1. Learning how to learn: Start your own internship program
Jeffrey Spies
COS | SHARE | UVA
@jeffspies

2. Learning-efficient stack API
Open
Modular
Harvesters
Normalizers
Processors
Learning-efficient stack
API

3. Assumption Technology is important to us.

4. Assumption Technology continually evolves.

5. Therefore We must continually learn in order to keep up with technology.

6. Recommendation Do not learn new technology.

7. Recommendation Learn how to learn new technology.

8. Recommendation Do not teach new technology
Recommendation Do not teach new technology. Teach how to learn technology.

9. Assumption While something is being learned, that something may not be appreciated.

10. Recommendation Use pedagogy that considers motivations, both local and long-term.
What I care about now.
I’ll probably get a job in the real world.

11. Assumption In the real world, we (mostly) work independently.

12. Assumption In the real world, we (mostly) learn independently.

13. Recommendation Create learning environments that emulate the real world and thus support independent learning.

14. Assumptions In the real world, we work on real-world projects.

15. Assumptions In the real world, we learn on real-world projects.
We problem solve
We architect

16. Recommendation Learn using real-world projects.

17. Recommendations Learn how to learn. Teach how to learn
Recommendations Learn how to learn. Teach how to learn. Consider motivations. Support independent learning. Use real-world projects.

18. Service learning Balances instruction with a pragmatic, real-life opportunity to serve in the community.

19. The Pedagogy Learning how to learn via big, meaningful, real-world projects in a supportive environment that fosters independence and ownership.

20. The Pedagogy Learning how to learn via big, meaningful, real-world projects in a supportive environment that fosters independence and ownership.

21. *gulp* “Big? Meaningful? Real-world? Mine?”

22. Learning is scary. Learning is lonely
Learning is scary. Learning is lonely. Responsibility is scary and lonely.

23. Learning how to learn Everyone feels this way
Learning how to learn Everyone feels this way. This is a supportive environment. You are no longer under-resourced.

24. Independent is not alone
Google
Stack Overflow
Mailing lists/forums/chat
Read open source code (e.g., Github)
Read local code
Ask other interns
Ask local experts
Ask for help breaking down problems
Code review

25. Learning is frustrating. Frustration undermines learning
Learning is frustrating. Frustration undermines learning. This is a cyclic process.

26. A Lot to Learn Knowledge Problem solving Breaking down problems
Evaluating solutions
Comparing solutions
Evaluating success

27. When learning how to learn Frustration is normal
When learning how to learn Frustration is normal. Everyone feels this way. Make it work for you rather than against you.

28. Repeat the following: Frustration is normal. Frustration is expected
Repeat the following: Frustration is normal. Frustration is expected. I am not different.
Repeat this.

29. The role of frustration Frustration is a cue that we need help.
Repeat this.

30. Frustration as a heuristic Just starting out: 45-60 minutes Advanced: 90 minutes Novel: 180 minutes
Repeat this.

31. What doesn’t work: Too many questions. Not enough questions.
Repeat this.

32. Questions Don’t provide answers. Provide tips to find answers.
Repeat this.

33. The role of frustration: Frustration is a cue that we need help
The role of frustration: Frustration is a cue that we need help the problem is too big.
Repeat this.

34. The Goal

37. You are here.
The problem is now consumable based upon where you are in your learning.

39. Spiraling around the solution--being frustrated--helped you solve the next problem.

43. Bonus: Practice problem solving
Break down problem into incremental, consumable problems
Solve consumable problem
Evaluate constraints of solution and interactions with future consumables
Repeat

44. History In the classroom. Introduced pre-COS. Applied at scale at COS.

45. Internships & Independent Studies

46. COS Internship Program Total since May 2013: 115 Hired full-time: 19 Multiple semesters/summers: 52%

47. Independent studies and internships require learning.
Again mission…but the basic problem we solve is....

48. Common goals build trust in the pedagogy. Goals at COS…
This is not a means of getting free work without putting time into it.

