Teaching Techniques for Computer Science (Spring 2025)

Welcome to CS375

Spring 2025 information

Note: in-person, regular attendance and participation required to pass. No hybrid, remote, or async option is available. 100% of the value of the class is in what happens in groups engaging and discussing directly in the classroom.

Can I enroll? CS Grad students enroll directly in CS 375. Non-CS grad students and all undergrads must complete this form Links to an external site.. Note that CS 375 must be taken in conjunction with (not separately from) your first UCS-2 or GSI appointment. UCS-1/reader/tutor appointments should take CS 370; AI appointments should take CS 365. If oversubscribed, EECS or L&S CS grad & undergrad students strict priority, then DS, then others if room. 

If you have a Summer appointment, please wait and take CS375 in its condensed form at the beginning of the summer—instructions will be included with your Summer GSI offer information.

If you're a grad student in CS and still unable to enroll, fill out the form Links to an external site. instead.

Enrollments will not be processed until the adjustment period, so you can use your phase 2 units elsewhere.

Course Information

Is remote attendance allowed? Will lectures/meetings be recorded?

We will meet in person. Attendance and participation are required. Meetings will not be recorded, in order to encourage frank dialogue in the frequent discussions.  Two unexcused absences are allowed. Multiple excused absences for irreconcilable conflicts (job interview, quals, etc.) are allowed. Time conflicts with other courses, etc. are not an acceptable excuse for not participating in person.

I have schedule or other conflict with CS 375, but still need to take a pedagogy course due to a GSI/UCS assignment.

See courses.berkeley.edu and enroll in any 375 course—all of them meet the requirements for EECS. EECS students can also choose CS 370 or (for AIs) CS 365.

Course Summary & Learning Goals

This course provides skills for graduate and undergraduate student instructors to hold discussion and practice of techniques for effective teaching, focusing on issues most relevant to teaching assistants in computer science courses. Topics include: understanding the basic roles and responsibilities of student instructors at UC Berkeley, basic pedagogical theory, creating formative and summative assessments, harnessing peer learning, developing curriculum encouraging student-engaged learning.

A portion of the course focuses on creating and stewarding a climate that advances the goals of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Justice (DEIBJ) in the context of CS instruction, such as dealing with implicit/unconscious bias, recognizing and acting on signs of student distress (whether academic or climate related), and more.

Learning goals

After successful completion of this course, student instructors will be able to:

  1. Describe the basic roles and responsibilities of TAs at UCB and how one should use these to discuss expectations with the professor.
  2. Recognize basic concept vocabulary around pedagogy, and provide/construct examples of these concepts (as much as is applicable) in your course, including:  constructivism; social constructivism; metacognitive awareness; formative and summative assessment; peer learning; learning gain; the testing effect; transfer learning.
  3. Develop, describe, and implement a discussion section activity to support student-centric learning and actively engage students in discussion sections.
  4. Describe at least 3 ways to “find out what students don’t know” (e.g., for guiding discussion section or lecture planning).
  5. Describe a specific lecture/discussion activity or homework assignment for a computing course that engages students in metacognitive assessment.
  6. Create a rubric to support the efficient, fair, and replicable grading of a homework assignment or exam question.
  7. Observe and critique someone else’s lecture with regard to student learning.
  8. Put into practice core boardwork, organizational, and speaking practices to support effective explanations of computing topics.
  9. Identify behaviors, attitudes, and situations that can lead to a less-than-inclusive environment for different students, and take proactive steps to prevent or remediate such behaviors, attitudes, and situations on an ongoing basis in their classrooms and in other forms of engaging with students, such as email or online question forums.
  10. Identify and use inclusive terminology and language in both classroom settings and course materials.
  11. Recognize the presence and effects of microaggressions, implicit bias, and other factors that can alienate students, and take specific steps in classroom conduct, team/group formation, and student interaction to combat these factors.

Syllabus (topics may be covered in a different order than shown here)

  • Pre-semester teaching conference/workshop
  • Introduction, course overview, goals, GSI logistics
  • Classroom presentation: eliciting and answering questions clearly
  • Classroom climate and stereotype threat
  • Office hours and student help in large courses
  • Creating and grading quizzes and exams
  • Mid-semester course checkpoint: how's it going?
  • Handling academic dishonesty
  • Classroom climate: microaggressions
  • Creating accessible course materials; proctoring and accommodations
  • Group and team projects
  • Course technology and managing course materials
  • Panel sessions with veteran TAs
  • Wrap up, resources for future teaching, opportunities to expand your teaching activities