Teaching
Before I taught, I was a coach. I still see my classes as teams.
The lessons I learned on the field still shape how I motivate students and manage classrooms across the computer science and cybersecurity programs. I want rigor, but I also want students to feel supported, known, and responsible for one another’s growth.
Teaching philosophy
The strongest classrooms make room for rigor, trust, and a real sense of belonging.
My first job was as a swimming instructor. I spent summers in high school teaching preschool-aged children to safely enjoy the water. As anyone who has worked with small children knows, much of that work involved overcoming fears, building confidence, and celebrating victories. In the classroom, I still prioritize validating students’ thoughts and feelings because those relationships make better learning possible.
I later began coaching at an overnight summer camp, where counselors were called aunt and uncle to help campers feel more at home. Being called Uncle Al made me realize how large a role educators can play in students’ lives. In the classroom, I recognize that many students are also away from families and loved ones, and they need to feel like valued members of a community if they are going to thrive.
One spring I spent coaching high school softball. The athletes had the grit and ability I wanted, but they were not working together as a team. To change that, we rotated players through different positions and created more room for experienced athletes to mentor novice players. The culture shifted: stronger players became leaders, quieter players pushed themselves, and failure became part of growth rather than something to hide. I try to build that same collaborative environment in my courses.
In any setting, I prioritize relationships: the relationships students have with me, with one another, and with the subject material itself. When those relationships are strong, difficult ideas feel more approachable and the classroom becomes a place where students can succeed together.
Core commitments
- Overcoming fear and building confidence are part of learning.
- Students deserve to feel like valued members of a community.
- Collaboration should raise the standard, not lower it.
- Mentorship matters before, during, and after a course.
Teaching methods and experiences
Most of my recent teaching has been with students entering computer science and cybersecurity pathways, where energy, structure, and agency matter immediately.
The majority of my classroom experience has been in lower-division courses that enroll students from a wide range of majors and academic backgrounds, including courses where formal reasoning is central to how students learn to think in computing. I have also served as a teaching assistant for upper-division and graduate-level courses, where students often arrive with more subject-specific interest and stronger experience navigating the university. That range has made me especially attentive to how classroom culture shapes student confidence.
Students participate more when they know their questions matter
I am very high energy in the classroom, and I expect students to be active as well. I ask them to attend, participate, ask questions, and work through confusion in public. In introductory courses especially, this helps students feel comfortable being vocal when they are frustrated or uncertain. Participation becomes sustainable when students feel they are asking good questions and making meaningful observations.
Students take stronger ownership when they help shape the course
In my spring sections, I have invited students to take part in shaping their own syllabus. That process can include defining classroom conduct, setting expectations, and assigning value to different forms of work. Giving students that responsibility makes the learning environment more collaborative and helps them build decision-making, negotiation, and self-assessment skills alongside course content.
I want students to know that I am in their corner
I tell students that a degree alone is not enough; they also need people who can speak to their character and work ethic. I offer letters of recommendation broadly, and I want those letters to reflect real growth that I have seen. That is one reason I take an active interest in students’ lives and development throughout the course, not just at the end of it.
Methods and classroom practice
My teaching methods are designed mainly for lower-division technical courses, where energy, clarity, and agency can make the difference between disengagement and real momentum.
High-energy participation
I bring a lot of energy into the room, and I ask students to do the same. That means showing up ready to participate, speak, ask questions, and work through confusion in public. Especially in introductory courses, this helps students feel that their uncertainty is normal and workable.
Shared expectations
In some spring courses, I invite students to help shape parts of the syllabus by discussing norms, expectations, and the relative value of different forms of work. That process gives them practice in negotiation, reflection, and ownership over the learning environment they are helping to create.
Mentorship and advocacy
I want students to know I am in their corner. I offer letters of recommendation broadly, and I tell students that those letters are strongest when I have had the chance to witness their growth, character, and work ethic over time. That makes mentorship part of the course rather than an afterthought once the quarter ends.
Future direction
My future work in higher education focuses on making science and computing education more inclusive, reflective, and intellectually honest.
Broadening what counts as knowing
My future work addresses the dominance of empiricism and rationalism in higher education. These approaches are powerful, but they can also narrow what counts as legitimate knowledge. I want to engage them critically and show how they can support, rather than exclude, more diverse ways of knowing. For me, connecting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice to the foundations of science is not just an ethical project; it is necessary for a fuller understanding of the world.
Critical pedagogy in STEM
STEM education often lacks the context and inquiry needed to present knowledge as dynamic rather than static. I am interested in approaches informed by critical pedagogy that help students see themselves as active agents in how knowledge is made, used, and challenged. As higher education changes more quickly, students need preparation not only to absorb established ideas but also to engage with new ones thoughtfully and adaptively.
In summary, I want to challenge the limits of traditional academic approaches and promote a more inclusive way of thinking. By connecting DEIJ to the philosophical foundations of science, addressing gaps in STEM education, and making room for critical pedagogy, creativity, and reflection, I hope to help build a more equitable and empowering learning environment.
I want my students to know that I am a champion for them.
Alex Stevens