CS 445 Facilitator Policy

How it works

The class will be divided into in-class working groups. Groups are assigned by me and will probably remain fixed for the semester.

For most in-class activities, one member of each group will be assigned to complete the activity in advance. That student is the group’s facilitator for the day, and the role rotates through the group. You will facilitate a few times during the semester.

Facilitators are not expected to have mastered the material, but you should make a good faith effort to understand the content and complete the activity. I strongly encourage facilitators to start activities early enough to ask questions if they arise.

Why

Activities can bog down if everyone in a group starts out confused. This policy guarantees that every group has someone who has spent some time thinking about the material and working through the problems.

There is a second benefit, which is that you will learn a lot from facilitating. Preparing to teach someone else is one of the best ways to learn.

What facilitators do

Complete the activity, along with a short questionnaire, and submit it before class, generally by 11:59PM the night before. Bring your work to class: open the notebook, or bring the paper you worked the exercises on.

At the start of class, the day’s facilitators meet me at the front of the room for about three minutes while everyone else is settling in. We compare notes on where the activity got difficult and I answer any questions that may have arisen.

During the activity, keep the group moving and roughly together rather than letting it split into individuals working alone. If you do not know an answer, say so and come get me. That is always a better answer than a guess.

Do not read out your answers so the group can copy them. Your groupmates need to do the activity.

Disagreeing with your facilitator

The facilitator is not the group’s authority. If you think the facilitator is wrong, say so. Facilitators: being wrong in front of your group is a normal outcome and a much better one than being confidently wrong.

Grading

Your facilitation grade comes from completing the assignment in advance and from actively facilitating during the class period.

Absences

If you know in advance that you will miss a class where you are scheduled to facilitate, swap with someone else in your group and email me the change before the deadline. Swaps within a group are fine and need no approval beyond that notice.

If you are unexpectedly absent, email me as described in the syllabus attendance policy. Your group’s activity credit is not affected.