Teaching (Again)
Each year I put myself through the same experience, teaching at Uni. It’s good money but normally it’s quite dull and the undergraduates seem less engaging each year, more and more willing to just sit there and stare at the screen not really caring if the robot moves or not. This year marks a notable improvement however and they are actually interested in the module, to the point where several of them have been into the labs before their classes and started work to ensure that they know what they are doing!
For those of you who’ve been through the Essex Computer Science degree scheme I’m talking about 161. I’ve been teaching in the labs for the last three years now and this is the first time that the students have been looking forward to the assignments. Now this may be because Martin (The lecturer) has made the last assignment way more involved and exciting than before - you now get to drive the robots around by tilting a remote control made from a SunSPOT board and program the robots in a proper language, Java.
They are some obvious exception to this but I think that here is not the correct forum to discuss those in my labs who are annoying! Although I’ve never had to tell the students not to make a wooden ramp with which to launch a ROVa into the air before.
Hopefully this means that the results will be up, everyone will enjoy it more and… I’ll get paid more? I don’t think so! All of this does mean that I’ve got to learn a whole new assignment, but then it’s only the code as I’m already using the SPOTs in my PhD project.
Good Hunting
Just 161 this year, it’s actually quite an undertaking as I’m doing all the labs by myself this year - with a little help on the weeks where I’ve got to mark the assignments.
I think that most people respond to someone whos actually trying to help them in the lab rather than just stting at the front not doing anything - or perhaps even doing their own work! I’d like to think that I’m better at the job than those who taught us were.
At least we get to program them in Java now!
It probably helps that we were so annoyed with the ones who taught us - it makes you strive to be better!!
Java sounds like it makes it easier for some to understand it - but I always like trying different languages (adds to the old CV)
Yeah, I have to be careful when I moan though as a lot of those GTAs are still here!
Enough said 
“They are some obvious exception to this but I think that here is not the correct forum to discuss those in my labs who are annoying!”
Heh, yeah, it’s pretty obvious who. :p
It’s a bit surprising how last year people weren’t very interested though, I find this module quite enjoyable and as I’ve never done any embedded systems programming before it’s (fairly) challenging.
I’m quite looking forward to playing with the tilter thingamajig, but I don’t agree that Java is a proper programming language; I’d much rather use C. 
Good luck with the teaching.
Personally, I think it always made a difference when the GTA was good/enthusiastic/spoke good english.
Launhcing a ROVa in the area - surely that’ll be on youtube by the time the week is up!
Do you only teach 161, or do you do any others?