TEACHING EXPERIENCE

                               Below is a picture of me taken while teaching at an NGO in Delhi. I taught students how to use a computer. We went over the basics of MS Word, MS Excel, and MS PowerPoint.

University Teaching Experience:

Here is a list of courses that I have taught.

Teaching Assistant at the University of Connecticut

Calculus II Spring 2024

Teaching Assistant at the University of Connecticut

Calculus I Fall 2023

Instructor of Record at the University of Connecticut

Calculus for Business and Economics Spring 2023

Teaching Assistant at the University of Connecticut

Calculus I Fall 2022

Students from calculus II course taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago in Fall 2021.

Teaching Assistant at the University of Illinois at Chicago

Statistics for Life Sciences Spring 2022

Emerging Scholars Program for Calculus Fall 2021

Calculus II Fall 2021

Linear Algebra Summer 2021

Computer Algorithms Summer 2021

Introduction to Computer Science Spring 2021

College Algebra Fall 2020

Teaching Assistant at Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi

Introduction to Mathematical Logic Spring 2020

Probability and Statistics Spring 2019

Linear Algebra Fall 2018

Internal Teaching Observations of TAs by Professors

Communication: Swati's explanations were excellent and very clear. They responded well to the students' questions and asked questions of the students that the students answered. Students volunteered answers and all the students appeared actively engaged with the material. Swati did an excellent job of moving around the classroom to give attention to each student and a lot of students participated with responses. The participation was representative of perceived gender and ethnicity. 

Delivery: Swati was very enthusiastic and the pace was perfect. Students had enough time to work on the problems, ask questions, and digest the answers. The rate at which material was presented was also fast enough to cover all the relevant material, but not too much to overwhelm the students. As noted before, the students were all very engaged and attentive. 

General TA duties: Swati has been extraordinary in terms of General TA duties. Their communication is excellent and they have gone out of their way to provide additional resources for both me and the students. They have been highly attentive to detail and anticipated what I or the students might need. Their grading has been prompt and correct and they have maintained office hours. Additional items such as providing worksheet solutions and a scanning guide have been above and beyond what is asked of them. Swati has also been very conscientious about their work, their understanding of the material, and their presentations. 

Overall: I think Swati did an excellent job in the session I attended. I thought their explanations were clear and their answering of questions was great. I think the students felt very comfortable both answering and asking questions and this created a good environment for learning. Additionally, they did an excellent job of highlighting very important differences (such as sample mean vs population mean) and anticipating other areas of student difficulty (such as two-sided tests). The only small change I might suggest is that when referencing the correct formula and verifying with the students that they have all the values for the formula, I would still consider writing out the actual expression with the values plugged in (for example show (8.2-8)/12/sqrt(40) before giving the actual value of the test statistic). Swati has been an excellent TA and made the semester much better for both me and the students.

--- Internal teaching evaluation by Professor Dale Embers (Statistics in Life Sciences, UIC)

Management: The TA managed the presentations excellently, let the students take their time explaining, as well as providing great follow-up questions and comments. 

Communication: The TA communicated very well and was empathetic to the students. 

Delivery: The TA delivered very well, choosing an appropriate pace and getting done with the presentations. Students were engaged and attentive. 

Overall: Swati is an excellent TA and did well in the online environment. Zoom was used by the TA and they did well at using the breakout rooms and whiteboard functionality. Students also felt comfortable using the tools and sharing. 

--- Internal teaching evaluation by Professor Saleh Hamdan (College Algebra, UIC)

Student testimonials

As the instructor of my Math 181 discussion section, Swati Gaba has been excellent. She clearly outlines goals for each class period and regularly checks with students to ensure we understand the material. She teaches in an inclusive manner that contributes to a positive learning environment for all. We are encouraged to ask questions and bring up any concerns we may have in her classroom. She clearly understands the material we are covering and can answer any questions we have for her even if they are not directly related to the daily goal. She encourages us to attend office hours if we need any additional help and she is very sensitive to the needs of her students. When I became ill and unable to attend in-person classes for a brief period she coordinated with me to attend discussion sections remotely so I did not have to miss any instruction. You can tell that she cares about her classroom and the progress her students are making. She is among the best Teaching Assistants that I have been instructed by since I began attending UIC. 

--- Joshua Pakhala (Calculus II, UIC)

• The most positive aspect was teaching by example. It is usually hard for me to understand formulas, so being able to see them in different types of problems helped my understanding. 

