Openings

Doctoral students

Dr. Proctor advises doctoral students in the Graduate School of Education's Curriculum, Instruction, and the Science of Learning PhD program Learning Sciences track. Applications for fall 2023 admission are now closed. If you are interested in becoming a PhD student advised by Dr. Proctor in a future year, please get in touch.

Undergraduate research assistants

January 2023. We are looking for two undergraduate research assistants to work on a project funded by the National Science Foundation, aiming to build community capacity for designing a K12 computer science program. Research assistants will help teach a free project-based after-school CS course for high school students. There are two components to the work:

1. Help teach a free after-school course at Lockport High School, from February-May 2023. Attend meetings of the class Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons from 2:30-4:30pm, as well as bi-weekly teaching team meetings at UB North Campus. (Applicants who can only attend on Tuesday or Wednesday per week will still be considered.) The course is structured as a sequence of labs introducing new skills and ideas, and then an open-ended project. During class, teaching assistants will help students design, plan, debug, and refactor their projects, and participate in discussions on the broader significance of the ideas we explore. Teaching assistants will also take field notes during class, documenting the learning they observe for later discussion.
2. Curriculum development, refinement, and testing. The course uses the Making With Code curriculum, developed by Dr. Proctor and colleagues (2020) over the last three years at a private school in Hong Kong. The The course uses a Constructionist approach (Papert, 1980), collaborating on personally-meaningful projects while getting to know computers as partners in thought. Research assistants will work through the curriculum, compile lists of issues (errors, inconsistencies, and clarifications), and help fix them. This work can be done remotely or in the Computational Literacies Lab at 218 Baldy Hall.

Qualifications

• Current UB undergraduate student majoring in CSE or a related field.
• Intermediate knowledge of Python.
• Familiarity with the UNIX/LINUX command line and the git version control system, or willingness to learn.
• Able to travel to Lockport High School on Tuesday and/or Wednesday afternoons February-May 2023.
• Interested in teaching and learning K12 computer science.

Position details

• Work can start immediately, and runs through the end of the academic year with the potential to continue next year.
• The pay rate is $25/hour for up to 10 hours per week.
• Time and expenses of transportation to Lockport will be reimbursed. Applicants who plan to drive a private car will be reimbursed at standard mileage rates. The NFTA 44 bus also provides convenient service, with a 1:25-1:55pm route from Flint Loop to Transit Ave and Lincoln Ave (a 12-minute walk to the high school) and a 4:50-5:24pm return.

How to apply

Please email Dr. Proctor if you have questions or would like to apply. A resume is helpful but not required. Applicants will have a brief interview with Dr. Proctor. You may also apply through the UB Experiential Learning Network.