Students Teaching Computer Science and Related Topics

in ICS at UCI

Students have a variety of opportunities to help other students learn computing at UCI:

• Graduate students may be awarded TAships; contact your advisor or the ICS Graduate Office (Kris Bolcer).
  
• Undergraduate students help students as lab tutors for some lower-division courses (more information).
• Undergraduates occasionally work as graders; contact the departmental office (Computer Science, Informatics, or Statistics).
  
• Graduate students may be hired as TAs on a quarterly basis; contact your departmental office. In certain cases, advanced undergraduates may also be hired as TAs.
  
• Students may also gain teaching experience by working as a tutor at the Learning and Academic Resources Center (LARC)
• Undergrads in junior standing or higher may apply to design and teach their own one-unit seminar (in computer science or other academic topics) through UCI's UTeach program. Applications are accepted every spring for the following academic year.

TAs whose native language isn't English can use these strategies for effective communication in the classroom.

Instructors who think electronic mail makes their life harder might enjoy these tips for responding to student e-mail.

Lab tutors (current and prospective) should read ICS 31/32/33 Lab Tutor Guide. For a detailed view of the duties of a TA or section leader in a lower-division class, consult the ICS 31/32/33 Guide. (Many of the details vary from one course to another.)

For a detailed list of logistical details a TA or reader should work out with a course instructor early in the quarter, see What to Ask the Instructor.

Campus Resources

The UCI Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation (DTEI) provides a wide variety of services relating to teaching.

UCI's landscape of learning management or course management systems is currently in flux. EEE (the Electronic Educational Environment) was built at UCI over 20 years ago and enhaced many times since then. The campus recently determined that it couldn't support bringing EEE fully up to date (both in terms of infrastructure and functionality) and decided to replace it with the commercial product Canvas. This transition is progressing slowly. You can read the official campus description of the landscape's current status.

Web Resources

Amy Ko of the Information School at the University of Washington has prepared a brief set of slides summarizing what we know today about effective teaching, "How to be a Great (CS) Teacher."

Cynthia Lee at Stanford has posted a set of practical steps computer science instructors can take to promote diversity and inclusiveness.

Colleen Lewis at the University of Illinois supervises a broad online repository of computer science teaching tips.