meet your instructors and course aides

Meet your instructors and course aides

Blake Everett Johnson, Ph.D.Teaching Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Mechanical Science and Engineering

• Ph.D. TAM from UIUC, 2012• Teaching story: As a graduate student, I won a teaching

award that helped me pay for my wife’s engagement ring

Yuting Chen, Ph.D.Teaching Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Graduated from ECE Illinois in 2007

• M.S., Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

• Worked at IBM for 5 years before returning to U of I as a faculty

• Interested in career and leadership development of undergraduate and graduate students

A. Mattox Beckman, Ph.D.Teaching Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Computer Science

• B.S. from UIUC in 1993

• Ph.D. from UIUC in 2003

• Senior Lecturer at Illinois Institute of Technology 2003 to 2015

• Interested in Programming Languages and Computer Science Education

Fereshteh SabetFereshteh is a PhD student in TAM studyingmechanical properties of bone as a biologicalmaterial and 3D-printed composites. She has been aTA for more than ten semesters and is enjoyingTAing for ME 270 (Design for Manufacturability) thissemester. She is a recipient of Michael SuttonOutstanding Graduate Student award and KuckComputational Science & Engineering Scholarship.

Meet the course assistants…


Ian Ludden

Ian Ludden is a third-year PhD student in Computer Science (Theory and Algorithms area). He is working with Prof. Sheldon Jacobson on algorithmic approaches to political redistricting. This is his fifth semester as a TA (CS 173, 481, 482, 374), and he hopes to pursue a teaching-focused academic career. If you’re in CS, you may recognize him from the CITL Grad Academy (a distant 11 days in the past).


Jimmy Kim

Jimmy is a 5th year PhD student in the MechSE department, working with Prof. Chamorro. He worked for Dr. Johnson as a TA for his class ME 310 for five semesters and TAM 335 for one semester. His research focuses on experimental fluid mechanics and Lagrangian dynamics. He is planning a career in academia.

How many credit hours is this course worth?

ENG 598: You may take this course for 1 credit hour or 2 credit hours; both can count towards Graduate Teaching Certificate (GTC) from CITL

2 credit hours (ENG 598 TL2, CRN: 69679)• Includes additional writing assignments and projects• Will earn you more credit toward the Graduate Teaching Certificate (GTC) than the 1-credit

version• Will be recorded on your transcript as a letter grade• “Good way to boost your GPA” – Michael Neal, Civil Engineering Course Aide and course

alumnus

1 credit hour (ENG 598 TL, CS 591 TA, ECE 590 TL)• Can be taken as credit/no-credit• You are responsible to request credit/no-credit through the Graduate College:• http://www.grad.illinois.edu/sites/default/files/pdfs/credit_nocredit_form.pdf

• Please ensure that you are enrolled in the proper course by the 10th day add/drop deadline, September 9th.

http://www.grad.illinois.edu/sites/default/files/pdfs/credit_nocredit_form.pdf

Poster Project (2-credit hours)

• Poster topic: 1. campus resources, engineering education research, etc. you think will be useful for fellow TAs and graduate students2. create your own course3. other relevant topics approved by a course instructor

• Poster Presentation at the end of the semester

Course Resources

• Course forum on Piazza.com• Discuss course-related topics, including assignments• Used by the instructors, course aides, and students

• Course website: https://pages.github-dev.cs.illinois.edu/ielite/web/index.html• Course documents, such as the syllabus• Lecture slides• Homework and due dates• Links to other resources for TAs

https://pages.github-dev.cs.illinois.edu/ielite/web/index.html

Three types of people.

Base Knowledge and Skills

#1. The Dash-Shaped Person

From https://collegeinfogeek.com/become-t-shaped-person/

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Generalization. This person has diverse, general knowledge. They can provide help in a number of areas, which is very useful, but they lack strong specialized knowledge. They are a Jack of many trades, but a master of none.

https://collegeinfogeek.com/become-t-shaped-person/


#2. The I-Shaped Person


DEPTH

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Specialization. This person has great knowledge and skills in a particular area. They are able to become leaders in that area, but they may not be very useful for other things.




DEPTH

#3. The T-Shaped Person


Presenter

Presentation Notes

This person has great knowledge and skills in a particular specialization. This person is a Jack of many trades, and a master of at least one (if not many). In graduate school, you are expected to develop DEPTH through your courses and research. But your TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIP will help you to increase the BREADTH of your knowledge and skills.


Benefits of being a T-Shaped person


DEPTH


Gain the benefits of both specialization and generalization, without the pitfalls of each.

