I have been an undergraduate teaching assistant (TA) for three semesters now. I have been a TA for Algorithmic Thinking, which is a course that covers discrete mathematics, algorithms, and implementation of these concepts in Python. I was a TA for Reasoning About Algorithms, which takes a more in-depth and theoretical approach to algorithms. Finally, I am teaching Advanced Object-Oriented Programming and Design, which is a Java-based course teaching software engineering methodologies. In these positions, I have facilitated lab discussions, taught students during office hours, and graded student work.
Algorithmic Thinking is one of the most notoriously difficult classes at Rice University because it covers discrete mathematics, algorithms, and implementation of these concepts in Python. I know TA's helped me a lot during this course, so I wanted to pay it forward by helping the next round of students taking the class. Specifically, I made sure to TA the lab sessions in addition to hosting office hours and grading homework because I knew I would have an opportunity to have face-to-face interactions with the students, allowing me to make a larger impact.
Acting as an extension of COMP 182, I also TA'd COMP 382, which covers a more in-depth and theoretical approach to algorithms, to further help students. From my experience helping during lab sessions from the previous semester, I was asked to lead the lab sessions during COMP 382. This entailed preparing weekly problem sets for students to solve. I also then facilitated a student-led discussion about how to go about solving these answers. There were about 150 students in the class, which was extremely daunting. After a few sessions, I became more comfortable presenting in front of such a large audience, and I am forever grateful for the opportunity.
Advanced Object-Oriented Programming and Design is a Java-based course teaching software engineering methodologies. In these positions, I have facilitated lab discussions, taught students during office hours, and graded student work. This course took place during Spring 2020, where the class had to prematurely end due to COVID-19. Despite this, I had heard that several students were disappointed they would not have an opportunity to complete the final project, which entails creating a peer-to-peer game using Google Maps. As a result, I spearheaded the effort to unofficially run a final project for those interested. It culminated in a "Demo day," where each game was played by the different teams.