loi.tex: Adjust for the City University of Seattle

diff --git a/loi.tex b/loi.tex
index 1135a6837cf49d52387ac7218f34ef7a726a66a9..636a9b46fd487524a98ed6b5b405ac848829ac14 100644 (file)
--- a/loi.tex
+++ b/loi.tex
@@ -56,21 +56,20 @@
 \begin{document}
 
 \begin{letter}{
 \begin{document}
 
 \begin{letter}{

-  District Human Resources Office \\
-  Pierce College \\
-  1601 39th Avenue SE \\
-  Puyallup, Washington 98374}
+  City University of Seattle \\
+  521 Wall Street \\
+  Suite 100 \\
+  Seattle, WA 98121}

 
 \opening{Sir or Madam,}
 
 
 \opening{Sir or Madam,}
 

-Thank you for reviewing my application for the position of Adjunct
-Professor of Mathematics.  Over my years working on my Ph.D. studies
-at Drexel University, I have been looking forward to teaching at an
-undergraduate-oriented college.  I look forward to working at a school
-such as Pierce which clearly has a strong commitment to teaching
-excellence and teacher training.  Besides teaching mathematic, I am
-also interested in advancing the science of teaching.  Over the past
-year I have been active in the
+Thank you for reviewing my application for the position of Part-time
+Teaching Faculty in Information Systems.  Over my years working on my
+Ph.D. studies at Drexel University, I have had a number of ``why
+didn't anyone tell me about $x$ sooner'' moments, and I look forward
+to sharing my hard-won experience with a host of new recruits.
+Besides teaching computing, I am also interested in advancing the
+science of teaching.  Over the past year I have been active in the

 \href{http://software-carpentry.org/}{Software Carpentry}
 organization, which trains scientists around the world in current
 software development and data management techniques.  Software
 \href{http://software-carpentry.org/}{Software Carpentry}
 organization, which trains scientists around the world in current
 software development and data management techniques.  Software


@@ -80,16 +79,69 @@ Carpentry
 a boot boot camp at the University of Washington, and I look forward
 to continuing this outreach in the Puget Sound area.
 
 a boot boot camp at the University of Washington, and I look forward
 to continuing this outreach in the Puget Sound area.
 