49. Internship Goals
Provide value to COS
Provide value to interns

50. COS Goals
To hire you
Get stuff done
Improve scholarship

51. Intern Goals Learn something Learn real-world skills Build resume
Change science

52. Common Goals You learn so you can build stuff
You build stuff to put it on your resume
You build your resume so you’re more hirable (by us)

53. Your job
To learn
To be frustrated

54. Repeat the following: Frustration is normal. Frustration is expected
Repeat the following: Frustration is normal. Frustration is expected. I am not different.
Repeat this.

55. Diversity

56. Meaningful, real-world projects attract diversity.
Repeat this.

57. Some people care more about
the problem
helping the community that needs the solution
than the technology used to solve the problem (but it still attracts them too)

58. Minorities in the space will face different challenges than non-minorities. Be attentive to the signs.
Repeat this.

60. Tips

61. How to choose tech Community Inclusivity Diversity
Learn-/Teach-ability
Functionality

63. You don’t have to be technical to be a mentor to technical interns.
The Pragmattic Programmer
ELIZA

64. Ask how it’s going and don’t accept a single word answer.
The Pragmattic Programmer

65. Practice Pitches “Every time we meet, I want you tell me why what you’re doing is the most important thing that anyone at the organization can be doing to improve scholarship.” You should believe this as well. If you don’t, the projects may not be big or meaningful enough.
The Pragmattic Programmer

66. Compensate your interns With money or credits
Compensate your interns With money or credits. If you can’t give credits, find a faculty member who can that wants a very easy independent study mentoring experience (because you’re going to do all the work).
Repeat this.

67. Open source is not only good for scholarship; it’s good for interns.
Repeat this.

68. Good mentorship will sometimes feel mean.
The Pragmattic Programmer

69. Train Mentors It requires buy-in, but helps you scale.
Repeat this.

71. Internship in Practice Saman Ehsan
Hi, my name is Saman Ehsan. I’m a software developer here at COS and I’m going to talk to you about what the pedagogy looks like in practice. I began as an intern two summers ago, and this summer I am mentoring teams of interns so I have experienced both sides of the internship program.
So before I do that I’m going to give you some context around when I started.
Saman Ehsan

72. Biochemistry Computer Science
Biochem major at UVA, graduated in 2014
Took some computer science classes.
And after graduating I decided to just try out programming to see if it’s something I would like, which is how I ended up applying to COS as an intern.

73. What I Learned COS tech stack How to…
Learn & tackle difficult problems
Work on a codebase with many collaborators
At COS, I learned A LOT
I learned basically the entire tech stack: python, flask, more advanced JS, knockout.js, mako, etc.
But I also learned non-technical skills: how to tackle difficult problems, how to work on an existing codebase with LOTS of code & multiple contributors

74. The Process Project-based learning Incremental Process
Constructive Feedback
I learned a lot, and there are a few components of the process that I felt were key here:
1.Centered around project-based learning
The ideal project is a combination of what needs to get done, what the student is interested in and what they are capable of doing, and whether it is something
They can learn from.
Got assigned real projects that were both interesting and challenging, I learned skills that I actually needed.
2. Incremental Process
For example, I didn’t know python when I started so my first project just used python
I was then able to do other, more complicated projects that required knowing python
Even though I did not meet the checklist of requirements for the internship, that didn’t matter as much because I was able to learn what I needed
Having this growth mindset is really important as an employer because that means you don’t have to limit yourself to finding the most experienced students
3. Constructive feedback
As you review the work that interns have done, let them know where they can improve to help improve the quality of the work that they do.

75. Thanks!

76. Credits
Special thanks to all the people who made and released these awesome resources for free:
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Photographs by Unsplash & Death to the Stock Photo (license)

77. @jeffspies | jeff@cos.io @samanehsan| saman@cos.io
Find this presentation at
_share_pedagogy_spies.pptx
Learning how to learn: Start your own internship program
@jeffspies |
@samanehsan|