Teaching in focus: Richard Wong

Name:

Richard Wong

Title:

Sessional Lecturer, Accounting and Information Systems and Diploma in Accounting Program

Faculty/Department/Unit:

UBC Sauder School of Business

Location:

Vancouver

Year I started working at UBC:

2020

What first motivated you to become an educator?

In my undergraduate studies, I was fortunate enough to TA for an introductory accounting class. I loved having the opportunity to help students see things from different perspectives and to inspire students to choose accounting as a career path. When the opportunity came up to leave the corporate world and become a post-secondary educator, I knew that I had to jump on it!

Tell us more about your work.

I teach the world's most exciting subjects – income tax and accounting! And, I often do it at 8:00am in the morning. My classroom is not a traditional business classroom. There are elements of gamification, opportunities to practice and apply the knowledge to various situations, and a cheesy dad joke here and there. I am a firm believer that accounting and tax are useful skills regardless of the path one takes in business.

What inspired your particular approach to teaching?

It's rare to find a student that is excited to learn about accounting and tax. But I believe that they are useful and exciting skills to have, understand, and apply to the real world. My education and experiences have shown me this and it is what I hope to pass on to my students. I am frequently inspired by students who come back years after and tell me how they used what I taught them.

What have you learned while teaching that has surprised you the most?

Each and every one of us engages in learning for our own reasons and comes to the classroom with different levels of motivation. Because of this, I believe that a successful educator wears many hats. In the classroom, I have to act as a facilitator, mentor, teacher, coach, supporter, sensei, educator, and entertainer depending on what students need from me. Delivering the content is only half the challenge!

What impact do you hope to have on your students?

I want my students to develop critical thinking skills, communication skills, and the ability to excel in the business world. I want them to be able to find relationships between what we learn in class and their lives outside of UBC Sauder, and I want to push them out of their comfort zone. Lastly, I want students to understand that the connections they make, both with faculty and peers, will last them a lifetime.

Are there any colleagues or mentors you’d like to acknowledge and why?

I'd like to acknowledge all of the fine folks in the Accounting and Information Systems and Diploma in Accounting divisions at UBC Sauder. My colleagues have been a great source of support and information sharing. We constantly challenge each other to be better and to find the most engaging ways to deliver the content to students. I am so proud to work with such amazing talent!

Learn more:

https://www.sauder.ubc.ca/people/richard-wong