As an educator, my classrooms are highly interactive and discussion-based, where students frequently engage in collaborative learning and problem-solving. I view the act of learning as a shared process shaped by curiosity, conversation, and collective exploration, and I especially enjoy designing activities and materials that incorporate digital platforms. In theatre classrooms, I emphasize dramaturgical inquiry and research skills to encourage students–regardless of their career goals–to learn to become their own dramaturgs. In writing and communication courses, I highlight critical thinking through creativity to help students find their individual voice and develop confidence. For more information, please see my CV or contact me at stephaniejlim.phd [at] gmail.com.
👨🏻🏫 SELECTED COURSES
Below is a list of select courses designed and taught, including descriptions and links to relevant materials. Courses taught at multiple campuses under different titles are listed as such.
Approaches to University Writing / English Composition
In my freshman writing courses, students explore their individual writing voice and build confidence as college writers. Scaffolded projects include an analysis of a music video, a spatial analysis of a physical location, and a traditional rhetorical analysis comparing authors’ arguments, following a Stretch Composition model. This sample syllabus includes my experiment with labor-based grading.
Fundamentals of Public Speaking
In public speaking, I emphasize student agency to develop their personal presentation styles. For Queer Studies, my course includes attention to queer figures and topics. Speech genres include dramatic (monologue), commemorative, persuasive (Shark Tank), and invitational. This sample syllabus includes my experiment with labor-based grading.
Musical Theatre in the United States / The American Musical
My musical theatre history classes have taken on the form of a genre study, completed chronologically through the decades. Genres include musical comedies, book, rock, concept, megamusicals, and jukebox, and the course culminates with a collaborative jukebox musical project. This sample syllabus includes my experiment with labor-based grading.
Theatre and Drama of the United States
In my approach to US theatre history, I highlight the diverse voices of American playwrights, past and present. The course surveys a variety of topics and students are invited to think critically about how each play acts as a response and reaction to the time period in which it was written. This sample syllabus includes my experiment with labor-based grading.
Mapping World Theatre and Drama / Development of Drama / World Drama and Performance
I teach a variety of world theatre courses, developed for different audiences, including for theatre majors and non-majors, delivered over a full academic year or for a single term. This sample syllabus is for a one-semester General Education course on world drama and performance, created specifically for non-majors and those new to theatre. This iteration of the course takes the form of a chronological journey “around the world,” in which students study a play from a different country each week.
📋 PEDAGOGICAL TALKS & PUBLICATIONS
Below is a list of select pedagogical contributions. engagements in which I shared or developed approaches to teaching.
AI Pedagogy Showcase | California State University, Northridge | 2024
Hosted by CSUN’s College of Humanities, our AI Pedagogy Showcase event featured keynote speaker Dr. Anna Mills (College of Marin). I joined CSUN colleagues Dr. Mauro Carassai (Interdisciplinary Studies and Liberal Studies) and Dr. Colleen Tripp (English) on the panel, presenting my research, “Chatting with a ChatBot: Encouraging Ideation and Dialogue with ChatGPT for Research Writing.” My presentation discussed the use of ChatGPT to support project brainstorming in writing classes. A full-length video of my presentation is available on YouTube.
Cal State Tech Connect (Virtual Conference) | California State University Office of the Chancellor | 2023
As a result of my use of the Hypothesis social annotation tool across multiple courses in Canvas, I was invited to participate in the “Building Interactivity into Courses Through Social Annotation” roundtable, moderated by Dr. Jennifer Redd (SJSU) and Jessica Fuller (Hypothesis). The discussion, which featured a group of CSU faculty, centered on the uses, benefits, and challenges of using social annotation.
“Super Bowl Summaries (Descriptions) and Analyses” | California State University Office of the Chancellor | 2023
My chapter in Dynamic Activities for First-Year Composition: 96 Ways to Immerse, Inspire, and Captivate Students provides a lesson plan for a writing activity in which students develop skills in description and analysis. This lesson was prompted by my observation of students frequently entering college classrooms without knowing how to explain and expand, often confusing claims with supporting details. Using pop culture (Super Bowl ads), my lesson asks students to practice formulating a clear claim and developing supporting evidence for that claim. The book is available on the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) website.
💡 TEACHING CERTIFICATIONS & PEDAGOGICAL DEVELOPMENT
I enjoy participating in courses and workshops to stay current with pedagogical advances, such as generative Artificial Intelligence, active learning strategies, and equity-minded grading. Below is a list of recent workshops and certifications that I have completed. View my Badgr collection for a full list of earned badges.
AI Tools for Teaching and Learning | California State University Office of the Chancellor | 2025
I completed a three-week course on Artificial Intelligence tools, offered by CSU’s Academic Technology Services and Innovative Teaching and Learning Programs. Through the course, I learned more about implementing AI activities in the classroom and guiding students through the ethical challenges of AI use, as well as discovered new AI generation and detection tools.
Promoting Active Learning (Micro-Credential) | Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) | 2023
I completed the ACUE micro-credential on active learning, gaining new strategies and tools to effectively engage students in the classroom.
Advanced Certificate in the Effective Teaching Practice Framework | Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) | 2022
By completing the ACUE courses in Effective Teaching Practices and Effective Online Teaching Practices, I earned the Advanced Certificate, through which I gained knowledge about designing and establishing a successful course that promotes students’ learning, engagement, and success.
