How can you do well?

Students who attended my courses share below (i) a glimpse of what you are about to embark on and (ii) how you can thrive under the flipped and self-organized learning methods

Mimi Nagae Bradley: tmimi3240@gmail.com

ENST 0842, Fall 2025

Mimi shares why she took the course, how it works, and highlights key components like discussion posts, the personal 'scary' project, and the final exam. Mimi emphasizes the importance of engagement and community building within the course.

Key takeaways

Course Motivation: Mimi took the course due to her interest in the environment and the course description mentioning SDGs and opportunities for collaboration.
Course Structure: The course involves weekly discussion posts related to SDGs, requiring students to watch videos, read instructions, and connect the content to their own lives. Class discussions follow the submission of these posts.
Engagement is Crucial: Mimi stresses that active engagement with classmates is the most important requirement, as it fosters community and helps the course thrive.
Personal 'Scary' Project: This project allows students to pursue a personal goal that promotes growth, offering flexibility in topic choice as long as it is approached with dedication. Mimi's project focused on reducing her screen time.
Assessment: The course includes a midterm and a final exam, with the final exam comprising a substantial essay and a 60-second multimedia video.

Hannah Marie Belk: hannah.belk@temple.edu

ENST 0842, Fall 2025

Hannah highlights the unique aspects of the course, particularly the encouraged and sometimes necessary use of AI as an academic tool, emphasizing academic integrity. Hannah also discusses the demanding nature of the course, likening it to a marathon that requires consistent effort and grit, but assures that the payoff in terms of learning and connections is significant. She offers advice on time management, engaging with discussion boards, starting the final project early, and embracing the learning process, even through mistakes.

Key takeaways

Unique AI Integration: The course encourages and sometimes requires the use of AI as an academic tool, focusing on academic integrity rather than simply using AI to complete assignments.
Demanding but Rewarding: The course is described as requiring significant effort and grit, comparable to a marathon, but offers substantial rewards in learning and building connections.
Importance of Proactive Learning: Students are advised to avoid procrastination, understand course systems like syllabi and Canvas, and set personal standards for consistent effort.
Value of Personal Connections: Despite being online, the course facilitates intimate connections. Sharing personal interests and being open is encouraged to build friendships and enhance the learning experience.
Time Management Challenges: Balancing the workload of this course with other academic and personal commitments is identified as a significant challenge, requiring early planning for assignments and projects.

Alex Keona Goodrowe, alex.goodrowe@temple.edu

(RMI 2501, Summer 2025)

This student discusses the course's interactive and group-driven format, emphasizing the importance of active participation and challenging oneself and peers. Alex also provides advice on assignments, highlighting the value of not procrastinating, exploring topics passionately, and utilizing resources like the professor's website. Finally, Alex touches on the personal connections formed during the course.

Key takeaways

Active Participation is Key: The course emphasizes group participation over lectures, encouraging students to overcome shyness and build confidence through active engagement.
Embrace Mistakes as Learning Opportunities: The class environment is designed to be a safe space where mistakes are not viewed as significant errors, fostering confidence and open communication.
Challenge Yourself and Peers: Engaging in discussions and challenging existing ideas leads to deeper understanding and new perspectives.
Assignment Strategy: Avoid procrastination, dedicate sufficient time, be passionate about chosen topics, and utilize professor-provided examples for guidance on the book review and multimedia final project.
Value of Personal Connections: The course facilitates strong relationships among students, extending beyond academics into lasting friendships and social connections.

Testimonial

'Hello Peers! I am Alex Goodrowe, one of Dr. Uehara’s previous students, and I would love to share how I approached doing well in this class. I believe the two most important aspects of the course are honesty and engagement. Staying honest and identifying how I addressed problems really helped me to learn a lot more about myself and be open to new ideas about personal financial planning. Remember, this course is to help you learn about how you can take real action in your financial literacy, not how your current actions are perceived by others. I also think engagement is crucial in this course. By focusing and fully immersing yourself in class discussions and outputs, you can help your peers grasp concepts they might not fully understand, and they can do the same for you. If you keep these two things in mind, your grade will reflect the effort you put into this course, and you will come out a lot more confident in terms of your finances. Good luck and have fun!'

N. (Kids in Crisis, Spring 2025)

This student shares the differences between Japanese and American education systems through their personal experiences and reflections. This student attended both systems. It compares its approaches, philosophies, and cultural impacts, highlighting the student's resilience and growth in navigating these contrasting educational environments.

