From: W. Trevor King Date: Sat, 1 Jun 2013 20:25:54 +0000 (-0400) Subject: loi.tex: Adjust for the City University of Seattle X-Git-Tag: cityu X-Git-Url: http://git.tremily.us/?a=commitdiff_plain;h=c284dcc349cddc77bedc44e60c02e910881edc8f;p=letter-of-interest.git loi.tex: Adjust for the City University of Seattle --- diff --git a/loi.tex b/loi.tex index 1135a68..636a9b4 100644 --- a/loi.tex +++ b/loi.tex @@ -56,21 +56,20 @@ \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,} -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 @@ -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. -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. @@ -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 -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.