In this episode, I spoke with Borja Sotomayor, a Senior Instructional Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Chicago and former Director of the MPCS, about how computer science departments support their teaching activities. We explored topics such as balancing teaching and research priorities, managing large classes, onboarding new faculty, the role of mentorship, evaluating teaching effectiveness, and the need for more structured support for CS educators.

Mentions during the episode:

• Study  
• UChicago CS
• What Does an Instructional Designer Do?
• Transforming College Teaching Evaluation
• TEval
• Extracurricular Activities Predict CS Internship Attainment (Paper)
• Chicago Center for Teaching and Learning
• Revisit: How I organize the teaching staff of my 200+ student class
• SIGCSE TS 2026
• Jennifer Frey
• Jen Heemstra
• Labwork to Leadership
• Using Two-Stage Exams to Promote Active Learning in Large Classes
• Faculty Perceptions of Teaching in Undergraduate Computer Science Education
• Some ABCs of Teaching

Where to find Borja:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Google Scholar