By and for Teaching Assistants: Homegrown Tools in Computing Classrooms
Teaching computing at scale often necessitates some level of automation, which many courses have fulfilled through commercial Learning Management Systems or “homegrown” tools developed by teaching staff. The development of homegrown tools within universities, especially those that lie in the computing classroom, has been reported on for some time. However, research focuses strongly on the applications of these tools, rather than the design process and the overarching software development ecosystem in which these tools are embedded. This poster explores the design process and life cycle of homegrown tools within computer science education. We investigate the design of homegrown tools within a large R1 institution, where much of the development is conducted by and for Teaching Assistants (TAs). Our investigation is guided by the following questions:
RQ1: What is the design lifecycle of homegrown tools within computing education?
RQ2: How does the use of homegrown tools shape TAs’ workload, teaching practices, and professional development?