Jing Wang doesn鈥檛 like to hear the phrase, 鈥淚鈥檓 not a math person.鈥�
鈥淵ou can learn math at any stage, at any age,鈥� she says. 鈥淚f you decide to start now, you can be good at it.鈥�
That belief shapes how she teaches Discrete Structures Essentials, one of the foundational courses in the 小黄鸭视频鈥檚 . Designed for adult learners who want to transition into computing from non-technical fields, the program moves quickly and covers a lot of material.
Despite the fast pace 鈥� and its mathematical foundation 鈥� Wang believes anyone with focus and support can succeed. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about being willing to learn,鈥� she says.
From Student to Teacher to Program Builder
Wang has always been drawn to education. She credits her mother, a middle school math teacher (and for two years, Wang was a pupil in her mother鈥檚 course) as an early influence. 鈥淪he was a good teacher,鈥� Wang says. 鈥淎nd she expected a lot.鈥�
Wang earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree from Jilin University, in Changchun, China and in 1999, came to the United States for graduate school. She enrolled in a physics program. She did well but soon realized that she wasn鈥檛 passionate about the subject. A faculty member in computer science allowed students from other departments to take computer science courses, which was unusual at the time.
鈥淚 was lucky to be one of them,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he computing field was so much closer to what I wanted to do.鈥� Courses like Introduction to AI and software engineering drew her in, and she began exploring computer graphics and animation with applications in games and film.
Wang eventually changed her major and earned both a master鈥檚 degree and PhD in computer science from Vanderbilt University. During her doctoral program, she discovered what she loved most.
鈥淭he learning was good, the research was good, but what I liked best was the teaching. 鈥淚 thought about a postdoc focused on publications and research, but I realized I wanted to teach.鈥�
She joined 小黄鸭视频鈥檚 faculty as an instructor in what is now the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing. In 2021, she was asked to help build the from the ground up: designing curricula, coordinating course planning, and even supporting students directly. She teaches the first course that students in the program take, Discrete Structures Essentials.
Making Math Practical 鈥� and Possible
That course gives students the mathematical foundation they鈥檒l need for the next course in the fast-paced program, Data Structures Essentials. Many of her students haven鈥檛 taken a math class in years, or even decades. That doesn鈥檛 intimidate her.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e coming back to school after years in another field, math can be scary,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut I tell my students: You don鈥檛 have to know everything right away. What matters is that you keep going.鈥�
The course covers mathematical structures that are countable or distinct, like logic, sets, relations, functions, and graphs.
鈥淚t鈥檚 essential,鈥� Wang says. It gives them the foundation they need to build on 鈥� to understand logic, structure, and reason through a problem.
鈥淚t is about forming statements and understanding something can be either true or false, and more.鈥� Her students solve logic puzzles, touch on statistics and probability, analyze problems, and learn to write formal proofs 鈥� a vital skill for anyone working with algorithms.
A Bridge to New Possibilities
Building essential skills is a theme that runs throughout the program.
鈥淲e teach students how to break down problems, analyze solutions, and build systems,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd we show them how those skills apply to the technologies they鈥檒l use in their careers or in graduate study, which many of them go on to do.鈥�
Seeing students take those next steps is rewarding for Wang 鈥� both professionally and personally.
鈥淢any come from healthcare, business, education, even the arts,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e never taken a computer science course, but they鈥檙e curious. They鈥檙e determined.鈥�
That, she says, is who the program is built for.
鈥淭his is a bridge. We meet students where they are, and we help them get to where they want to go.鈥�
And if that path starts with learning math again for the first time in years? All the better.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to be a math person,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou just have to start.鈥