Ten Commandments for Good Teaching

1. Advices for young people considering
careers in computing
Fabrizio Gagliardi, Research Director at Polytechnic University of
Catalonia, Spain, Chair of the ACM Europe Council
 “Computing is an ever developing and evolving field. From more theoretical
research work, to applied computing to major societal challenges, to engineering
newer and more advanced technology solutions, computing pervades our entire
life and society. In the past 20 years, with the advent of the internet, computing has
changed the way we all live and think. I believe it is very exciting and motivating to be part
of this major human adventure, and have the chance of influencing it.
From a more mundane viewpoint, the possibility of finding a good job in computing is
probably as high now as it has ever been. The number of jobs generated by CS is expected to
be enormous in the years to come.
 Top 20 richest man in the world (2015)
1. Bill Gates co-founded the software company Microsoft (85 mld).
8. Larry Ellison is the founder and CEO of software giant Oracle (44.9 mld).
18. Mark Zuckerberg co-founder and current CEO of Facebook (33.3 mld).
20. Larry Page is the co-founder and current CEO of the web giant Google (33 mld).

2. Top international organizations in the
computing
 IEEE – Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (http://ieee.org/)
 ACM – Association for Computing Machinery (http://acm.org/)
 HiPEAC – European Network of Excellence on High Performance and Embedded
Architecture and Compilation (http://www.hipeac.net/)
My advice is to embrace a career in computing, choosing whatever part is most attractive
for each individual. No matter what subfield is chosen, there will be excellent opportunities for a
successful career and a comfortable life. Being associated with ACM as a student is a major
asset, and I would encourage any young CS scientist or student to consider membership.
It costs little and can provide a lot!.”

3. The art of high-quality teaching, especially
as applied to introductory computer
architecture and programming
Ten Commandments for Good Teaching
By Yale Patt
2000 ACM Karl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award, "for great ability, dedication,
and success in developing computer science education, and for outstanding
achievements as a teacher".
1996 IEEE/ACM Eckert-Mauchly Award, "for important contributions to instruction level
parallelism and super-scalar processor design";
1995 IEEE Emanuel R. Piore Award (the IEEE Technical Field Medal for Information
Processing), "for contributions to computer architecture leading to commmercially viable
high performance microprocessors“;
1999 IEEE Wallace W. McDowell Award, "for his impact on the high performance
microprocessor industry via a combination of important contributions to both engineering
and education";
2005 IEEE Charles Babbage Award, "for fundamental contributions to high performance
processor design".

4. The art of high-quality teaching
 Teaching is more art than science, although science can certainly
help.
 But the more one does it, the more case studies one experiences, the
better one gets at it, and that is a characteristic of an art.

5. 1. Know the material
2. Want to teach
3. Genuinely respect your students and show it
4. Set the bar high; students will measure up
5. Emphasize understanding; de-emphasize memorization
6. Take responsibility for what is covered
7. Don't even try to cover the material
8. Encourage interruptions; don't be afraid to digress
9. Don't forget those three little words
10.Reserved for future use
Ten Commandments for Good
Teaching

6.  The purpose of teaching is for students to learn.
 To help a student who is having trouble understanding
the material, you need to know:
- (a) where the student is having a problem, and
- (b) how to explain it differently the second time.
 Both require that you know deeply the material you are
teaching.
 It is not good enough to be "one page ahead" of the
class, or to have memorized the material well enough to
write it on the blackboard without making any mistakes.
1. Know the material

7.  When you walk into a classroom, you should want to be
there.
 Very little is as infectious to the student as an instructor
who is genuinely happy to be there. The students can tell
the difference.
 If the instructor is excited about the course, the student
is likely to be also.
2. Want to teach

8.  You are in the classroom for the benefit of the students,
not vice-versa.
 Your ability to help them understand concepts that they
currently do not understand is enhanced enormously if you
connect with them.
 No one wants to be treated like a dummy or talked down
to.
 Connecting means giving them credit for having a brain,
willing to use it and caring enough to do what it takes to get
it.
 AND, conveying that -- not verbally, but through your
body language. That means respecting them.
3. Genuinely respect your students
and show it

9.  Good students are there to learn and they know it won't
happen automatically.
 My experience is that if you set the bar high, and do NOT
waste the students' time with tedious work that serves
no learning purpose, they will work as hard as they can
to measure up to it.
 The myth that students want an easy course is just that,
a myth. Some of them may complain and moan at the
moment over some very tough homework. But at the end
of the course, I generally am thanked profusely for
setting the bar high. "Thank you, I never thought I could
learn so much in one semester" is a comment I often get
at the end of the course.
4. Set the bar high; students will
measure up

