Instructor: Neena
Thota
Office: LGRC
A353B
Office Hours: TBA
Email:
nthota@cs.umass.edu
COMPSCI 890T prepares Teaching Assistants (TAs) at the College of Information and Computer Sciences to fulfill their duties in an effective and pedagogically sound manner.
This one credit (not repeatable) course is semester long and taken by all TAs prior to assuming assistantship. All CICS TAs are eligible. Departmental consent is required for enrollment.
COMPSCI 890T focuses on the TA's role
in leading discussion sections, planning effective review sessions, and
facilitating labs. Educational best practices that scaffold learning and create
an inclusive classroom are discussed. How to balance teaching and research
responsibilities is addressed as part of graduate professional development.
At the end of the course the TA should
be able to:
* use evidence-based
teaching practices for creating student-responsive, scalable classes.
* create an inclusive
environment to broaden participation and support diversity.
* use discipline specific
instructional strategies to scaffold learning.
Class meeting time: Friday 9:05 to
9:55 in CS room 142.
The course is flipped with students
completing readings, assignments, and online discussions ahead of each class.
Class time is used for group discussions and in-class activities.
Grades will be assigned for:
* attendance and participation in class
discussions and activities: 25%
* completing
questionnaires and assignments and submitting reflections: 25%
* creating a Reusable Learning
Object (RLO) as part of a group project: 50%
* Student centered teaching approaches
* Effective feedback (in-person and
written)
* Etiquette for communicating with students
* Tools for teaching at scale
* Creating an inclusive classroom
* Peer instruction and other forms of
active learning
* Syllabus development - CS content
* TA/grader coordination
* Exam-writing strategies
* Grading: criterion/norm referenced
* Academic integrity; plagiarism
* Being a responsible employee
* Balancing teaching and research
* Preparing for professional future with
Teaching Statement and Portfolio
* Threshold concepts in CS
A text book is not required.
Assignments, discussion forums, and readings will be in Moodle.
Attendance: This is a discussion and activity based class. Participation, in addition
to attendance, is an expectation of students enrolled in the course. Medical
conditions, religious or funerary events, university-related event (conference
visit, athletic event, field trip, or performance), or extenuating non-academic
reasons (military obligation, family illness, jury duty, automobile collision)
will be accommodated with written documentation.
Late Submissions: If you need an
extension for an assignment, contact me at least 24 hours before the assignment
is due. Medical conditions, religious or funerary events, university-related
event (conference visit, athletic event, field trip, or performance), or
extenuating non-academic reasons (military obligation, family illness, jury
duty, automobile collision) that need extension will be accommodated with
written documentation. Problems with computer or internet access, holiday or
family travel are not valid excuses.
Academic Honesty Statement: In general, collaborative work is encouraged. For individual assignments, please refer to UMASS Academic Honesty Policy and Procedures for guidelines on what constitutes academic dishonesty and the sanctions that may be imposed on any student who has committed an act of academic dishonesty: http://www.umass.edu/honesty/.
Accommodation Statement: Any student who requires an accommodation due to a disability is directed to contact the UMASS Disability Services: http://www.umass.edu/disability/ to obtain the appropriate accommodation forms. If you have a documented disability that requires an accommodation, please notify me within the first week of the semester. My goal is to provide every student with a high-quality learning experience. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns about disabilities or any issue that may impact the quality of your learning.