Professional Development Session for New and Aspiring Educators

Jeff Forbes

Lead Program Director, Education & Workforce Program
National Science Foundation's Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering

Jeff Forbes is the lead Program Director for the Education & Workforce program in the National Science Foundation's Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering, managing programs that address the critical and complex issues of education and broadening participation in computing. From 2001-2020, Jeff was on the faculty of Duke University where he was an Associate Professor of the Practice of Computer Science. He received his BS and PhD in computer science from Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, respectively. His research interests include computer science education, social information processing, and learning analytics.

Kemi Ola

Associate Professor of Teaching, Computer Science
University of British Columbia

Hello. I'm an Associate Professor of Teaching at the University of British Columbia. I completed my doctoral degree in Computer Science in 2018, specializing in information visualization. My dad is a storyteller, and my mom is a community builder. As their offspring, I skillfully combine these vocations and related skills, weaving narratives while also building educational communities.

Currently, I hold positions as an educator, researcher, and activist. As an educator, I impart knowledge through teaching introductory programming and visualization courses at the University of British Columbia. In my researcher role, I explore methodologies to eliminate obstacles in the learning process. My research also includes creating support systems to address widespread misconceptions and examining socio-emotional factors that influence learning.

As an activist, I'm committed to driving change by establishing connections and dismantling systems of marginalization. I achieve this through mentorship, revealing the hidden curriculum within academia, and taking on diverse, high-impact leadership roles.

Mohammad Q. Azhar

Professor, Computer Information Systems
Borough of Manhattan Community College, The City University Of New York

Mohammad Azhar is a Professor in the Computer Information Systems.. His research and projects include numerous NSF, DOE, CUNY and Industry projects. He currently serves as the Principal Investigator of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) program where spearheaded the formation of the Technology Learning Community and computational thinking across the curriculum project where thousands of computing and non computing students engaged in collaborative real-world problems. He organized numerous robotics competitions, hackathon and STEM Innovation Challenge over the years to engage students in real-world problems. His current research interests include Human-Robot Collaboration, AI, Assistive Technology, Assistive Robotics, Cyber Security and Computer Science Education. He is passionate about getting undergraduate as well as K-12 students involved in solving robotics problems, taking part in robotics research, and competitions that help them realize where they could go with robotics in the real world.

Timothy Yuen

Professor and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, College of Sciences
University of Texas at San Antonio

I am the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies in the College of Sciences and currently the Interim Chair of the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

My interests in computer science education started when I was an undergraduate tutor helping first year computer science and engineering students in their introductory programming courses. At UTSA, I have been involved with a variety of projects that investigates ways in which educators from K-12 through higher education can work on improving student success and broadening diversity in computer science, engineering, and other STEM areas, specifically through culturally responsive and transformative teaching practices.

Due to the interdisciplinary nature of my work, I hold several faculty appointments at UTSA in Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching, and Electrical and Computer Engineering. I received a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Texas at Austin, an MS in Computer Science from the University of Southern California, and a BS in Information and Computer Science from the University of California, Irvine.

Paul Denny

Associate Professor, School of Computer Science
The University of Auckland

I am an Associate Professor in the School of Computer Science at the University of Auckland in Auckland, New Zealand. My first experiences teaching were very positive ones, and I spent the first decade of my career in a Professional Teaching Fellow role (equivalent to a teaching-track position). After discovering the SIGCSE community through several conferences, I developed a passion for computing education research and moved to a more traditional academic (teaching and research) position. Currently, my research interests include developing and evaluating tools for supporting collaborative learning, improving outcomes for novice programmers, and exploring the ways that students engage with online learning environments. Recently I have been interested in understanding how large language models may impact how and what we teach. In 2023, I co-led an ITiCSE working group of 15 academics interested in the impact of generative AI on computing education, and the more general "Generative AI for Education" (GAIED) workshop at NeurIPS. I am currently serving as a Program Co-Chair for ICER'24.

