Thomas Lin

---

My definition of teaching is: the art of dumbing shit down.
I aim, to the best of my ability, to explain concepts in ways a layman can comprehend. This typically involves the use of imagery and carefully selected analogies as the first stepping stone into any new subject. I also favour the use of demos to tie the abstract concepts learned in class to the real-world.

I’ve been a teaching assistant for 10 years, serving multiple courses in roles ranging from leading tutorials, to lecturing, to designing and running hands-on labs. I’ve also helped to re-design old courses and develop new ones as well. I’m a firm believer that hands-on experience is required to truly learn any new technology or skill.

My focus has primarily been on teaching software (both programming and design), networking, and cloud computing. A summary of my teaching history is shown below.

Course Development

Designed and implemented course materials (lab assignments and lesson plans).

• ECE361: Computer Networks I (Fall ‘16; Summer ‘19 - Winter ‘20)
  • Complete course re-design (syllabus, tutorials, and labs) from 2019-2020, focusing on solving fundamental networking problems from the ground up
  • Designed 7 new labs throughout the years, ranging from MAC all the way to OpenFlow
  • Created new lab environment and flexible auto-marking system
  • Set of technical demos to show in tutorials and lectures to bridge theory with reality
  • Periodic surveys to gauge students’ progress, understanding, and interest
• ECE1508: Network Softwarization: Technologies and Enablers (Winter ‘18 - ‘20)
  • Aided the design of the course syllabus and the schedule of lectures, involving instructors across 4 different universities
  • Lectures pertaining to the SAVI testbed, overlay networks, NFV, SDN, and orchestration
  • Created set of hands-on labs related to each of the above topics
• ECE1548: Advanced Network Architectures (Fall ‘12, ‘13, ‘15 - ‘17)
  • Designed & implemented cloud computing labs for the SAVI testbed with topics on SDN, orchestration, monitoring, and cloud federation
• APS105: Computer Fundamentals (Winter ‘16, ‘17)
  • Designed a new computer-based examination framework as part of a trial semester
  • Designed an auto-survey system to track students’ motivation and concentration

Lecturing

Prepared lesson plans and lecture materials; delivered them in both in-person and online formats.

• ECE1508: Network Softwarization: Technologies and Enablers (Winter ‘18 - ‘20)
  • Presented lectures that streamed simultaneously to 4 universities
• IEEE ComSoc Summer School (Summer ‘17)
  • Created a day-long multi-session tech series on cloud computing; topics included SAVI, NFV, SDN, orchestration, monitoring, and container technologies
  • Created hands-on tutorials related to the above topics and guided students through exercises to bring theoretical concepts to reality
  • Presented set of demos to showcase Software-Defined Infrastructure

Teaching Assistant

In-lab advisor, teaching students how to assess and resolve technical issues, as well as leading tutorials.

• ECE244: Programming Fundamentals (Fall ‘15 - ‘20)
  • Supported students in learning to program and debug C++ programs
• ECE1508: Network Softwarization: Technologies and Enablers (Winter ‘18 - ‘20)
  • Presented technical demos to showcase SAVI SDI and use of heterogeneous resources
  • Provided technical guidance and assistance to student projects
• APS105: Computer Fundamentals (Fall ‘14, ‘15; Winter ‘16 - ‘20)
  • Guided students in writing and debugging C-based programs using best practices
  • Led tutorial sessions for groups of up to 30 students, as well as 1-on-1 sessions
  • Created new lab assignments, as well as questions for midterm and final exams
• ECE297: Communication and Design (Winter ‘14 - ‘20)
  • Supervised 4 to 5 groups of students in semester-long software project
  • Advised students on best approaches for tackling certain problems
  • Evaluated code quality, technical presentations, and product pitches
• ECE361: Computer Networks I (Winter ‘15; Fall ‘12, ‘16, ‘18, ‘19)
  • Led weekly tutorial sessions as well as weekly TA meetings
  • Assisted students in resolving technical issues while building their networking knowledge
• ECE1548: Advanced Network Architectures (Fall ‘12, ‘13, ‘15 - ‘17)
  • Provided technical consultation for students on the design and implementation of their final projects
• ECE461: Internetworking (Fall ‘13, ‘14)
  • Guided students in configuring new networks and root-causing network-related issues
• APS106: Fundamentals of Computer Programming (Winter ‘12)
  • Led tutorials for groups of roughly 30 students on the C language
  • Assisted students and fellow TAs in writing and debugging code using best practices
• ECE466: Computer Networks II (Winter ‘12)
  • Assisted students in resolving issues with their network simulations
  • Guided students in the analysis of network data to tie theory with experimental results

Tutoring

1-on-1 tutoring for students, identifying the specific needs and knowledge gap of the students, and preparing customized lesson plans and exercises.

• APS105: Computer Fundamentals (Fall ‘11)
• APS106: Fundamentals of Computer Programming (Winter ‘12)