Even in lockdown, the annual marking rituals go on, and I am just now done with marking projects, marking presentations, marking exams, and second-marking courses. And, like every year, I wish I could shake my students (gently!) and get them to understand the simple things they can do to improve their marks. For projects: the … Continue reading The Annual Reflections on Marking
So, we all start the big period of self-isolation brought about by the Coronavirus. Friday was the day to say goodbye to our offices and labs, and there was the spectacle of academics and researches taking out there essentials for work from home – computer screens, ergonomic chairs, books, plants… There is a mix of … Continue reading Starship Enterprise
The more I talk to people from outside academia, and also within academia, I get more convinced that I need to up my game and really learn about modern techniques for software management. Last year when teaching CS118 (Term 1 Programming) my co-instructor was keen to start with github and unit testing from Week 1 … Continue reading Getting uptodate with Software Development
At the risk of seeming to plagiarize, I just want to write down the main points of an excellent article I have had open on a Tab for several weeks. It is about including all students in class, and I’ve always felt this is important, particularly in a subject like Computing where there is poor … Continue reading Inclusive Teaching
I just came out of a one-hour tea break with some of our PhD students — a fantastic group of engaged alumni who had a lot to say about how we teach and what works and what doesn’t. I feel invigorated and excited about making positive changes. This comes after another meeting a few weeks … Continue reading Talking teaching
When looking at issues around the under-representation of women in CS, one can’t avoid noticing the backlash, and the trope that male students and graduates are missing out on employment and internship opportunities because of positive discrimination by corporations who end up choosing female candidates (who, implicitly, wouldn’t get them if it weren’t for positive … Continue reading Are girls stealing your internship?
I’ve been excited with the many opportunities to talk to young people about both programming and computational biology, as part of the outreach and widening participation activities in my department. I have what I now consider a good set of examples that reach various populations: An initial model in Processing that teaches the basics of … Continue reading Outreaching with Bio-models
Non-REFable writings... 