• The instructor showed an interest in wanting every student to succeed 

• Clear-solving solutions and clear exam review materials 

• posted in class notes online 

• The instructor was knowledgeable about the content making it easy to ask questions and gave multiple examples. 

• how good at explaining the material Swati Gaba is and how easy she is to reach and set up extra help appointments 

• continuous interaction with students encouraging participation, encouraging us to say what we think, and then explaining why what we said, is right, wrong, or on the right path. 

• She was engaging with the students and was easily accessible throughout the week. 

• She was very forgiving to students and did her best to be available when people needed help 

• I enjoyed having class with Swati Gaba and it increased my interest in math. 

• I thought they were very accessible to students and were willing to answer all questions with in-depth answers 

• She answered questions and graded work very efficiently

• This instructor took great care to make sure each student understood the material and often adjusted her lessons to class feedback. This was extremely helpful as, throughout the year, the course was adapted to best suit the learning style of the entire class.

--- Anonymous feedback on teaching evaluation (Calculus  for Business and Economics, UConn)

• Swati was the best TA. She explained the material well and in an easily digestible manner. She always answered questions thoroughly and was respectful to students. I enjoyed the way she taught the material, it made Calc so much easier to understand. I liked her teaching so much that I enrolled in her section for Calculus 2 next semester with Professor Conrad. 

• Swati is the most informative TA I have ever had. She is the reason I am excelling in this class. Every class she arrives on time and teaches us students the important concepts we need to know for the quiz, exams, and future calculus classes. You would think that it's a lot, but Swati makes it so easy. My friend and I have gotten A's on the majority of our calculus assignments because of the clearness of Swati's teaching. I know whenever I enter the discussion with her my confusion from the lecture would go away. Best TA ever. 

• Such a nice person! She helps us with any problems that we have. There have been many instances where I was in circumstances where I could not attend the exam and she made sure that I had enough time to prepare and give the exam. Swati is simply the best friend and TA that one could ask for! 

• Very friendly and open to questions. Helped us review material and prepare us for quizzes and exams. 

• She went through steps on how to get the answer and would always wait for us and allow us to ask questions on how that step was made. The instructor really did a good job trying to make the lesson actually make sense as we would do different question problems that were nearly similar so we could have a good idea and be prepared if a question like that would be on a future quiz. 

• Always willing to spend time to help students understand problems, even after class. 

• Our instructor always made sure we understood what would be evaluated, she 100% took advantage of the class time which allowed us to utilize the class time to its extent. And she gave the necessary time frame to complete our assignments and evaluations. 

• Swati is the best! She was extremely organized and created a great structure for how to review during our discussions. She is kind. The biggest thing that I appreciated about being in class with Swati was how much she wanted every student to succeed. She was always there to help us understand and succeed in the class, and she is 1000% the reason that I will be getting an A in the class.

• She explained the material very carefully and was very clear in her instructions

• Prob the best TA I've ever had. Not a tryhard, wants you to succeed. When explaining concepts, she makes it easier for you to understand everything.

• Was very attentive to students and aimed to have the class participate in the discussion

• I found the discussions to be more helpful than the lectures * 5 (at least 5 students wrote this in "open comments")

• Very helpful, I could not have survived just off of the lectures. 

• without Swati, I wouldn't learn. 

• She took time to answer the students' questions and was a very good and efficient teacher to my age group. I learned a lot from her class 

• Our instructor always made sure we understood what would be evaluated, she 100% took advantage of the class time which allowed us to utilize the class time to its extent. And she gave us the necessary time frame to complete our assignments and evaluations. 

• She explains the concepts and procedures so well. She is enthusiastic about teaching which I appreciate. 

--- Anonymous feedback on teaching evaluation (Calculus I, UConn)

• Her discussion was really helpful because she always explained the concepts and went over the problems that we were confused about. She helped me over the weekends whenever I needed help. She was the best TA that I have had so far.

• Clear explanations and always answered questions thoroughly.

• She clearly explained, the best TA I have ever had.

• The TA was quick to clarify any misunderstandings regarding the material and going through the worksheets on the board helped me understand each subject presented to us.

--- Anonymous feedback on teaching evaluation (Statistics in Life Sciences, UIC)

• She did very well in explaining or reexplaining to students if they had a tough time with something. She also surveyed what she

could do to improve her teaching which was so helpful because then she took all those comments and put them into her teaching which

was so nice of her. Overall a really good TA.