Key Takeaways

Contrasting Educational Philosophies: The video contrasts the "narrow and deep" Japanese system, focused on a national curriculum and memorization, with the "broad and shallow" American system, emphasizing creativity, critical thinking, and a wider range of subjects.
Socioeconomic Influences: The Japanese educational system reveals socioeconomic disparities, with access to university influenced by parental connections and resources, particularly through the school recommendation system.
Resilience and Adaptation: The student's experience demonstrates remarkable resilience in adapting to the vastly different American system, initially struggling with the emphasis on critical thinking and argumentation but ultimately flourishing.
The Role of Critical Self-Reflection: The student's journey highlights the importance of critical self-reflection, questioning initial biases and assumptions, and the willingness to adapt and learn from diverse sources (including AI).
Active Engagement in Learning: The video emphasizes that true understanding requires active engagement with diverse perspectives, rather than simply memorizing theoretical information.

Testimonial

'To be honest, when I first started your class, I had no idea what I was supposed to do. In Japan, many people still believe that “only Japanese people live in Japan,” and that we are somehow untouched by issues like discrimination or inequality. Because of this, I think it can be hard for Japanese students to find motivation in the beginning of a class like this. Also, the active participation style of your class is very different from the passive learning style we are used to in Japanese education. For students who have gone through that system their whole lives, it can take some time to adjust. Personally, it took me a while before I could truly enjoy the class. That’s why I believe my experience could be helpful for future Japanese students who might feel lost at first but can benefit deeply if they stick with it. Your class is not easy, but it would be a real shame to drop it just because of that. There are many valuable skills and intellectual discoveries that can only be gained by seeing the course through to the end. I sincerely hope more Japanese students will take your class and stay with it until the end.'

'I honestly wasn’t sure if I could pass the course, especially since I didn’t do well on the midterm. So, seeing the final result made me really happy. I’m genuinely proud that I passed your course. It truly means a lot to me. Thank you again for your engaging lectures, your generous support, and your understanding throughout the semester.'

' Your class has reminded me that even as an adult, it is still possible to discover new intellectual horizons. That is exactly why I chose to return to university, not just to earn credits, but to continue seeking new knowledge and experiences that expand my world. Thank you again for all your encouragement and inspiration.'

Elliott Stevens, tut72054@temple.edu;

@elliottstevenz (Kids in Crisis, Spring 2025)

It analyzes a student's testimonial, detailing how a professor's praise significantly impacted his confidence and personal growth. The testimonial highlights the student's initial struggles in a challenging course and how the instructor's positive feedback fostered a transformative learning experience.

Key Takeaways

Unexpected Growth: A student initially unenthusiastic about a required course experienced unexpected personal and academic growth.
The Power of Praise: Positive feedback and acknowledgement from the professor acted as a catalyst for the student's self-discovery and confidence.
Transformative Learning: The course, initially perceived as a burden, became a vehicle for personal development and overcoming self-doubt.
Instructor's Role: The professor's approach, described as "tough love," created a challenging yet supportive environment that fostered student growth beyond academics.
Stepping Outside Comfort Zone: The video emphasizes the importance of embracing challenges and pushing through initial discomfort to achieve significant personal breakthroughs.

Letter:

Dear Marvin,

I would like to personally reach out to you and thank you for an absolutely transformative and life altering semester.

We only get so many truly special teachers/instructors in our entire life, and you have been that to me this semester.

I originally intended to take a race and diversity class because it was simply required for me to take it for my Japanese language major, and I had no idea at all I would be paired with an instructor who was going to influence my life and career in such a positive way.

You challenged me, right before the class even began, I remember looking at some of the activities before our first class meeting, and I was thinking, wow... there's already many tasks that I need to be completing!

I was shocked. I had never experienced that before in a class setting, and that was only just the beginning.

And then, classes began, and I remember thinking... is this man crazy??? These outputs are going to take forever!

But, I had this confidence and determination to follow them, step by step, because your calm demeanor and straight forward approach really resonated with me.

To be honest with you, I've never in my life had an instructor single me out and praise my work, I've always been in the background, the underdog, the quiet supporter, I've never in my life been given many opportunities to have leadership. People always have wanted me to play a support role. And that's why your class was so impactful to me.

Your acknowledgment of my hard work was so impactful to me, it created a desire within to keep pushing myself every assignment, and also because I wanted to inspire the other students as well. I had a purpose, and that purpose will continue.

I've always had severe confidence issues, and I came to Japan with a spiritual search to find strength to overcome my weaknesses, and turn them into strengths. Your teaching methods became a vehicle for me so I could start doing so.

Whenever we were talking about what the "model man" was a while back, I almost rose my hand and said that you were the type of human, man, that I see as the "model man".

You have the courage and belief to challenge people, even though I know it's "tough love" to push people to their potential. And you also have no problem showing your emotions, strengths, and weaknesses. You are not afraid to be honest with people, because you know it will help them grow.

That's a model man to me. You are the man. And I appreciate you very much!

Looking forward to hopefully collaborating with you in the future. As for me, I will continue my hopes and dreams of being a musician who can write and perform music that impacts people's lives in these very difficult times in the world.

Hope you have a great summer break!

