CSE 95 - Cao [SP23]

Tutor Training in Computer Science

CSE 95 prepares and supports first-time CSE tutors.

In person! CSE building (EBU3b) 1202 Fridays 8am

*Please complete the Finaid Survey before week 2*

CSE 95 instructional team: Paul Cao (yic242@ucsd.edu, Office CSE 2102), Galen Han (ghan@ucsd.edu), Maggie Liu (mal019@ucsd.edu)

Getting started: Find asynchronous activities to help you prepare for the quarter and your tutoring position in the "Week 1 Before class" assignment in Gradescope.

This course is part of the requirement for all new CSE tutors.

When you successfully complete this course, you will earn 2 credit hours that may count towards lower division CSE electives.

In CSE 95, you will learn and practice skills related to assisting with CSE courses as a tutor, both with student-facing tasks and behind-the-scenes course activities with the rest of the instructional team. For example, you will learn

• How to help students effectively and create an inclusive learning environment
• What are the roles of tutors in our department and how you can get the most out of this experience
• What are professional and unprofessional behaviors when working in a team
• How to learn from others and support one another

For CSE 95, you will be expected to:

• Read or watch assigned resources related to the science of learning and teaching practice.
• Complete pre-class preparation activities connecting these resources to your experiences as a student and a tutor.
• Attend CSE 95 class and participate in in-class discussions and activities.
• Once during the term, observe an experienced tutor and be observed by one of the CSE 95 tutors.
• Prepare and submit an end of quarter paper.

Each session of CSE 95 will address a key facet of tutoring. You will start to engage with the topic in the pre-class assignment and you should be ready to discuss your ideas in our synchronous in-class sessions. If you would like advice about a topic before we discuss it in class, please reach out to us.

Navigating Canvas

On the left side of the main CSE 95 Canvas page you can find tabs containing resources you will need for the class.

• "Home" and "Syllabus" contain information on the logistics of the course, including assignments and grading.
• "Gradescope" contains a link to Gradescope, where you will submit pre-class assignments, in-class assignments, and the Peer Observation and End of Quarter papers.
• Under "Pages" you can find a link to all the resources discussed in class in addition to the prompt for the two papers. 
• The remaining tabs contain resources such as UCSD policy and where to look for help.

Grading

This class is taken P/NP. We hope that every student will successfully earn a passing grade in this class. To do so, you need to meet or exceed the following minimum passing thresholds in each course component.

(1) Surveys and forms: All required surveys and forms must be completed. To pass the class, we only allow one missed work from our tutors.
(2) Weekly engagement: Any missed CSE 95 session is communicated to the instructor and tutors in writing and a plan to make up the missed work is proposed and carried out. If you are unable to participate in a class section synchronously due to an extenuating circumstance in some week, it is your responsibility to check in with us and to complete the equivalent asynchronous assignment posted on Gradescope. We only allow one unexcused absence.

Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to fostering a learning environment for this course that supports a diversity of thoughts, perspectives and experiences, and respects your identities (including race, ethnicity, heritage, gender, sex, class, sexuality, religion, ability, age, educational background and more). Our goal is to create a diverse and inclusive learning environment where all students feel comfortable and can thrive. We also expect that you, as a student in this course, will honor and respect your classmates, abiding by the UCSD Principles of Community (https://ucsd.edu/about/principles.html). Please understand that others’ backgrounds, perspectives and experiences may be different than your own, and help us to build an environment where everyone is respected and feels comfortable. If you experience any sort of harassment or discrimination, please contact the instructor as soon as possible. If you prefer to speak with someone outside of the course, please contact the Office of Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination: https://ophd.ucsd.edu/.

Academic Integrity

In this course we expect students to adhere to the UC San Diego Integrity of Scholarship Policy. This means that you will complete your work honestly, with integrity, and support a culture of integrity within the class for which you are tutoring. Some examples of specific ways this policy applies to CSE 95 include:

• Honesty about attendance (including punctuality, engagement, and illness) in class
• Completion of pre-class assignments individually and on-time
• Encouraging honest work among the students in the class for which you are tutoring
• Reporting suspected instances of academic dishonesty in this class, as well as in the class you are tutoring, to the instructor right away.

Outside Tutoring

Individuals are not permitted to approach students to offer services of any kind in exchange for pay, including tutoring services. This is considered solicitation for business and is strictly prohibited by University policy.

Students with Disabilities

Students requesting accommodations for this course due to a disability must provide a current Authorization for Accommodation (AFA) letter issued by the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD), the Student OSD portal is at https://academicaffairs.ucsd.edu/sso/osdsp/home. Students are required to present their AFA letters to Faculty (please make arrangements to contact me privately) and to the OSD Liaison in the department in advance so that accommodations may be arranged.

Acknowledgements

This course was developed and adapted from versions offered in recent years at UC San Diego by (alphabetically) Christine Alvarado, Paul Cao, Gary Gillespie, Mia Minnes, and Joe Politz.  Most of the course materials are borrowed from Mia Minnes' Winter 2023 version.