• The TA was able to explain almost any topic at any given time. The way she structured her class was organized and allowed time for

students to both review material and test their skills.

• Very attentive to students' need for extra help. Made sure we were prepared when we did presentations. Did a good job explaining

 concepts.

• amazing to ask questions, and ask for help for any confusion on concepts or anything math related extremely helpful great TA overall.

• The revision in between discussion sessions helped me a lot, additionally, I got help when I was presenting a problem incorrectly,

which not only improved my confidence but also redirected me to correct answers.

• She explained the material well, and helped me understand the problems. Was patient and explained again if needed until people understood.

• Being able to set up online appointments in case students have missed a discussion. Giving students more time to present if they didn’t understand the material yet

--- Anonymous feedback on teaching evaluation (Calculus II, UIC)

• Ms Gaba did an amazing job at listening to what we struggled with and would always make sure every student understood the topic we

were learning.

• Swati was attentive and adaptive with her lesson plans. She was also very supportive and approachable.

• How in-depth the sessions were and how much extra practice was provided to make sure we were on track with everything.

--- Anonymous feedback on teaching evaluation (Emerging Scholars Program for Calculus, UIC)

Online Teaching

After working directly with Swati, I can unequivocally say that she has been a phenomenal mentor. Her adaptation and sense of understanding demonstrated that she understood the difficulties associated with learning in an online environment. This is an essential hallmark of an effective communicator and leader. 

--- Jason Mei (Learning Assistant, Linear Algebra, UIC)

Swati was always careful and patient with other students while explaining the solutions. As our class was conducted online, she made sure to cover the topic for individuals who missed out on a certain part of the lecture due to internet conflict. The TA possessed a good knowledge of the Python programming language and was ready to assist students who had doubts related to the concepts which were taught in the class. She also conducted extra office hours to make sure she assisted all.

--- Siddharth Verma (Introduction to Computer Science, UIC)

• Explained problems and solutions very well. Cared about the understanding of the class. Accommodating when I could not attend discussion sessions but still wanted to participate.

• Swati was very nice and helpful during our discussion sessions. She made the atmosphere during the sessions very good, in my opinion, and that was very helpful.

• She was always there when we needed help. She was so awesome

• Consistently made sure we knew the content as best we could during the discussion.

• Always helpful and kind, never irritated by our questions. Even though we had a very early class, she was ready and prepared.

--- Anonymous feedback on teaching evaluation (Linear Algebra, UIC)

• She would always answer any type of questions no matter how simple or complex the question may be. I remember she would always give us example codes that were simple that she would explain in much detail.

• She was very thorough in all of her explanations.

• She listens to our opinions well for example when we were in a discussion, she asked us if we wanted to be in a group or the whole class. When we were working on our work in the whole class, she asked if you needed help, you could come to the breakout room with her for 1 on 1 help.

• I reached out to Swati at the start of the semester and she helped me get back on track.

• She was readily available to help during discussions and was very helpful in steering the group during discussions. Explaining certain material before we were separated into our groups was very useful as it helped when it came to answering the worksheets.

--- Anonymous feedback on teaching evaluation (Introduction to Computer Science, UIC)

• Coming back together in the group to go over the problems. The TA was always very kind and helpful. A slight demo explanation of problems to help students get started was helpful too.

• Great teaching assistant, I loved her style!

• Swati always helped when we needed support with a question.

• The step-by-step process of questions being answered

• The teaching assistant was able to explain the answer to any question that we struggled with. Also, if someone was having trouble understanding a problem, they would help explain it not just to one student but to the class.

• She was very understanding and allowed the students to take their time when it came to understanding topics. She was also very kind when it came to answering questions. I had the most fun in her class the whole semester.

• She had a good understanding of the material and was especially kind and flexible with me when my groupmates were consistently not showing up for class.

• Gaba explains things very clearly and always helps out when we have questions. Despite teaching a class at 3 am her time she never seems too tired to teach and help us grasp concepts we have trouble with. I think Gaba is a really good teacher and I am glad I had her as a TA this past semester.

• This class helped me make sure that I do the HW good and that I have a good test score as well.

• Was organized and always encouraged us to ask for help when needed.

• We would go over the question before working on our own, also, if we did not explain correctly, she would jump in and explain better. Moreover, she gave us tips that would help us.

--- Anonymous feedback on teaching evaluation (College Algebra, UIC)