Description
Join us for three research talks by doctoral students taking part in the advanced Certificate in University Teaching (CUT) program, and find out more about the educational research interests of your fellow graduate students across campus. This will be a 2.0 hour-long session that will count toward your Fundamentals workshop credit.
Teaching Novice Programmers (research presentation; 30 min.)
Endrina Rivas, PhD candidate, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Some students are seemingly blessed with the ability to learn programming without breaking a sweat, while many struggle through the learning process. The one thing that everyone can agree on is that teaching novice programmers is a difficult task. This talk will provide a summary of some of the difficulties faced in teaching novice programmers, some of the current theories on how students learn, and strategies that have been applied in introductory programming courses.
Engaging Teaching Methods for Foundational Electrical Engineering Courses (research presentation, 30 min)
Nan Chen, PhD Candidate, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Teaching a large-size foundational engineering course requires numerous efforts and innovations to enable an effective material delivery to students with diverse learning backgrounds. Moreover, the requirement of a strong mathematical background and equation application skill in the early undergraduate stage can be intimidating for students, demotivating their confidence in the future study. In this talk, we introduce several engaging teaching methods to facilitate the learning process in foundational electrical engineering courses.
Evaluating and Improving Teaching Skills for Computer Science Teaching Assistants (research presentation; 30 min.)
Jan Gorzny, PhD Candidate, School of Computer Science
In this talk, we explore issues related to evaluating the performance of teaching assistants and improving their pedagogical skills. The talk reviews recent literature for evaluation (e.g., use of quantitative student evaluations) and discusses the observed results of methods for developing teaching assistants as educators (e.g., training courses, team teaching). The talk focuses on concerns relating to computer science but also discusses more general results from STEM fields.
Registration
- Registration is required. Difficulty registering? Read our registration help guide.
- Participants will receive an attendance credit towards the Fundamentals program if they arrive on time and stay until the end of the event.
- A maximum of one special topic workshops can be counted toward your Fundamentals certificate.
Cancellations
Many of our workshops have waiting lists, so if you've registered but can't attend, please notify us 24 hours in advance (at cte-grad@uwaterloo.ca ) so that we can give your spot to someone else.
Accessibility
The University of Waterloo is committed to achieving barrier-free accessibility for persons with disabilities who are studying, working, or visiting at Waterloo. If you have questions concerning access, such as parking, building layouts, or obtaining information in alternative formats, or wish to request accommodations for a CTE workshop or event, please contact CTE via email (cte@uwaterloo.ca) or phone (ext. 33857) and include the session’s title and date. Our workshops typically involve a mix of presentation and discussion-based activities, and we encourage a scent-free environment. We also welcome accompanying assistants, interpreters, or note-takers; notify us if accommodations are needed in this regard. Please note that some accommodations may require time to arrange.