John Allen

John Allen

PhD Candidate at Washington University in St. Louis

Teaching

Introduction to Human-Centered Design

Mentored Teaching Experience, Washington University in St. Louis, 2022

I assisted Professor Caitlin Kelleher conduct this undergraduate course which introduces students to human-centered design through projects and in-class discussion. Topics include Information Foraging Theory, Iterative Design, Supporting Problemsolving Strategies, and Cognitive Load Theory. Students conducted user tests with web interfaces, and used their findings to iteratively evolve these interfaces. My duties included helping students with generic questions, holding office hours, and leading the section and project on Cognitive Load Theory.

NASA Coding for Teachers Workshop

Workshop, Museum of Aviation, 2015

In this workshop, teachers from all over Georgia were taught how to use online tools and games–including Scratch, Lightbot, and Hour of Code–to introduce their students to programming, and to develop long-term plans in their curriculums for advancing their students’ knowledge.

Mercer University Creative Computer Camps

Camp Instructor, Mercer University Computer Science Department, 2013

In summers of 2013-2015, I taught several week-long classes in Mercer University’s Creative Computer Camps. First, I taught introductory programming to grades 2-12 through the visualization softwares “Greenfoot”, “Scratch”, and “Alice”. I also instructed groups of 2nd-5th or 6th-12th graders in programming of LEGO’s Ev3 robot. Finally, I taught a course showing high school students the fundamentals of video game creation and design through programs like “Scratch” and “Kodu.”