Passion

Tell us about your course. 

This is a required 200-level course in programming with about 200+ students, perhaps the fourth course in a sequence, but the ideas apply to any course with large enrollment.  

What specific practices do you use to convey passion for the subject in large classes?

I try to make connections between the topics in this course and topics in courses they will take in the future, which are courses that are more topic-specific, and perhaps more related to the “fun stuff” they want to do to begin with. I also make connections to other courses they might be taking right now or have taken in the recent past, so they better see how those courses are important. and topics they might have seen in previous courses. I also emphasize why we are seeing the topics we cover, so that the assessments students need to go through are less about getting a good grade, and more about the practices they will engage with as professionals in the field.

How do you know when your practices are working?

The biggest indicator is the types of questions students ask, before class, right after class, during office hours, and in the bulletin board system that the course uses. When things are going well, those questions lean less towards “how do I finish this assignment” or “how do I prepare for the exam”, and more towards their making sure they actually understand the concepts covered in class. 

What do you love most about teaching? 

My favorite moment is every time a student discovers that they can do the work required of them, specially when the road to get there has not been easy. I really enjoy telling them “you got it!”. I also appreciate students asking how to proceed in their studies, since perhaps it signals that I have earned their trust.