10.  Memorizing is not understanding.
 Unfortunately, many students have gotten by for a very
long time on the basis of a sharp memory, and have never
had to really think.
 Memorization may work for the moment, but after
graduation when they are faced with new challenges, it is
their ability to think and to understand that will carry the
day, not their ability to memorize.
 I have seen too many examples of students who can
memorize almost anything, yet cannot think through a
simple extension of what they have memorized. I suggest
they will not be prepared for what lies ahead after
graduation, in work or in life.
5. Emphasize understanding;
de-emphasize memorization

11.  Too many instructors have been lulled into this new
pedagogical notion that the students should decide what
gets taught in the classroom.
 NOT in my classroom. I have been around longer, have
seen techniques come and go, and because of that, I
believe I know better than they what is important for them
to know to be successful after they leave my course.
 Ergo, I decide what gets covered.
 I am very concerned about this fashionable notion of
letting the students decide. Many students want instant
gratification -- a technique they can use today, whether or
not it will be useful downstream.
 It is up to instructors to take charge of what goes on in
their classrooms.
6. Take responsibility for what is covered

12.  When one plans the syllabus optimism runs very high.
 The instructor often lays out the course outline, assuming that:
o every student gets every point the first time
o every explanation is brilliant
o no student needs to ask a question.
 Not too many classes into the semester reality sets in. The fact is that some
days the explanations are bad. Some days the students don't get it the first
time.
 Ergo, if one insists on covering the material, the only one left standing at the
end of the course is the instructor (maybe).
 I believe the following. First, there is always far more material than can be covered
adequately in a semester. BUT, only a core body of material needs to be covered (the core
body necessary to move on to the next semester). But that usually represents half the
material, or so. Anything beyond that is a bonus, and has no place in the course if the
student failed to learn the core material.
 DO NOT be afraid to stop and cover again the same point a second or third
time, bringing in different perspectives and examples to get it across.
 Answer questions, even if it means totally blowing the schedule. That is, do
not even try to cover the material.
7. Don't even try to cover the material

13.  This is a consequence of the one just above. The point is
that the reason for the course is for the student to learn.
 If the student is not learning, it is irrelevant how much
material is being covered.
 Therefore encourage interruptions. It means the student
is thinking. And, if the student is thinking, he/she has a
chance of getting it.
 Digress when it seems useful. Digressions can add
meaning to the understanding of a concept.
8. Encourage interruptions; don't
be afraid to digress

14.  The three little words are "I don't know.“
 The biggest thing about a classroom that makes learning
work or not work is the connection between the
instructor and the students. Many of the items above
relate to establishing that connection.
 Nothing will destroy that connection as quickly as the
instructor speaking nonsense. If the instructor loses
credibility, he/she has nothing. Students will tune out.
AND, it is okay to not know.
 The instructor can not be expected to know everything.
 That is the nature of humans. Never pretend to know.
Just say, "I don’t know!" move on, and if possible try to
find out before the next class and answer the question
then.
9. Don't forget those three little words

15.  Many have observed that this last one is not a
commandment at all, and that therefore there are really
only nine. Wrong!
 This tenth one is my way of saying you should make
allowances for contingencies.
 Things will often not go as planned. Be prepared to adapt
to dynamic situations, as they unfold.
10. Reserved for future use

16.  A serious introduction to the fundamental underpinnings of computing - It is a first
course.
 Objective:
o to remove a good deal of the mystery of how computers work
o to teach you enough programming methodology to enable you to get the computer
to do useful work for you.
 Start at the bottom and work our way up.
o In every case, when we cover a sophisticated topic, we will try to tie it to what you
already know.
o We expect you to come out of this course not only knowing how to do some things,
but also having a deeper understanding of why some of those things are as they are.
 This course represents a major departure from the way computing has been
introduced at most universities over the past 30 years. Most universities have been
starting with an introduction to programming.
 We pioneered the approach of EE 306 for the first time at the University of Michigan in
the Fall of 1995. As of this moment, about 100 colleges and universities have adopted
our approach, and the number is continuing to grow.
 EE 306 is now the first required computing course for all electrical and computer
engineering students.
Objectives of the course

17.  There are no computer pre-requisites. No programming experience is
assumed.
 On the other hand, we do assume that the student is able and highly
motivated to learn and has the energy and intelligence to support that
motivation.
 We also assume that your mathematics background is at least at the level
where you are enrolled in a strong calculus sequence.
 BLC is intended for freshmen, but is open to all students who want a
serious introduction to computing in general and computer engineering
in particular.
 If you are one of those with no experience using computers, please
do not be intimidated by those in the classroom with years of computer
experience. It has been the case many times that students with no computer
experience earn A in the course, and students with lots of experience earn C
or lower.
 Claiming another’s work as your own will ruin your life!
BLC Prerequisites, Motivation and
Academic Integrity

18. Bazele_Logice_ale_Calculatoarelor / Introduction in computers
science and engineering. The Hardware-Software Interface
Course Content