-I have always had a strong interest in math, and early in my career I
-was able to devote enough time to the subject to double-major in math
-and physics.  I have especially fond memories of my number theory and
-formal logic courses at Colgate, as well as complex analysis during my
-semester in Wales.  As I advanced through my graduate training, there
-was less time to devote directly to formal math, but I taught myself a
-good deal of statistics in support of my research (especially the
-Gumbel distribution\citep{king10,king13}).  Physics and math are bound
-tightly together, and I look forward to returning to the analytical
-side of this pairing.
+While I have not yet been in a position to design my own courses, I
+have enjoyed building some supportive tools.  Over the past several
+years, I have developed an open source
+\href{http://blog.tremily.us/posts/Course_website/}{course website
+  framework} and
+\href{http://git.tremily.us/?p=course.git;a=tree;f=asymptote;hb=HEAD}{graphics
+  libraries} for illustrating
+\href{http://blog.tremily.us/posts/Course_website/Mechanics-test.svg}{mechanics},
+\href{http://blog.tremily.us/posts/Course_website/ElectroMag-test.svg}{electricity
+  and magnetism},
+\href{http://blog.tremily.us/posts/Course_website/Circ-test.svg}{circuits},
+and
+\href{http://blog.tremily.us/posts/Course_website/stickfigure-test.svg}{stick
+  figures}.  I've also designed the
+\href{https://pypi.python.org/pypi/pygrader}{pygrader} framework for
+collecting and grading homework assignments that students submit via
+email and the \href{https://pypi.python.org/pypi/quizzer}{quizzer}
+framework for managing online quizzes and surveys.  These tools will
+make it easier for me to maintain class notes, homework, tests, and
+lecture material, which gives me more time to focus on engaging
+students directly.  Downloadable class notes also give students more
+time to focus on the concepts and applications instead of focusing on
+transcription.  I look forward to tying these pieces together and
+building cohesive courses to introduce new students to computing.
+
+While I have a long history of interest in science and mathematics, it
+was my scientific research that lead to my interest in computing and
+electronics.  I have fond memories of building digital circuits in my
+electronics and instrumentation course at Colgate, but my interest in
+computing really took off as I moved into the open source ecosystem
+while automating single molecule protein unfolding
+experiments\citep{king10,king13}.  I have spent the last few years up
+to my elbows in an open source experiment control stack\citep{king13}
+as well as developing and troubleshooting the associated electronics
+hardware.  On the side, I've spent a bit of time tinkering with
+microcontrollers such as the
+\href{http://www.atmel.com/devices/atmega32u4.aspx}{ATMega32u4}.  I
+look forward to leveraging this interest in open source software and
+inexpensive hardware to engage students with accessible hands-on
+experiences.
+
+As a scientist, I feel that teaching itself can be improved through
+the scientific method.  By testing the effect of different classroom
+approaches---and by building on the research of my peers---I intend to
+gradually refine my teaching to improve student engagement, critical
+thinking, and content retention.  I am especially excited to try
+active learning approaches\citep{hake98,crouch01,prince04}, especially
+thinking-aloud pair problem solving
+(TAPPS\citep{lochhead87,felder09}), which has been shown to increase
+student performance\citep{johnson99}.  I am also excited to transplant
+existing methods from traditional settings to online courses and
+invent new techniques that take advantage of the online format.  Of
+course, not \emph{everything} can be measured with sufficient clarity
+to support evidenced-based teaching.  Developing quantitative
+evaluations of student learning is tricky, but---at least at a basic
+level---it is possible.  Several Software Carpentry collaborators
+(especially \href{http://michigancomputes.wordpress.com/}{Cait
+  Pickens}) are experts in assessment design and validation, and
+between their experience with standard practices and my talent for
+software tooling and rigorous analysis, I expect we'll develop a
+robust system for monitoring student progress.  By promoting this
+system in our own research and SWC outreach, we can also spread the
+practice of teaching research through the wider academic community.

 
 On a more prosaic level, I am excited about moving from the
 mid-Atlantic---where I have spent most of my life---to the Northwest.
 
 On a more prosaic level, I am excited about moving from the
 mid-Atlantic---where I have spent most of my life---to the Northwest.


@@ -97,13 +149,14 @@ Starting in the Fall, my wife Emily will be opening a veterinary
 surgery practice at the \href{http://olympiapetemergency.net/}{Olympia
   Pet Emergency} hospital in Olympia.  After years of commuting
 several hours from our current home in New Jersey to Drexel in
 surgery practice at the \href{http://olympiapetemergency.net/}{Olympia
   Pet Emergency} hospital in Olympia.  After years of commuting
 several hours from our current home in New Jersey to Drexel in

-Philadelphia, the chance for jobs that are only thirty minutes apart
-is quite appealing.  My wife is originally from Vancouver, Canada, and
-I have enjoyed our annual summer trip out to visit with her family.  I
-also look forward to the drizzly climate, as my Northern European
-heritage has not given me much protection against the sun.  Being able
-to enjoy the outdoors (sailing and hiking!) without having to slather
-on the sunblock sounds like a good idea to me.
+Philadelphia, I look forward to the opportunity to work from home or
+at locations in the South Sound area.  My wife is originally from
+Vancouver, Canada, and I have enjoyed our annual summer trip out to
+visit with her family.  I also look forward to the drizzly climate, as
+my Northern European heritage has not given me much protection against
+the sun.  Being able to enjoy the outdoors (sailing and hiking!)
+without having to slather on the sunblock sounds like a good idea to
+me.

 
 Please do not hesitate to contact me via phone or email if you need
 any additional information.
 
 Please do not hesitate to contact me via phone or email if you need
 any additional information.