Mia Minnes

Teaching Professor, Computer Science and Engineering Department
University of California San Diego

Mia Minnes is a Teaching Professor and the Vice-Chair for Undergraduate Education in the Computer Science and Engineering Department at UC San Diego. In addition to research related to Automata Theory and Computability education, she works on projects that support professionalization pathways for students, including industry internships, TA development, and ethics and communication. Her work has been supported by grants from UC San Diego, NSF, and industry partners. She is the recipient of the UC San Diego Senate Distinguished Teaching Award and the Jacobs School of Engineering Teacher of the Year - CSE award.

Amy J. Ko

Professor, The Information School, CSE (courtesy)
University of Washington

Amy J. Ko is a Professor at the University of Washington iSchool, where she studies humanity's individual and collective struggle to understand computing. She workds toward an equitable, sustainable, and liberatory future in which everyone has the freedom, resources, and affirmation they need to thrive. She views uncritical uses of computing as a threat to that future, but believes computing can be reimagined to help achieve it. Her primary areas of expertise are HCI, Software Engineering, Computing Education, and Programming Languages, but she draws extensively upon Education Research, Learning Sciences, and the many social sciences of identity, community, and power.

Diane Horton

Professor, Teaching Stream, Department of Computer Science
University of Toronto

The seeds of my teaching life go back at least as far as elementary school, where I loved any opportunity to help others understand something or to assist the teacher. As an undergrad at Western University in Canada, I was amazed to be allowed to run tutorials as a TA. Later, in graduate school when I had a chance to teach CS1 it consumed me in the best possible way. I began to realize that I liked my research but I truly loved to teach. Now I am thrilled to be in a teaching stream job (that didn't even exist back then!), working with an inspiring group of colleagues and students.

In my department, I've worked on curriculum renewal, co-curricular activities, and had a term as Associate Chair, Undergraduate. I served as Acting Director of our university's teaching centre, which was a terrific opportunity to serve and to learn. Over the past 3 years, I've been working with colleagues to develop the University of Toronto Embedded Ethics Education Initiative and to study its impact on students. This has been a deeply rewarding project.

Meghan Allen

Associate Professor of Teaching, Department of Computer Science
University of British Columbia

I'm an Associate Professor of Teaching and the Associate Head for Undergraduate Affairs in Computer Science at the University of British Columbia (UBC). For the last ten years I've been teaching computer science in Vantage One, a first-year program for international students at UBC who are English Language Learners. I've also taught a variety of topics across the curriculum, including CS1, CS2, discrete math, and software engineering. I enjoy attending the SIGCSE Technical Symposium every year to connect with colleagues and learn new things that I can try in my teaching. I've been involved with the Symposium as a reviewer, Associate Program Chair, Kids' Camp co-chair, Birds-of-a-Feather co-chair, and Poster co-chair. I care about inclusion and equity in all aspects of my work and am always looking to learn more about promising practices that can make my classroom more inclusive. I enjoy working with and learning from students and feel so lucky to have found a career that I love. I hold a masters and a bachelors degree in computer science from UBC and am in the midst of a PhD program in curriculum and pedagogy.

Steve Wolfman

Professor, Computer Science
University of British Columbia

I am a Professor of Teaching at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. I have taught Computer Science for over 20 years to thousands of awesome students with the help of hundreds of talented TAs. I have also published research on computing education, co-organized the major annual CS education symposium, developed new courses, and even occasionally gotten my kids to learn some computing. Getting to the point of doing the teaching I love to do as a job in the same spot as my family has required a lot of luck, some careful choices, and plenty of work putting together effective applications and promotion materials.

Colleen Lewis

Associate Professor, Computer Science
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Colleen Lewis is an Associate Professor of computer science (CS) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Lewis was previously the McGregor-Girand Associate Professor of CS at Harvey Mudd College. At the University of California, Berkeley, Lewis completed a PhD in science and mathematics education, an MS in computer science, and a BS in electrical engineering and computer science. Her research seeks to identify and remove barriers to CS learning and understand and optimize CS learning. Lewis curates CSTeachingTips.org, a NSF-sponsored project for disseminating effective CS teaching practices. Lewis has received the NCWIT.org Undergraduate Mentoring Award and the AnitaB.org Emerging Leader Award for her efforts to broaden participation in computing.

