B599 - Teaching in Computer Science
CLASS ASSIGNMENTS
Discussion Questions
The purpose of this assignment is to help you understand the reading assignments in depth. You will turn in a discussion question for each assigned chapter(s) and/or article(s). After careful reading of the assigned material, you will develop a question pertinent to the reading to invoke discussion during class. Submission of discussion questions is mandatory by 12pm on Monday (the day before class). I will select a group of questions to use for class discussions. Outstanding questions will earn extra points.
McKeachie Chapters
Purpose:
Each week that chapters from McKeachie have been assigned for reading, you are to submit one discussion question for each chapter. The discussion question should focus on the issue of teaching from a computer science perspective. The pedagogical literature today is lacking in the area of teaching in the hard sciences. When reading a chapter, submerge yourself into the main points of the chapter and think how each point applies to computer science and to the course you teach. This will help you focus your question for the class discussion.
When submitting your question(s) follow the following guidelines:
- Include "B599 - McKeachie Ch x Discussion Question" in the subject line
- CC yourself to serve as proof of your submission
- Questions must be received by 12 noon on Mondays
- Submit one question per email
- Replace the x with the chapter number
- Questions received after 12 noon on Monday will not earn full credit
Articles
Purpose:
Each week that articles have been assigned for reading, you are to submit one discussion question for each article. The discussion question should focus on the issue of teaching from a computer science perspective. The pedagogical literature today is lacking in the area of teaching in the hard sciences. When reading an article, submerge yourself into the main points and think how each point applies to computer science and to the course you teach. This will help you focus your question for the class discussion. I will try to use articles that discuss issues that are affecting the field today. Some topic areas are:
- Technological divide
- Gender issues
- Falling majors
If you wish to contribute other areas please email me with your considerations and I will try to include them.
When submitting your question(s) follow the following guidelines:
- Include "B599 - Article title Discussion Question" in the subject line
- CC yourself to serve as proof of your submission
- Questions must be received by 12 noon on Mondays
- Submit one question per email
- Replace the title with the article title
- Questions received after 12 noon on Monday will not earn full credit
Please be sure to look at the calendar to determine when questions are due. I will try to keep the calendar as current as possible, but the most current information will be announced during class.
Personal Experiences in the Classroom
Purpose:
Each week you will find that you experience a unique time of teaching. Your students may behave oddly, ask for personal favors, the technology may break, etc, but at these times you may have no idea of how to proceed. Write this experience down and send a discussion question to me any week by Monday, 12 noon. Five questions of this type are required from each participant in B599.
When submitting your question(s) follow the following guidelines:
- Include "B599 - Personal Experience in the Classroom Discussion Question" in the subject line
- CC yourself to serve as proof of your submission
- Questions must be received by 12 noon on Mondays
- Submit one question per email
- You must submit five questions of this type during the semester
- Only one question of this type will be accepted per week
Please be sure to look at the calendar and not wait until the last few weeks
of the semester to submit these.
Micro-Teaching Assignment
Directions For Micro Teaching
Evaluation of Teaching Techniques
Getting feedback about your teaching can be an important step toward improving it. For that reason, a micro-teaching workshop is part of the TRC College Teaching Workshop series. Workshop participants are divided into groups of four to seven. Each member of the group prepares and presents a five minute lesson. The presentations are critiqued by members of the small group using the evaluation form labeled Micro-Teaching Evaluation Form.
Preparation of a Lesson for the Micro-Teaching Assignment
- Select a topic that you can cover in five minutes. It is not necessary to develop an entirely new presentation, but do consider carefully what would be an appropriate chunk of content to cover in five minutes.
- Be sure your objectives are clear.
- Analyze your audience - the members of the class that you teach. In this case, the other members of the small group will role-play the parts of your students.
- Practice your presentation.
Presentation of a Lesson to the Class
- Arrange the classroom facilities for your lesson before you begin.
- Before your presentation, briefly describe the audience for which it was designed (i.e. sophomore non-majors).
Evaluation of Lesson
After your presentation, the group members will discuss what we liked about it and what could be improved. You will receive the evaluation sheets that have been filled out by the other members of your group.
Three Top Mistakes Doing Micro-Teaching
- You do not give an overview of what will be taught to the audience. Tell us where you are going and what we are going to learn.
- Trying to cover too much. Be sure to practice your teaching prior to delivering it. Practice, Practice, Practice.
- Not using an analogy or using an inappropriate analogy.
Pedagogy Research Paper
The purpose of this assignment is to enable you to immerse yourself into an
area of pedagogy that is of interest to you. The purpose of this assignment
is to encourage you to do a little research and report back on something that
will enhance your teaching in the classroom. Your topic needs to be
focused. It should not be too broad. You may choose something ranging from
classroom management to statistical research in the classroom. It is
important that you choose a topic that is of interest to you, but it must be
approved by me. I need each of you to solidify your pedagogy paper topic by
Tuesday, October 14, 2008. Email me the topic and what your research plan
is. I will reply with an acceptance email which becomes our agreement about
the topic you will write about.
Paper Requirements
Your paper needs to be a minimum of 5 pages long (not 4 1/2 or 4 3/4, but a minimum of 5 pages). You will also include a title page with your name on it and a references page. That means I will be given 7 or more pages. The specifications for the paper are as follows:
- 12 point font;
- Double spaced;
- 1 inch margins;
- Center headings;
- Side headings;
- Title Page; and
- References Page
If, over the course of the semester, you are having difficulty or need to discuss the assignment, feel free to stop by or send an email to set up an appointment. I am here to support you and help you succeed.
This seminar is offered by the
Computer Science Department in the
School of Informatics on the
Indiana University Bloomington Campus.
Last updated on: 2025 - 1 - 21
URL: http://www.cs.indiana.edu/classes/b599/assign.html
Comments: sabry@cs.indiana.edu
Copyright 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, Dr. Eric L Kisling