2020 in review

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At Whitman, like at many other institutions of higher education, faculty submit an annual activity report. Why? As with annual reviews in any profession, it’s a prod to reflection and self-evaluation. We don’t work closely with our nominal boss, the Dean of the College, so it serves to inform her of our workload and accomplishments. She uses this information to determine raises for the following academic year. (Not that I expect there will be raises this year—except, I hope, promotion raises for those who are so entitled.)

I’ve never been moved to blog about my annual activity report before. It’s a routine chore. But this activity report, post-sabbatical and mid-pandemic, left me thinking, “Wow, I got a lot done last year!” That’s despite spending 2 1/2 months at home with my toddler, and despite spending much of the fall semester feeling completely feckless. I think my 2020 activity report tells a story about the nature of faculty work and the mood of 2020. Continue reading →

We are hiring!

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Whitman is hiring a one-year visitor in computer science:

The Computer Science Department at Whitman College is seeking candidates for a one-year position in Computer Science, at the rank of visiting instructor or visiting assistant professor, beginning August 2021. M.S. or higher education teaching experience in Computer Science or a related discipline is required.

The successful candidate will offer multiple sections of either Introductory Computer Science in Python or Data Structures in C++ or Java, plus at least one further Computer Science course at an intermediate or advanced level. The teaching load is five course sections per year; our largest sections include about 30 students.

To learn more and apply, see https://whitman.bamboohr.com/hiring/jobs/47

Please share with anyone who might be interested. I am happy to answer any questions.

Five years of research in 33 minutes

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At Whitman, faculty are required to give a public talk after each sabbatical. Most faculty fulfill this obligation through a talk in the Faculty Forum series – as did I, this past Wednesday.

This talk summarizes five years of research on four projects:
0. Survey of technology to influence language use
1. Media analysis of Just Not Sorry
2. Value sensitive design of Degender the Web
3. Development of Reading for Gender Bias

It was surprisingly fun. Please watch below:

Habits for Spring 2021

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I’ve realized part of what made the fall semester so difficult is that I was so overwhelmed, I lost track of many of the routines that sustain me. It’s not like this hasn’t happened before, but I can’t remember it ever happening so badly for so long.

So as part of my preparations for the spring 2021 semester, I thought about habits I want to continue from the winter break, resume from earlier in my professional life, or begin anew. Continue reading →

Lessons learned from my first semester of Grading for Equity

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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 Fall 2020

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Fall 2020 was my most difficult semester of teaching ever: more difficult than my first terms teaching at UW, Grinnell, or Whitman; more difficult than the fall I was pregnant; and more difficult than my return to teaching after maternity leave.

Why so difficult? Given the state of the world, surely that must be a rhetorical question – but there are reasons. Continue reading →

Departmental communications re: Fall 2020

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Just over two weeks ago, President Kathleen Murray announced to students, staff, and faculty that “the fall 2020 semester will primarily be via remote learning.”

I spent the rest of that Friday processing the news and finishing other work already in progress. On Saturday, I woke up to an email message and a Slack post from a student proposing a discussion of the news that same day. As department chair, I scrambled to formulate a response. Fortunately, I’d already thought a fair bit already about this possibility. Below, find my email to all CS students that Saturday morning, and the results of a Q&A session during our regularly scheduled Tuesday evening CS Tea. Continue reading →