	Professional Development Session for New and Aspiring Educators - SIGCSE TS 2024
	Home Schedule People Advice SIGCSE-TS-2024
	Jeff Forbes Lead Program Director, Education & Workforce Program National Science Foundation's Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering Jeff Forbes is the lead Program Director for the Education & Workforce program in the National Science Foundation's Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering, managing programs that address the critical and complex issues of education and broadening participation in computing. From 2001-2020, Jeff was on the faculty of Duke University where he was an Associate Professor of the Practice of Computer Science. He received his BS and PhD in computer science from Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, respectively. His research interests include computer science education, social information processing, and learning analytics. Kemi Ola Associate Professor of Teaching, Computer Science University of British Columbia Hello. I'm an Associate Professor of Teaching at the University of British Columbia. I completed my doctoral degree in Computer Science in 2018, specializing in information visualization. My dad is a storyteller, and my mom is a community builder. As their offspring, I skillfully combine these vocations and related skills, weaving narratives while also building educational communities. Currently, I hold positions as an educator, researcher, and activist. As an educator, I impart knowledge through teaching introductory programming and visualization courses at the University of British Columbia. In my researcher role, I explore methodologies to eliminate obstacles in the learning process. My research also includes creating support systems to address widespread misconceptions and examining socio-emotional factors that influence learning. As an activist, I'm committed to driving change by establishing connections and dismantling systems of marginalization. I achieve this through mentorship, revealing the hidden curriculum within academia, and taking on diverse, high-impact leadership roles. Mohammad Q. Azhar Professor, Computer Information Systems Borough of Manhattan Community College, The City University Of New York Mohammad Azhar is a Professor in the Computer Information Systems.. His research and projects include numerous NSF, DOE, CUNY and Industry projects. He currently serves as the Principal Investigator of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) program where spearheaded the formation of the Technology Learning Community and computational thinking across the curriculum project where thousands of computing and non computing students engaged in collaborative real-world problems. He organized numerous robotics competitions, hackathon and STEM Innovation Challenge over the years to engage students in real-world problems. His current research interests include Human-Robot Collaboration, AI, Assistive Technology, Assistive Robotics, Cyber Security and Computer Science Education. He is passionate about getting undergraduate as well as K-12 students involved in solving robotics problems, taking part in robotics research, and competitions that help them realize where they could go with robotics in the real world. Timothy Yuen Professor and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, College of Sciences University of Texas at San Antonio I am the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies in the College of Sciences and currently the Interim Chair of the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Texas at San Antonio. My interests in computer science education started when I was an undergraduate tutor helping first year computer science and engineering students in their introductory programming courses. At UTSA, I have been involved with a variety of projects that investigates ways in which educators from K-12 through higher education can work on improving student success and broadening diversity in computer science, engineering, and other STEM areas, specifically through culturally responsive and transformative teaching practices. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of my work, I hold several faculty appointments at UTSA in Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching, and Electrical and Computer Engineering. I received a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Texas at Austin, an MS in Computer Science from the University of Southern California, and a BS in Information and Computer Science from the University of California, Irvine. Paul Denny Associate Professor, School of Computer Science The University of Auckland I am an Associate Professor in the School of Computer Science at the University of Auckland in Auckland, New Zealand. My first experiences teaching were very positive ones, and I spent the first decade of my career in a Professional Teaching Fellow role (equivalent to a teaching-track position). After discovering the SIGCSE community through several conferences, I developed a passion for computing education research and moved to a more traditional academic (teaching and research) position. Currently, my research interests include developing and evaluating tools for supporting collaborative learning, improving outcomes for novice programmers, and exploring the ways that students engage with online learning environments. Recently I have been interested in understanding how large language models may impact how and what we teach. In 2023, I co-led an ITiCSE working group of 15 academics interested in the impact of generative