Teaching Experience

EE221A – Linear Systems Theory, Fall 2016, 2018 (UC Berkeley)

EE221A is a graduate level course on the fundamentals of modern state space theory of linear systems. The students had a diverse range of backgrounds, including in circuits, power systems, reinforcement learning, and controls. As the TA, I held regular office hours, designed homeworks and exams, and designed and led weekly 2-hour discussion sections.

During my discussion sessions, I provided examples of how concepts can be applied to a variety of application domains such as robotics, power systems, circuits, and economics, to cater to the different backgrounds of students. I also developed supplementary lectures to strengthen the understanding of relatively abstract concepts, and demonstrated them in action on real robotic test beds. I was also responsible for grading homeworks. During grading, I aimed to provide targeted feedback to each student. For example, I would add some notes on what students did well, what was missing from their solutions, and how they can improve.

The students in this course nominated me for the UC Berkeley Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award, which I won in May 2019. This is awarded to up to 10% of current GSIs university wide.

Here is a quick tutorial on discrete-time LQR that I wrote for the EE221A class.

MTH101 – Introduction to Real Analysis and Calculus, Fall 2009, 2010 (IIT Kanpur)

An introductory theoretical course for undergraduate students on the fundamentals of real number analysis and calculus. I led weekly 3-hour discussion sessions where I would review the key concepts from the class and go over practice problems that reinforce these concepts. I also regularly attended the lead instructor’s lectures to get a sense of what students are finding most confusing, and then used this information while designing discussion sections. This method helped me empathize better with student’s needs.

MTH102 – Basics of Complex Analysis and Linear Algebra, Spring 2010, 2011 (IIT Kanpur)

An introductory course for undergraduate students on the fundamentals of complex number analysis and linear algebra. I was responsible for leading weekly 3-hour discussion sessions where I would review and emphasize the key concepts from the class. To enhance the learning experience of the class, I actively sought feedback from students early on in my class and adapt my teaching style as much as possible to maximize the learning experience of the class. For example, based on the received feedback, I modified my discussion sessions to include more group work problems. During these problem-solving sessions, I would walk around the room, talk to as many students as possible, and discuss their solutions. This also allowed me to provide targeted feedback to each student.