Best regards,

Elliott Stevens

Emma McGrath, @emmanamii, (Kids in Crisis, Spring 2025)

It offers advice on how to succeed in a flipped classroom environment. The core focus is on maximizing learning and participation within a course structured around weekly "outputs" (readings and follow-up questions) and in-class discussions.

Key Takeaways

Outputs are crucial: Success hinges on completing the weekly outputs thoroughly, critically engaging with the material, and using personal reflections. While AI can be used, genuine effort is key.
Active class participation is essential: Speaking up in class, even when others aren't, fosters discussion and demonstrates engagement. This contributes significantly to the grade.
Go beyond the assigned material: Actively seeking out additional sources and connecting ideas enhances learning and shows initiative. This is considered vital for success.
Engagement is key: Turning on the camera and participating actively is crucial for connecting with classmates and benefiting from the collaborative learning environment. Half-hearted efforts on outputs will hinder success.
Time management is important: Don't procrastinate on assignments, particularly the midterm and final assessments; understanding the material before writing is emphasized.

Jun Ito (Kids in Crisis, Fall 2024) shares how students should approach self-directed learning environments.

This video is a student's review of his experience in a Temple University Japan course called "Kids in Crisis," taught by Professor Starominski-Uehara. Jun, a graduating senior, describes the unique teaching style, assignments, and overall impact the course had on him.

Key Takeaways

Unique Teaching Style: Professor Starominski-Uehara employs a flipped classroom model, encouraging student-led learning and research. Students are responsible for discovering and sharing information rather than passively receiving lectures.
AI Integration: The course incorporates AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Notebooklm, among others, teaching students how to utilize these technologies for research and project creation.
Student Connection: The course is designed to foster connections among students, combating the isolation experienced by many during online learning. Activities like group website creation and class discussions aim to build community.
Engaging Assignments: Assignments include research-based outputs, culminating in a book review and essay. Students have significant freedom in choosing their book and topic.
Professor Starominski-Uehara's Passion: Jun highlights Professor Starominski Uehara's passion and dedication, emphasizing his ability to inspire students and motivate them to explore their own interests.

Jasmine Mehta, jasmine.mehta@temple.edu, (Sustainable Environments, Fall 2024) shares how she learned to use generative artificial intelligence to tailor and speed up her learning experiences.

The student appreciated the instructor's approach to teaching responsible AI integration in academic work, viewing this as a valuable long-term skill.

Key Takeaways:

Using AI as a supportive tool rather than seeing it as an adversary
Leveraging AI effectively to:
- Clarify complex concepts
- Define unfamiliar terms
- Simplify difficult material for analysis
Maintaining academic integrity by:
- Doing original work while using AI as a supplementary resource
- Integrating AI constructively across different courses
- Finding the right balance between AI assistance and independent learning

Students' Testimonials and Tips:

Risako Deguchi, risako.deguchi@temple.edu (EDUC 0823, Fall 2024)

Dear Marvin,

Hope this email finds you well.

My name is Risako Deguchi, I am a graduate of Temple University Japan Campus, Class of 2025 and I am a double degree student at Showa Women's University. I attended your online class, Kids in Crisis: When Schools Don't Work.

I am pleased to inform you that I have received a job offer from MUTOH INDUSTRIES LTD (Japanese company) at the end of July, and I have decided to accept the offer after carefully considering other opportunities. I will work here as an Overseas Sales Position.

The reason I wanted to share this news is because I have received great support from you while considering my future career.

Thank you very much for all your advice and encouragement.

I look forward to keeping in touch and appreciate your continued support.

Best regards,

Risako Deguchi

Anju Wagner (EDUC 0823, Spring 2025): 'If I were to say anything regarding this class my advice would be, take it assignment by assignment. The topics are all insightful and challenges you to think and write critically and the skills you gain in this class are extremely useful for both university and real life. As someone who struggled with procrastination, I thought this class would be too difficult and while it could be overwhelming at times, I challenged myself to work hard and fixed my bad habits with every discussion post and assignments. I learned a lot and got to improve myself in ways I never thought I could through this class so as long as you take it day by day, assignment by assignment you would do well in this class. Thank you again for this semester! I enjoyed this class a lot.'

Olivia Scheuer, olivia.scheuer@temple.edu (ENST 0842, Spring 2025): 'I would just say for students to not be shy to share their opinions on any matter whether it is just a small thought, because participation is very important and engaging in the class discussion will also help you learn a lot more!'

Kotaro (ENST 0842, Spring 2025): 'I'd like to share that this course requires more effort and time compared to other general education courses. However, Marvin’s attentive feedback on assignments and discussion pages makes all the difference. It's also a great opportunity to tackle complex topics that many have never discussed in their native languages. While the course is challenging, it's absolutely worth the effort. Students can genuinely experience growth in their English proficiency and critical thinking abilities throughout the journey. Thanks again, and I appreciate your dedication to supporting students!

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