Category Archives: Musings

Time use: King’s College vs Whitman

1 Reply

It’s been several weeks since I promised a blog post on time use. Somehow I overcommitted myself with scholarly projects and travel – in fact, I drafted this post at 8 pm British Summer Time, in an airplane over the Hudson Bay. But that is a story for another time.

Inspired by a conversation at the Liberal Arts CS (LACS) Consortium annual meeting last month, I decided to look at my time use during my first 6 months at King’s College, Cambridge. That led naturally to a comparison with my last 6 months at Whitman before leaving on sabbatical.

I’ll start with Whitman, where my time allocations are probably more familiar to US colleagues. Then I’ll explain what’s different at King’s.

Continue reading →

Will AI write your thesis?

3 Replies

This fall, I was honored to serve as Whitman’s convocation speaker. When I agreed to speak, I had no idea what I would talk about, but by time I sat down to write it was obvious what question to ask. It was a fun speech to write, and as I learned more, I changed my conclusion several times. It was a fun speech to deliver, and I appreciate all those who laughed in the right places. Continue reading →

Farewell to CS 301, ST: Computer Networks

Leave a reply

Whitman’s last day of classes is this coming Monday. Since my Computer Networks class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays, today was our last day of class. This blog post is based on the notes for my farewell speech.

Outline due to Dr. Freda Rebelsky via Dr. Samuel Rebelsky.

  1. This class was special.
  2. Keep in touch.
  3. Take care of yourselves and each other.
  4. Remember to say goodbye.

Continue reading →

Welcoming Women to Computer Science: The Director’s Cut

Leave a reply

Before my article 5 Ways to Welcome Women to Computer Science was published in The Chronicle of Higher Education, there was, of course, a longer version. I’d like to share that here because it includes some details—and one entire point—that didn’t make print.

It’s also come to my attention that the Chronicle article is behind a paywall. My blog, of course, is not.

So without further ado or revisions, here it is. Continue reading →

What I was like as a student

5 Replies

Me ca. 1997, wearing the HMC “Claremont Smog Scale” t-shirt – in grey, of course. Note the loose hair and awkwardly amused expression. Photo courtesy Bob Keller (may he rest in peace).

At a recent (virtual) gathering of friends and colleagues, Sharon Alker asked, “What were you like as a student?” This blog post is an extended response to her question—partly for Sharon and my other faculty friends, partly for my students (particularly one graduating student who I think might gain some insight into our relationship over the last few years), and partly, as always, for myself.*

Continue reading →

Lessons learned from my first semester of Grading for Equity

4 Replies

This fall, I made my first experiments with Grading for Equity, an approach intended to address inequities in traditional points-based grading schemes. Alongside, I adopted the supporting practice of specifications grading. Soon it became clear I was not one instructor acting alone, but part of a movement among CS educators responding to the uncertain conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I’ve been asked to blog on my lessons learned, so I will. But first, to warm up, I’ll tell the story of how I got started.

Continue reading →

Reflections on recording a conference presentation with PowerPoint narration

1 Reply

In the spirit of technological exchange as we liberal arts faculty learn to teach online, I’m writing to share and reflect on a presentation I prepared using the PowerPoint slide narration feature. I then exported the slides and recording as an MP4 to upload to YouTube.

Here’s a link to the 10-minute conference presentation: https://youtu.be/omqZBn19CV4

Continue reading →

Reflections on five weeks of staying home

1 Reply

Yesterday was a good day. The weather was perfect: not too warm, cool, cloudy, or windy. My daughter and I took a walk in the park and splashed in our backyard pool (5’5″, inflatable). We talked with her babysitter on Google Meet. I spent a couple of hours clearing my email inbox and taking care of some paperwork, while my daughter played by herself in the morning and watched extra episodes of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood in the afternoon. I sat on the back patio during a long conversation with my closest colleague, and I took a walk during a shorter call with my longtime peer mentor. I wore a new pair of sandals, ordered online from the manufacturer at 50% off after a large retail order was cancelled. My Apple Watch says I got a full hour of exercise (though it also says I climbed 44 flights of stairs, which I know is not true). My husband picked up lunch from a taco truck and cooked Ottolenghi’s shakshuka for our dinner outside by the creek with a bottle of wine. My daughter’s bedtime was easy, and I had a little time to relax before bed.

This morning I woke early, took a shower, and started writing this before I heard the calls of “Mommy!” I’m about to publish as lunchtime approaches. Continue reading →