Fall 2026 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.

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

Course Information

Instructor: Michael Ball, ball@berkeley.edu (Office Hours: email me!)
TA: None. Please be patient, but I'll try to reply as best I can. :)
Lecture-Discussion (Course Catalog):
- Wednesdays 5:00pm-7:00pm
- B1022 Gateway
2 units, P/NP, based on attendance, participation, and a small number of weekly assignments.
Extensions: https://flextensions.berkeley.edu/
- Please request an extension if you can't submit an assignment.
This course has also been approved for the UC Berkeley Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.

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. Three unexcused absences are allowed. *Beyond that, multiple excused absences for irreconcilable conflicts (job interview, quals, etc.) are allowed *on a case-by-case basis. Time conflicts with other courses, etc. are not an acceptable excuse for not participating in person. Email us as soon as you know you might have a scheduled conflict so we can keep a record.

I have a schedule or another conflict with CS 375, but still need to take a pedagogy course due to a GSI/UCS2 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. See the GSI Teaching & Resource Center page for 375 Courses Open to GSIs from Outside Departments.

How do assignments work?

Weekly assignments are graded on completion. Assignments include formative journaling (reflection on your first time TA-ing), readings and reading assignments, instructor/peer observations of classrooms, and surveys. More details will be announced each week.

I have another question. How do I contact you?

Please send an email to the instructor and cc the TA. Please feel comfortable bumping the email if we don't get back to you within a few days. We don't check our bCourses Inbox, so please don't use it.

Enrollment

Can I enroll? CS Grad students enroll directly in CS 375. Non-CS grad students and all undergrads must complete this form. Note that CS 375 must be taken in conjunction with (not separately from) your first UCS2 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.

The enrollment form is listed on our class notes: https://classes.berkeley.edu/content/2026-fall-compsci-375-001-dis-001

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:

Describe the basic roles and responsibilities of TAs at UC Berkeley and how one should use these to discuss expectations with the professor.
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.
Develop, describe, and implement a discussion section activity to support student-centric learning and actively engage students in discussion sections.
Describe at least 3 ways to “find out what students don’t know” (e.g., for guiding discussion section or lecture planning).
Describe a specific lecture/discussion activity or homework assignment for a computing course that engages students in metacognitive assessment.
Create a rubric to support the efficient, fair, and replicable grading of a homework assignment or exam question.
Observe and critique someone else’s lecture with regard to student learning.
Put into practice core boardwork, organizational, and speaking practices to support effective explanations of computing topics.
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.
Identify and use inclusive terminology and language in both classroom settings and course materials.
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

Course Culture

Do This

We will strive to create a classroom that is welcoming to all students. We ask that the entire course community —instructors and students alike—adhere to this code: “As a member of the UC Berkeley community, I act with honesty, integrity, and respect for others.”

This is important. CS 375 will be a collaborative learning effort. We hope to learn from each other through honest, constructive feedback and open conversation. This will require a space where we are all comfortable, feel safe to share, and where all voices are valued. So, please act with decency and self-awareness. Be aware that your peers come from a range of backgrounds. Also be aware that learning to teach, like any craft, is a constant, individual journey. Our experience, talents, practice, and goals, will differ - as will our challenges. We may, at times, make mistakes. Simply consider your peers and act decently.

Please let us know what we can do to make the course welcoming for you. For example, if your name and/or pronouns differ from those that appear in your official records, please tell us.

Integrity and inclusivity are more than course values. They are values expected in all members of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS). As a TA you are a university employee. You represent the university, and are expected to contribute to its mission. In particular, if you TA an EECS class, then you are a part of the EECS team. We’re happy to have you! You are responsible for upholding EECS community standards and, while acting in your official roles, to reflect our values. These include respect, inclusion, and student support.

For further reading, please reference Berkeley’s Principles of Community and the Berkeley Campus Code of Student Conduct.

Not That

Diversity has many facets, some of which are not visible. Your classmates may have medical conditions (physical or mental), personal situations (financial, family, etc.), or interests that aren’t common to most students in the course. Avoid comments that (likely unintentionally) put down colleagues for situations they cannot control.

Beyond unintentional slips, there are a host of behaviors that the course staff, department, and university do not tolerate. These are generally classified under the term harassment; sexual harassment is a specific form that is governed by federal laws known as Title IX.

UC Berkeley’s Title IX website provides many resources for understanding the terms, procedures, and policies around harassment. Make sure you are aware enough of these issues to avoid crossing a line in your interactions with other students.

Harassment has no place on campus and will be taken seriously. Research shows the emotional and physical consequences of harassment. When your behavior forces another student to focus on something other than their education, you have crossed a line.

If you experience an incident

Incidents may happen, sometimes unintentionally, that run counter to our community goals. If you experience a remark, or disrespectful treatment, or if you feel you are being ignored, excluded or marginalized in a course or program-related activity, please speak up. Consider talking to your instructor, or report an incident anonymously through the EECS Student Incident Reporting Form.

If you feel like your performance in the class is being affected by your experiences outside of class (e.g., family matters, current events), please don’t hesitate to come and talk with us. We want to be resources for you.

We take all complaints about unprofessional or discriminatory behavior seriously.