Course Staff

Instructor

Course Information

Fall 2019
Credits: 1
Meets: M 10:30AM–12:00PM
Room: EECS 4440
Enrollment Restrictions:

• You must be employed as an Instructional Assistant in an EECS course or ENGR 101 for the Fall 2019 semester.

• This course assumes no background in teaching. First-time IAs are encouraged to enroll!

• Students may only enroll in this course (EECS 398 "TA Practicum") once for credit.

Required Textbooks

There are no required books. Any readings will be made available on Canvas.

Important Dates

Course Overview and Goals

Welcome to Practical Skills for Teaching Computing, a new special topics course offered by the EECS department! This one-credit course will introduce students to, and allow students to develop practical skills for, designing and teaching courses with significant computing aspects. Course content will both help prepare students for direct interaction with their peers as TAs and also expose students to the research and scholarship of learning and teaching. Students will also have the opportunity to discuss challenges they face with their peers. Ultimately, the goal of this course is to provide a place and time for TAs to explore their identity as teachers.

At the end of this course you will be able to:

1. Discuss important challenges and concepts related to ethics, diversity, and teaching in the context of computing courses.
2. Critique teaching practices with respect to their use in the teaching of computing concepts.
3. Integrate concepts from this course into your own teaching practice.

Course Topics

The intent of this course is to expose you to a broad class of topics and ideas related to teaching computing disciplines. Because this course is only one credit, we unfortunately may not have time to delve into each topic in detail. Topics we will likely touch upon are listed below (in no particular order); please see the lectures page for a detailed schedule of topics as the course progresses.

• Ethics in teaching
• Problems in the classroom
• Effective office hours
• Assessment and grading
• The science of learning
• Diversity
• Learning outcomes
• Teaching methods
• Active learning
• Teaching at scale
• Syllabus design
• Major design and accreditation
• Teaching philosophies
• Career options

Attendance

Attendance for this course is mandatory, and students are expected to attend each class meeting. This course is based heavily on in-class discussions, which means that absences will leave holes in your understanding of course concepts. A significant portion of your grade will be based on attendance. To receive an A in this course, you must attend at least 10 class meetings. Please only enroll in this course if you plan on attending in person.

If you have any concerns related to your ability to attend this class, please contact me as soon as possible.

Attendance will be recorded using the course's Canvas site. For each class meeting, there is an assignment allowing you to self-report your attendance. You will have until Friday at 5PM following the class meeting to record your attendance. Failure to submit the assignment by the deadline is equivalent to being absent. Please be aware that you are bound by the Engineering and LS&A Honor Codes to truthfully report your attendance.

Electronics Policy

Students may find having a laptop available in class beneficial. From time to time, we may complete surveys in class and work with candidate course materials. Students are expected to remain on task in class (no excessive web browsing, social media usage, etc.), as per the professionalism policy. If you have any concerns about this request, please contact me outside of class, and we will work together to find an appropriate solution.

Generally speaking, I encourage taking notes by hand. At least one recent study found that students who took notes longhand remembered more and had a deeper understanding of the material. Rather than using slides, I typically take notes on the board, which will help you keep up if you are taking notes by hand.

Grading

The course is letter graded (A-F) based on attendance, as well as the intellectual merit and writing style of two required reports. The grading breakdown is as follows:

• 33% Peer Observation Report
• 67% Final Report

To receive an A in this course, you must attend at least 10 class meetings. With our current schedule, this means that you are allowed up to three unexcused absences without a detrimental impact on your grade. For each additional class you miss, your final grade will be lowered by a third (i.e., an A will become an A-, an A- will become a B+, etc.).

Because we tend to hire diligent people to be TAs and enrollment is voluntary, I expect that a majority of students will receive high marks.

Written Assignments

Over the course of the semester, you will write two short reports, which are designed to help you reflect on your growth and development as a teacher. Unless otherwise noted, all assignments are due by 11:50 PM on the day listed to be eligible for full credit. Grades will be reduced for late assignments, and all assignments must be submitted by 6PM on December 18 to receive credit.

These assignments will be graded both on intellectual merit and writing style (your narrative voice and your adherence to the specified format and standard grammar rules). More details about each of these assignments may be found on the assignments page.

Collaboration

You may discuss the assignments with your classmates, but you must complete the assignments yourself. You may only submit work that you have personally written and understood.

Regrading Policy

Requests for an assignment regrade must be made to the instructor within one week of the assignment being returned to the student. Any requests submitted after this may be done at my discretion. I reserve the right to regrade the entire assignment, which may result in either an increase or a decrease in your grade. This is not intended to scare off students, but to avoid frivolous requests.

Academic Integrity and Professionalism

Acts of academic misconduct will be reported to the Engineering or LS&A Honor Councils, as appropriate. If found guilty, we will comply with the grade sanctions recommended by the appropriate administrators. Such misconduct includes (but is not limited to): any attempt to copy someone else's work (with or without modification) that is not meant to be publicly accessible, any misrepresentation of another person’s work as your own, and providing forged or falsified documentation in an attempt to circumvent course policies and deadlines.

Students are also expected to act in a professional manner for the duration of the course. This includes (but is not limited to): staying on task during lectures, being respectful of others, and promptness for class and deadlines. Unprofessional behavior will result in a reduction of the student's final grade.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

University of Michigan is committed to advancing the mental health and wellbeing of its students. If you or someone you know is feeling overwhelmed, depressed, and/or in need of support, services are available.

For help, contact Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at (734) 764-8312 and https://caps.umich.edu during and after hours, on weekends and holidays, or through its counselors physically located in schools on both North and Central Campus. You may also consult University Health Service (UHS) at (734) 764-8320 and https://www.uhs.umich.edu/mentalhealthsvcs, or for alcohol or drug concerns, see www.uhs.umich.edu/aodresources. For a listing of other mental health resources available on and off campus, visit http://umich.edu/~mhealth.

Accommodations

If your learning or participation in this course may be affected by a disability or any other factor, please talk to me early in the semester so that we can arrange appropriate accommodations. I will do my best to ensure that everyone can learn effectively.

If you think you need an accommodation for a disability, the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office can help us determine appropriate academic accommodations. SSD (734-763-3000) typically recommends accommodations through a Verified Individualized Services and Accommodations (VISA) form. Any information you provide is private and confidential and will be treated as such. I happily and discretely provide the recommended accommodations (to the best of my ability) for those students identified by SSD.

If you have other special circumstances (e.g., athletics or other university-related activities), please contact me as soon as you know these may affect you in class.

Equal Opportunity

As indicated in the CoE's Acadmic Rights, Rules, and Responsibilities, we are committed to treating students fairly and with dignity regardless of age, color, creed, disability, marital status, national origin or ancestry, race, religion, sex (including gender identity and gender expression), sexual orientation, or veteran status. Should you have any concerns, problems, or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I strive to make my classrooms safe spaces for learning.

Research

Your class work might be used for research purposes. For example, we may use anonymized student assignments to design algorithms or build tools to help programmers or teachers. Any student who wishes to opt out can contact the instructor to do so up to seven days after final grades have been issued. This has no impact on your grade in any manner.

Right to Revise

This is a "living syllabus". Therefore, its contents may be changed throughout the course of the semester to address changing needs. I will do my best to notify students of changes; however, it is up to the student to monitor this page for any changes. Final authority on any decision in this course rests with the instructor (i.e., me), not with this document.

Many ideas for this class were borrowed from similar classes taught at UVA, UC Berkeley, Stanford, and George Mason University.