Learning Objectives
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
- Understand the structure and design of the CSED program at the University of Northern Iowa.
- Understand how the FCCS course is organized, including its design elements and weekly learning flow.
- Understand how grades and competency demonstrations work within the FCCS course.
- Reflect on and articulate your identity as a teacher, including your strengths and areas for growth.
- Reflect on your prior experiences as a CS learner and teacher, and discuss how they shape your starting point in this course.
Notice that the objectives above are not traditional "learning objectives." They are listed here so that the intentions of this topic are transparent. You will not be assessed on your ability to "understand" course logistics.
Learning Activities
Please work through the following activities in order. The sequence is intentional — each piece sets up the next.
Step 1 — Welcome Videos
Begin by watching these short videos from the FCCS faculty team.
- VIDEO: Welcome to CSED@UNI
- VIDEO: Welcome to FCCS
- VIDEO: Welcome to FCCS — Navigating the Websites
- VIDEO: Welcome to FCCS — Understanding a typical week
- VIDEO: Welcome to FCCS — Understanding grading
- RESOURCE: Course Syllabus
Step 2 — A Short but Important Read
Before you write anything, please read the following short page. It addresses something real that many teachers in this program experience, and it will make the reflections that follow more useful.
- On Belonging Here — a note on imposter syndrome and what to do about it
Step 3 — A Word from Dr. Schafer
After you read the assigned reading in step 2, watch this short video from Dr. Schafer.
- VIDEO: On Belonging Here
Step 4 — Reflection Writing
Before you encounter any CS content, we want you to put into words who you are as a teacher and where you are starting from as a CS learner. These reflections are not graded in the traditional sense. But take them seriously. They're there for a reason and they are doing more work than they look like they are.
Complete both reflections and submit each on Blackboard.
Checking for Understanding
Topic 1a has no CS content to check — there is no competency demo for this material. Instead, use these questions as a brief self-check on your engagement with the orientation activities.
- Have you watched all three welcome videos and reviewed the syllabus?
- Have you read the belonging page and watched Dr. Schafer's follow-up video?
- Have you submitted both reflections on Blackboard?
If you can answer yes to all three, you are ready to move on to Topic 1b.
Extend Your Learning
The following resources go a little deeper on topics we touched on but did not fully explore in the readings. These are entirely optional — none of this material appears on the Competency Demo — but each one is a natural "next question" from something covered this week.
- The research behind imposter syndrome
The belonging page introduced imposter syndrome and what the research says about it. If you want to go deeper, Psychology Today's overview covers the history of the phenomenon, who experiences it most, and what actually helps — drawing on the same body of research referenced in the reading.
Imposter Syndrome — Psychology Today - The reflective practitioner
The teacher autobiography activity draws on a long tradition in education research around reflective practice. Donald Schön's concept of the "reflective practitioner" is the foundational idea behind why we ask teachers to examine their own beliefs before learning new content. This Wikipedia overview gives a readable entry point into that tradition.
Reflective Practice — Wikipedia