1. Improved communication abilities. 2. Develop more interests. 3. Satisfaction. 4. Creativity.

5. Become more attractive to employers.

Presenter

Presentation Notes

You will be better at collaborating with others due to improved communication abilities. You will have mental bandwidth to develop more interests. You experience the satisfaction that comes from deep knowledge. You will become more creative. You will become more attractive to employers. This is the sum result of the four benefits above.


Interacting With StudentsENG 598 TL, Fall 2019

Blake Everett Johnson, PhD

After today’s lecture, you should be able to…

• Increase productivity in your office hours

• Exemplify professional behavior for your students in person and in electronic communication

• Direct students to appropriate campus resources, when necessary

Office Hours. What is the point?

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Ask students this question. We will conduct a brainstorming session. Students should be able to look to their professors and TAs for help. Office hours provide an opportunity for additional help beyond what is presented during the lecture or lab. TAs and professors should use office hours to exemplify not only expertise, but also professionalism.

Basics of Conducting Office Hours

• Create a relaxed mood to make communication easy• Keep a door open to avoid uncomfortable or

compromising situations• Let the students dictate the purpose of the visit• Give them your undivided attention• If no other students are waiting make an opportunity to

get feedback about the course• Be tactful with latecomers

From Barbara Gross Davis, Tools For Teaching

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Latecomers may be referred to other class office hours, such as with another TA Emphasize the importance of setting a comfortable environment. Many students feel naturally intimidated or inhibited when interacting with the instructor. Explain that Barbara Gross Davis writes to an audience of professors, not TAs; as such, her content is distilled here for points that are meaningful to TAs.

Increasing the Productivity of Office Hours

• Advise students to prepare their questions ahead of time

• Remind them that OHs are not meant for recapping missed lectures

• Focus on problem solving strategies, not simply giving them answers

From Barbara Gross Davis, Tools For Teaching

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Advise students to prepare their questions ahead of time If possible, have them write out their questions Group students with similar concerns or questions Remind them that OHs are not meant for recapping missed lectures They need to attend the lectures! Focus on problem solving strategies, not simply giving them answers Ask them leading questions to help them think about the relevant concepts Emphasize use of problem solving tools

Let’s hold an office hour.

Office Hours are an opportunity to exemplify professionalism and empathy.

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Professionalism: Show the students how engineering professionals should do their work. Show students what it takes to meet the standards for excellence in the course. Empathy: Show that you care for the challenges that they are undertaking as students.

Professional Communication: Email

Presenter

Presentation Notes

In addition to Office Hours, it is important to maintain professionalism in all communication with the students. Email is an extension of the professional example that you set.

Professional Communication: EmailDear [title and name],

Thank you for [rephrase content of their previous message to you]. ⁞[Body of email: Be sure to use proper grammar and spelling. Review before sending.][Body of email: Be collegial. Say “please” if you make requests. Say “thank you” at the end of the communication.]⁞[Closing. “Best regards,”; “Sincerely,”; etc. ]

[First and last name]

[Professional email signature]

Example:Dear Ms. Doe,

Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention, and for including the note fromMcKinley. I am very sorry to hear about your difficult medical situation. I will extend thedeadline for your Lab 4 report by one week to Friday, Febtober 32nd at 10 am. Please keepme informed if you require any additional accommodations. Thank you.

Best regards,

Blake Johnson

Blake Everett Johnson, PhDTeaching Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Mechanical Science and EngineeringUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Empathy.

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Students rate care for students in the top three most-important qualities in a good instructor. Lack of empathy is almost certain to cause a reduction in your ratings as an instructor. Good empathy is your ace in the hole if nothing else is going well!

Some resources for students…• Illnesses:

Students may visit McKinley Student Health Center to get a note to verify your visitFor illnesses of 3 days or more, students may reach out to the Dean of Students to get an excuse letterhttp://odos.illinois.edu/

• Academic challenges:CARE: Center for Academic Resources in Engineeringhttp://care.engineering.illinois.edu/

• Disability-related matters:DRES = Disability Resources and Educational Serviceshttp://disability.illinois.edu/

• Mental health, emotionally traumatic events:The counseling center https://counselingcenter.illinois.edu/

http://odos.illinois.edu/

http://care.engineering.illinois.edu/

http://disability.illinois.edu/

https://counselingcenter.illinois.edu/

If you want to know what official policies are…University of Illinois Student Code of Conduct

https://studentcode.illinois.edu/

Article 1: Student Rights and ResponsibilitiesArticle 2: General Policies and RegulationsArticle 3: Academic Policies and Regulations

https://studentcode.illinois.edu/

meet your instructors and course aides

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