Welcome!

We are so glad you are participating in this course.

Before we get started, we recommend that you bookmark either this page or the Topics page so that you can easily find your way back.

Our goal is to enable you to create more inclusive spaces in your role as a Computer Science TA. To this end, we want to make sure you have the knowledge to understand – and the language to describe – the ways that identity shapes our institutions and interactions.

This is a course about pedagogy, the method and practice of teaching, rather than the specific content you will be helping students to learn. If content were all that mattered, people could just find the information they needed for the cost of internet access. However, students pay to attend colleges and universities so that they can have structure and guidance in their learning process. How we teach has a huge impact on what students learn, which is why it is important to be intentional in how we teach.

Why is this course relevant to you?

The skills explored in this course are not just relevant to your time as a TA. They are also key skills for:

• communicating effectively with supervisors

• working effectively on a team

• taking on management or leadership positions

Beyond the professional applications, many of the topics we will explore are useful in our personal lives as well. More than anything else, we hope that this course will provide you with strategies to understand and build meaningful connections with other people.

TAs have a huge impact

Most of us can remember a specific teacher who encouraged us and helped us find a path through challenging moments. TAs are also in a position to guide students, particularly those who are new to Computer Science.

Even in a small class, there are inevitably some students who feel more comfortable seeking help from a peer, someone who is closer to their current level of understanding and experience. As class sizes get larger and direct interaction with faculty is less available, many students will see their TA as their only source of support. No matter how you are positioned, whether you are an undergraduate TA holding drop-in hours for a class of 15 students or one of an army of graduate TAs supporting a class of 2,000 students, you have an opportunity to set the tone for someone else's CS journey. While they will have to do the actual learning themselves, you can help set them up for success.