What is your favorite class to teach, and why?
Digital Image Processing stands out as one of my favorite classes to teach because it offers a perfect balance of theoretical depth, practical skills, real-world impact, and creativity. The ability to challenge students intellectually while also giving them the tools to apply their knowledge immediately is incredibly rewarding.
What is it that inspired you to become an educator?
My journey into education was shaped by the strong example set by my parents, and their influence has no doubt helped to cultivate a passion for teaching, just as they did.
What resources do you use to learn about new teaching strategies? What have you implemented that has been most effective for you?
In the era of ChatGPT, how do you feel AI has changed the Education Landscape?
AI, including tools like ChatGPT, will certainly have an impact on the education landscape, but the exact nature and extent of that impact are still unfolding and can be difficult to predict.
How do you feel IEEE can best serve advances in engineering education?
IEEE can establish a forum for educators to exchange ideas.
How has winning this award impacted your career if any?
It is a great honor to receive the award. It gives me more opportunities to share my own experience with junior educators.
If you can share one thing about the future of Engineering, what would it be? And why?
We should pay attention to the impact of AI on the future of Engineering. The collaboration of AI and human intelligence (HI) is the future. However, we know very little of this subject.
Thank you to C.-C. Jay Kuo for sharing his knowledge and experience with us! To learn more about Kuo and his work, please view this PowerPoint file and a short article about PhD supervision at https://mcl.usc.edu/phd-supervision/.
