Professor Jinoh Park Is TFSC's Cordes Chair for March 2026

The Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center recently welcomed Jinoh Park as the March 2026 Wally Cordes Chair. Park is assistant professor in the Department of Interior Architecture and Design and coordinator of graduate programs at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the university.

He is an educator, practitioner and researcher in design. He has taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels since 2010 and has professional practice experience dating back to 2005 across planning, architecture, interior, furniture, product and service design. Park received a Bachelor of Science in interior design from Hanyang University, in Seoul, Korea, and a Doctor of Philosophy in design from North Carolina State University, among other degrees.

In his Cordes Chair lecture, Park shared how "course books" can serve as a practical engine for student success, turning daily routines into visible learning progress.

What began as an instructor-made teaching artifact during his postdoctoral years has evolved into an open, adaptable system shaped by student feedback and classroom iteration. Over time, the course book shifted from a static handout into a student-built, portfolio-style publication; students progressively author their own personalized version across the semester, leaving the class with a coherent record of skills, decision making and design thinking. Attendees at Park's lecture learned key principles behind the approach (structure without rigidity, documentation as learning and feedback loops that scale) and accessed Park's extensive library of course books built from prior classes and semesters.

Thank you, Dr. Park, for sharing your thoughts on teaching, your support of TFSC programming, and your service to the U of A!

About the Cordes Chair: The Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center recognizes six outstanding teaching faculty each academic year as Wally Cordes Chairs. Faculty are selected as Cordes Chairs because they embody the student-centered teaching excellence that late University Professor Emeritus Wally Cordes exhibited throughout his more than 40-year career at the U of A. 

About TFSC: TFSC invests in faculty excellence, promotes innovation in teaching and learning, and supports programs to advance student success. The center provides educational opportunities for faculty such as teaching and learning workshops, teaching symposia, and new faculty orientation. TFSC offers competitive teaching and learning grants for faculty, celebrates effective teaching with several awards and an awards reception, and promotes faculty-to-faculty mentoring through classroom observation. More information about TFSC can be found at their website or by following them on LinkedIn.