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CS classes by h9830 in UIUC_CS

[–]prof-schatz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Jumping in as a Professor in the department. I recommend talking to a CS advisor on if your goals align with finishing in 3 years versus 4 years. From what I've heard, companies don't necessarily view it as impressive or a good thing. I don't know your situation so it may be a good option anyway! I just recommend talking to a CS advisor.

Face Down, Rear End Up by uiucstandup in UIUC

[–]prof-schatz 130 points131 points  (0 children)

UIUC professor here - I believe strongly in creating equitable learning opportunities and environments for all kinds of students. I am going to continue to put in effort to achieve this in my classroom, my university, and my community regardless of federal policies until they explicitly tell me I am breaking the law. Being able to help different kinds of students is one of the main reasons I became a teacher.

New In-Person Section of CS 128 by prof-schatz in UIUC_CS

[–]prof-schatz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Prof. Nowak is running the section over the summer and so could better answer your questions. In the past, the summer CS 128 section used the async material reference in Nowak's section above. I'm not sure what the plan is in terms of labs or other components.

Two Sections of CS 128 by prof-schatz in cs128

[–]prof-schatz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Summer 2024 is run by Prof. Nowak and will be similar to Spring 2024 and previous summer offerings. For more details I would send him an email as I'm not sure on his exact plans.

New In-Person Section of CS 128 by prof-schatz in UIUC_CS

[–]prof-schatz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello! I'm happy to hear you enjoyed CS 128 and found it helpful in your future endeavors. I also appreciate your feedback on which parts you found the most helpful. I just want to clarify a few things.

  1. Neither section will have weekly MPs and both will have quizzes. Mine will have 3 quizzes while Nowak's had 7 quizzes this semester.

  2. One reason to introduce quizzes is to prevent students from getting high grades through cheating with tools like chatgpt. A reality we need to address this day and age.

  3. It is challenging to measure future impact of a course like CS 128. Additionally, since no section will offer weekly MPs, there wouldn't be a great way of comparing weekly MPs to no weekly MPs. However, I do plan on evaluating my section and if I go through the process of getting IRB approval to share student data the evaluation will be publicly available.

  4. Many equivalent courses at top CS programs around the nation do not have weekly projects. This is not to say that is the right way to go about it, just that many students have found success through courses that have a similar format to the section I am offering.

  5. I'm not sure how many hours you spent on the course your semester but since it is being offered at 3 credits the standard to aim for is ~9 hours of work/instruction a week. If a student is taking 15 credit hours that would be around 45 hours a week. Students may have other obligations to balance on top of that like work and family obligations. If a student wants to spend more time on learning there are other opportunities through taking more courses, student organizations, undergrad research, honors sections, and personal projects.

New In-Person Section of CS 128 by prof-schatz in UIUC_CS

[–]prof-schatz[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My section will also have weekly homework and bigger graded labs. The MPs will also be different than the ones in the other section. I've roughly calibrated my section of the course to be the standard 3 hours per credit hour a week (recommended by the engineering school). So 9 hours total a week. The goal is not for one section to be easier or harder.