Browsing by Author "Kendon, Tyson"

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    ItemOpen Access
    Disslib:cc
    (2011) Kendon, Tyson; Denzinger, Jörg
    DisSLib:CC (Distributed Search Library: Common Central) is a library for creating distributed search systems. It allows developers to take advantage of the now common access to multi­ple processors, either as part of a multi-core processor in a single machine or part of a cluster of computational power that exists around us. Some software can take advantage of this new configuration of hardware without a lot of extra work, but some software needs special consid­eration to get benefits from multiple processors, especially knowledge based search. Knowledge-based search allows us to find good solutions to hard problems, it combines knowledge about how to solve problems and knowledge about the problems that need to be solved with the raw processing power of a computer. In knowledge-based search systems solutions are found by taking small computational steps, some of which may be in the right di­rection and some of which may be wrong. Because of these small steps and the need to evaluate what was a good choice simply spreading these steps across multiple processors without a plan does not work. Fortunately there are paradigms for distributed knowledge-based search that let us use multiple processors to speed search up. Given the universality of these paradigms, it is possible to use them to design libraries that let developers create distributed search systems. DisSLib:CC was created to allow developers to build distributed search systems that solve their problems as quickly as possible without having to do the hard parts of handling commu­nications and the repetitive parts handling configuration and writing logs and search protocols. DisSLib:CC allows developers to create distributed search systems from sequential search sys­tems with minimal extra code. Two systems developed using DisSLib:CC were used to test some aspects of the configuration of distributed search systems and showed speed ups based on finding the right conditions.
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    ItemOpen Access
    Teaching Assistant in Residence: A Novel Peer Mentorship Program for Less Experienced Teaching Assistants
    (2015-05-12) Stephenson, Ben; Wu, Leanne; Kendon, Tyson
    Each semester approximately 80 graduate teaching assistants (TAs) support the delivery of the undergraduate computer science program at The University of Calgary. While these teaching assistants provide an essential service to the undergraduate program, in past years the department has invested little effort in ensuring that teaching assistants have the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to tackle these duties effectively. During the 2012-2013 academic year, a novel TA mentorship program was initiated. An experienced teaching assistant with a demonstrated record of excellence in teaching was hired to serve as the TA in Residence. This graduate student provided training and advice to new teaching assistants, including classroom visits where the TA in Residence observed TAs in action. TAs that participated in the program generally reported that the advice provided by the TA in Residence was helpful, and all of the TAs that responded to the survey question believed that it would be worthwhile to continue the mentorship program in the future. As a result, we continued the TA in Residence program in subsequent years. This poster provides an overview of the TA in Residence program, its benefits, and the challenges that the TAs in residence have faced and overcome. The revisions that we have made to the program since its inception are also described, which will allow other departments interested in developing a TA in Residence program to avoid some of the pitfalls that we initially encountered.