Teaching

• Experience

   

  My extensive teaching experience ranges from teaching introductory level courses such as introduction to computers science , computer concepts and computer science applications to more advanced courses such as operating systems and database management systems. These opportunities allowed me to more and more exercise and sharpen my teaching and programming skills. Although I was a substitute teacher and a Math teacher during my graduate studies, My real first exposure to teaching was 12 years a go when I was first hired as a full time computer science instructor at Public Authority for Applied Education and Training ( PAAET ) in Kuwait. I was given the opportunity to be exclusively responsible for course materials preparation, teaching, holding office hours, preparing and grading homework assignments , programming assignments, projects. and examinations, This experience has been very gratifying for me. These courses allowed me to interact with students with different computer backgrounds ( from students with without computer experience to student with strong computer experience depending on courses that are taught in each semester). It showed me that sometimes, it takes several ways to show some concepts for different students with different computer background. For students without computer background, it gave me the opportunity to learn how to explain some concepts in a simple ways rethinking these concepts that we usually take for granted and learn how to introduce them using non-technical terms supported by plenty of examples. Since I am constantly exposed to diverse categories of students with different levels and backgrounds, it is very important to bring into play a teaching style that fit these categories. Thus , I think that teaching is an art.

• Philosophy

   

  Simplicity , clarity and interaction are my techniques in presenting a course material. The benefits of this approach is to attract and retain student's attention in the class room . In this context, rather than students spend time writing notes from the white board, I prepare handouts and post in my website for students to print, view and follow during lectures. I also use slides and extra examples to describe , simplify and clarify the material. Copies of slides and extra examples that are used in the class are also posted in my website for students who miss classes. Homework assignments , programming assignments, projects and grades are also posted in my website for student to view. I allow students to submit solutions to their programming assignments and projects via email.

  
  

  Interaction with students in and out of classroom is also one of my teaching principles. Students must be active participants in the learning process. I encourage students to ask questions by asking critical thinking questions, I pick students randomly in answering questions, I allow group discussions. Programming assignments are completed individually while project are sometimes completed in groups. I stimulate students by asking them to come with answers rather than me providing them with answers right a way. This process allow students to learn more what they say rather than learn what they told by others. I constantly ask students to whether or not the concept is understood. Sometimes , I have to repeat concepts more than one time and in various ways in order to convey the subject. In many occasions and as a way of communicating with students, I give quizzes in order to discover whether or not students understood the material .

  
  

  Computer science is a problem-solving field and class material preparation for this field requires a lot of time. Although in most cases there are specific text books required for each class, I sometimes use other professional resources such as other text books, internet, journals in order to find extra examples that are essential in passing the concept. Some examples I present are drown from other disciplines such as banking, investments, biology and medicine in order to show the role that the computer plays in solving those types of problems. I look for feedback from students and follow professors regarding those extra materials and examples.

• Interests

   

  With my computer science experience , I believe that I am qualified to teach many computer science course clearly. More over, I would be most qualified courses related to computer programming. For example, several courses that I am capable of teaching are computer literacy and the internet, foundations and fundamentals of computer science, programming languages such Java / C++, and finally Introduction to Database Management Systems. List of all computer science classes that I taught are found in the classes section of this site

  
  

  I will be keen on teaching classes in principles of compiler design and construction. Beside theoretical compiler concepts, a programming project that involves designing and implementing a lexical analyzer , parser and intermediate code generation will introduced. Students will work in teams and a programming language such as Java or C++ will be used as a tool to implement such project.

• Future plans

   

  I am a fond of teaching by example principle. My ultimate goal in to start writing a book in Java that is fully evolves around this principle.

  
  

• Areas other than teaching

   

  Beside teaching, I have a broad array of experiences that I can call into play. My management background provides a solid foundation for skillful communication with students and faculty members. My work experience has taught me to reason analytically and to use the analytical approach to problem resolution. As vice chairman of the computer science department, head of the schedule committee, and head of the computer club, I have developed and demonstrated strong interpersonal skills. I have worked closely with other university departments and students on technical projects, delivered numerous presentations and have been involved in many extracurricular activities.

  
  

  My technical skills have been applied to the design and implementation of a faculty member database system for our entire organization, a web page framework for the College of Business Studies, and a last class timetabling for the Department of Computer Science.

  
  

  I am confident that this extensive technical and teaching skills will allow me to contribute immediately to the strong reputation of the any educational institution and to its Computer Science Department.