FAQ for Undergraduate Discussion Leaders (UDLs)
What are my duties?
As an UDL, you will be in charge of leading discussions in a discussion group comprising 15 to 20 students. You will be responsible for explaining programming concepts, marking assignments, helping in programming laboratory, and tracking the progress of the programming skill development of the students under your charge. The unique feature of this system is that you will only look after your group of 15 to 20 students throughout the semester.
What role do I play? A Lab TA? A tutor?
The School is looking for talented and committed undergraduates and postgraduates with passion for teaching to lead discussion sessions or conduct lab sessions in small groups comprising mostly freshmen for CS1101, CS1101C, CS1101S, CS1102, CS1102C and CS1102S..
Eligibility:
- Undergraduates in their third or fourth year of study
- Students who scored at least A- in CS1101/CS1101C/CS1101S and in CS1102/CS1102C/CS1102S are preferred
- Students who possess deep passion for teaching
- Students who possess good communication skills
- Students who possess good CAP are preferred
Benefits:
- Share your passions with freshmen and ignite the passion in them.
- Shape the life of future programmers.
- Get renumeration of up to $100 per week (5 hours of work). (Actual renumeration depends on the actual number of hours put in.)
- Sharpen your teaching skills through attending teaching workshop.
- Being part of the SoC teaching force.
- Securing good record for future full-time teaching assistance application.
All applicants have to go through an interview to assess their suitability. Qualities we look out for include passion, competency, and communication skills. Other factors are also considered, such as the study load of the applicants.
The workload and job scope for the various modules may differ, as described below.
CS1101
We look for UDLs who are passionate about providing guidance and mentorship to the freshmen taking the first programming module. The main duties of the UDLs are to grade lab assignments and conduct weekly 2-hour discussion sessions which supplement the lectures. The group size is small, limited to about 15 students in a group, to facilitate greater interaction and rapport with the students. The UDLs in CS1101 are given a lot of flexibility to tailor their materials for their students. UDLs are required to attend weekly one-hour staff meeting. As the workload is heavy, applicants have to be prepared to set aside sufficient time to carry out their duties.
CS1101S
The UDLs are responsible for the learning and the success of students taking CS1101S. The UDLs lead weekly 2-hour discussion groups and also grade the problem sets assigned for the class and hold one hour of consultation every week. In addition, the UDLs also play a major role in checking and updating assignments. Occasionally, some UDLs will also be tasked to create new assignments for the class. In addition, all UDLs will attend weekly one-hour staff meeting.
CS1101C
The UDL scheme for CS1101C is very new as it was started only last semester. At the moment, we have deployed our UDLs either to conduct the normal tutorial sessions (as a tutor) or to conduct the normal laboratory sessions (as a lab TA). Each tutorial and lab class has between 20 – 30 students.
CS1102 or CS1102C
You will take up the role of a lab TA, whose job scope includes the following: attending weekly staff meeting, understanding the lab exercises given to students, proposing algorithms and solutions to lab exercises, preparing slides to explain the lab exercises to students, conducting lab session during take-home lab weeks (odd weeks), invigilating sit-in lab in even weeks, marking students’ submissions for sit-in labs, monitoring forum discussion, and invigilating PE. On average, a lab TA is expected to put in 3 hours of work a week.
Is this discussion group something optional for the students taking the course?
No, discussion groups are meant to replace both tutorials and lab sessions. They are mixture of tutorials and lab sessions.
What are the qualifications required of me?
You must be an SoC/FoS/FoE student. You must be into your third or fourth year of undergraduate studies when taking up this job. You must score at least an A- for your programming modules (CS1101/CS1101C/CS1101S and CS1102/CS1102C/CS1102S). Lastly, you must be passionate about teaching and about programming, and must have good communication skills.
Can I use this to fulfil my CS4102 requirement?
Yes, you can if the module is relevant to you. In fact, through this scheme, you can complete your CS4102 requirement (if relevant) before entering your final year.
How long do I need to work?
Officially, in a semester, you are required to spend on average two hours per week on discussion and laboratory with your group of students. You are also expected to spend around two hours per week on marking the assignments of your group of students. Lastly, you are expected to join (about one-hour) dialogue sessions weekly with the module lecturer to discuss students’ progress, as well as to help in other course activities such as invigilation of tests and practical exam. Unofficially, we hope that you are passionate enough to spend extra hours with students under your charge to help them make progress in attaining programming skills.
What are needed for me to apply for this position?
You need to go to the following to make an application:
1. SoC students:
https://mysoc.nus.edu.sg/~teachadm
> Teaching Support Student
> UDL Application
2. Non SoC students:
Please download form from here and submit the completed form to Ms Teo Pei Pei at comteopp@nus.edu.sg.
In your application, you need to choose the semester(s) you wish to perform your duty. Preferably, you can name a lecturer who knows you well enough to comment on your ability to teach/program.
You are required to attend an interview as part of the selection process. The interviews are scheduled on : 19 to 21 November 2008 (Round 1); and 9 to 12 December 2008 (Round 2).
Do I have to be involved in any event outside the semester period?
Yes, once selected, you are required to attend a teaching assistant workshop. This will be conducted just before the beginning of semester 1. The schedule for the half-day workshop is during Week -1 (7 January 2009, 10.30 am to 12.00 noon) of Semester 2, AY2008-9. Venue is at Seminar Room 3 (COM1 Level 2 Room 12).
Must I reapply every semester to be in the cadre of UDL?
Yes. We require candidates to apply online for re-appointment in each semester.
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