AI on computing education, and the more general "Generative AI for Education" (GAIED) workshop at NeurIPS. I am currently serving as a Program Co-Chair for ICER'24. Mia Minnes Teaching Professor, Computer Science and Engineering Department University of California San Diego Mia Minnes is a Teaching Professor and the Vice-Chair for Undergraduate Education in the Computer Science and Engineering Department at UC San Diego. In addition to research related to Automata Theory and Computability education, she works on projects that support professionalization pathways for students, including industry internships, TA development, and ethics and communication. Her work has been supported by grants from UC San Diego, NSF, and industry partners. She is the recipient of the UC San Diego Senate Distinguished Teaching Award and the Jacobs School of Engineering Teacher of the Year - CSE award. Amy J. Ko Professor, The Information School, CSE (courtesy) University of Washington Amy J. Ko is a Professor at the University of Washington iSchool, where she studies humanity's individual and collective struggle to understand computing. She workds toward an equitable, sustainable, and liberatory future in which everyone has the freedom, resources, and affirmation they need to thrive. She views uncritical uses of computing as a threat to that future, but believes computing can be reimagined to help achieve it. Her primary areas of expertise are HCI, Software Engineering, Computing Education, and Programming Languages, but she draws extensively upon Education Research, Learning Sciences, and the many social sciences of identity, community, and power. Diane Horton Professor, Teaching Stream, Department of Computer Science University of Toronto The seeds of my teaching life go back at least as far as elementary school, where I loved any opportunity to help others understand something or to assist the teacher. As an undergrad at Western University in Canada, I was amazed to be allowed to run tutorials as a TA. Later, in graduate school when I had a chance to teach CS1 it consumed me in the best possible way. I began to realize that I liked my research but I truly loved to teach. Now I am thrilled to be in a teaching stream job (that didn't even exist back then!), working with an inspiring group of colleagues and students. In my department, I've worked on curriculum renewal, co-curricular activities, and had a term as Associate Chair, Undergraduate. I served as Acting Director of our university's teaching centre, which was a terrific opportunity to serve and to learn. Over the past 3 years, I've been working with colleagues to develop the University of Toronto Embedded Ethics Education Initiative and to study its impact on students. This has been a deeply rewarding project. Meghan Allen Associate Professor of Teaching, Department of Computer Science University of British Columbia I'm an Associate Professor of Teaching and the Associate Head for Undergraduate Affairs in Computer Science at the University of British Columbia (UBC). For the last ten years I've been teaching computer science in Vantage One, a first-year program for international students at UBC who are English Language Learners. I've also taught a variety of topics across the curriculum, including CS1, CS2, discrete math, and software engineering. I enjoy attending the SIGCSE Technical Symposium every year to connect with colleagues and learn new things that I can try in my teaching. I've been involved with the Symposium as a reviewer, Associate Program Chair, Kids' Camp co-chair, Birds-of-a-Feather co-chair, and Poster co-chair. I care about inclusion and equity in all aspects of my work and am always looking to learn more about promising practices that can make my classroom more inclusive. I enjoy working with and learning from students and feel so lucky to have found a career that I love. I hold a masters and a bachelors degree in computer science from UBC and am in the midst of a PhD program in curriculum and pedagogy. Steve Wolfman Professor, Computer Science University of British Columbia I am a Professor of Teaching at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. I have taught Computer Science for over 20 years to thousands of awesome students with the help of hundreds of talented TAs. I have also published research on computing education, co-organized the major annual CS education symposium, developed new courses, and even occasionally gotten my kids to learn some computing. Getting to the point of doing the teaching I love to do as a job in the same spot as my family has required a lot of luck, some careful choices, and plenty of work putting together effective applications and promotion materials. Colleen Lewis Associate Professor, Computer Science University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Colleen Lewis is an Associate Professor of computer science (CS) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Lewis was previously the McGregor-Girand Associate Professor of CS at Harvey Mudd College. At the University of California, Berkeley, Lewis completed a PhD in science and mathematics education, an MS in computer science, and a BS in electrical engineering and computer science. Her research seeks to identify and remove barriers to CS learning and understand and optimize CS learning. Lewis curates CSTeachingTips.org, a NSF-sponsored project for disseminating effective CS teaching practices. Lewis has received the NCWIT.org Undergraduate Mentoring Award and the AnitaB.org Emerging Leader Award for her efforts to broaden participation in computing.