Course information
Syllabus
Course Overview
There is an increasing demand for Computer Science faculty across the country. Teaching and research are both crucial parts of being a faculty member. While a PhD can teach you how to do research, it doesn’t necessarily teach them how to be a good teacher. By excelling in teaching, you contribute to your institution’s reputation for academic excellence and play a pivotal role in advancing your discipline. Based on this, this course was designed to improve your teaching skills, especially if you are interested in applying for a faculty position after graduation.
This course will cover effective teaching approaches and the instructional / research skills required for CS educators. You will be introduced to topics like learning theories, active learning, multimedia presentation, course design, teaching with technology, student motivation, and inclusive learning. In addition, you will also learn about CS education research methods and available publication venues for CSEd research. Finally, you will learn how to prepare teaching, research, and diversity statements for CS academic job applications.
Instructor: Mohammed Farghally, mfseddik@vt.edu, 1220B Torgersen Hall
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Identify and contrast learning theories such as behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism, with specific examples of CS education.
- Create engaging multimedia presentations for abstract CS concepts such as algorithm analysis.
- Apply active learning approaches, such as pair programming, code reviews, flipped classrooms, and interactive algorithm visualizations, to enhance student engagement and understanding in computer science classrooms.
- Develop specific, measurable, and realistic learning outcomes tailored to key computer science topics ensuring alignment with both academic expectations and practical skills needed in industry applications.
- Create assessments that evaluate critical thinking, problem-solving, and practical coding skills, ensuring alignment with defined learning objectives.
- Effectively integrate CS education technology like visualization tools, learning management systems, and autograders in CS courses.
- Handle common issues such as plagiarism in coding assignments, group project conflicts, and time management while upholding the honor code.
- Design evaluation experiments and instruments to measure student learning in CS courses.
- Write teaching, diversity, and research statements for CS academic jobs.
Reading Material
For most of the lectures, we will use research papers and articles from the CSEd literature. In addition, we will use some chapters from this book:
Course Communication
You are expected to attend all lectures to participate in the in-class activities. Activities worth a significant portion of your course grade. If for any reason you will not be able to attend, please let me know at least one day before lecture.
It is required that you monitor the course forum on piazza regularly for ongoing information and tips. You can also post any question you might have. I will reply to your post as soon as possible. You have the option to post anonymously to your peers. In addition, my contact information is posted. You are welcome to talk to me via email or zoom for assistance.
Grading Policy
| Component | Weight |
|---|---|
Paper Summaries | 20% |
Midterm Teaching Demo | 15% |
Faculty Job Presentation | 15% |
Writing Assignments | 40% |
In-class Activities | 10% |
Covered Topics
Week | Topics |
|---|---|
Week1 | Welcome and Motivation |
Week2 | Learning Theories Theory of Multimedia Learning |
Week3 | Algorithm and Program Visualizations |
Week4 | Gamification Game-based Learning |
Week5 | Flipped Classroom Active Learning |
Week6 | Teaching Demos (1) Teaching Demos (2) |
Week7 | Teaching Demos (3) Teaching Demos (4) |
Week8 | Course Design: Student Motivation Course Design: Defining Intended Learning Outcomes |
Week9 | Course Design: Assessment Design and Grading Course Design: Writing the Syllabus |
Week10 | Course Design: Teaching with Technology Course Design: Using Generative AI |
Week11 | Experiential Learning (Guest Speaker) Academic Integrity and Honor Code Violations |
Week12 | Pedagogical Evaluation Designing Evaluation Instruments |
Week13 | Applying for a CS academic Job |
Week14 | Faculty Job Presentation (1) Faculty Job Presentation (2) |
Week15 | Faculty Job Presentation (3) Faculty Job Presentation (4) |
Honor Code
The Honor Code pledge that each member of the university community agrees to abide by states:
“As a Hokie, I will conduct myself with honor and integrity at all times. I will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor will I accept the actions of those who do.”
Be careful that we never tolerate any violation to the VT honor code or any action of misconduct.
Students are expected to conduct themselves in an ethical, professional manner, consistent with the Virginia Tech Honor Code. For more information about the Honor Code, visit: https://www.honorsystem.vt.edu/
Examples of honor code violations as related to this course include:
- Copying existing work in whole or part from someone else, with or without their knowledge or consent.
- Preparing any of your assignments relying on generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT, Bard, copilot, ...) unless otherwise stated by the instructor.
- Taking another person's printout from a lab printer, trashcan, etc.
- Re-using your work from a previous semester unless approved by the instructor.
If you have questions or are unclear about what constitutes academic misconduct on an assignment, please speak with me. I take the Honor Code very seriously. The normal sanction I will recommend for a violation of the Honor Code is an F* sanction as your final course grade. The F represents failure in the course. The “*” is intended to identify a student who has failed to uphold the values of academic integrity at Virginia Tech. A student who receives a sanction of F* as their final course grade shall have it documented on their transcript with the notation “FAILURE DUE TO ACADEMIC HONOR CODE VIOLATION.” You would be required to complete an education program administered by the Honor System in order to have the “*” and notation “FAILURE DUE TO ACADEMIC HONOR CODE VIOLATION” removed from your transcript. The “F” however would be permanently on your transcript.”
Special Needs and Accomodations
Virginia Tech welcomes students with disabilities into the University’s educational programs. The University promotes efforts to provide equal access and a culture of inclusion without altering the essential elements of coursework. If you anticipate or experience academic barriers that may be due to disability, including but not limited to ADHD, chronic or temporary medical conditions, deaf or hard of hearing, learning disability, mental health, or vision impairment, please contact the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office (540-231-3788, ssd@vt.edu, or visit ssd.vt.edu). If you have an SSD accommodation letter, please meet with me privately during office hours as early in the semester as possible.
If you need special accommodations/excuses for whatever reason or want me to know something private, please let me know as soon as possible and we will work together on satisfying all your needs. If exceptional circumstances prevent the timely completion of any assignment, please contact me immediately and not after the completion date has passed.