Teaching Experience
“When you teach any branch of physics you must motivate the formalism — it isn’t any good just to present the formalism and say that it agrees with experiment — you have to explain to the students why this [is] the way the world is. After all, this is our aim in physics, not just to describe nature, but to explain nature.”
— Steven Weinberg, 1997
I’m passionate about teaching scientific computing and coding! I have instructed 1000+ students across multiple engineering courses at UC Santa Barbara, focusing on making computational methods accessible through hands-on exercises and real-world applications.
Courses Taught
Introduction to Programming (ME 8) | Teaching Assistant
Fall 2025, Summer 2025, Summer 2024, Spring/Summer 2023, Summer/Fall 2022
Intensive Matlab programming covering algorithmic thinking, numerical methods, and engineering applications for STEM undergraduates.
Introduction to Scientific Computing | Teaching Assistant
Summer 2025
Numerical methods, algorithm design, and computational problem-solving.
Mathematics of Engineering (ME 104) | Teaching Assistant
Summer 2025, Summer/Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2022
Numerical simulation for ODEs and engineering problems using Matlab.
Basic Electronics and Circuits | Teaching Assistant & Lab Instructor
Winter 2023
Lectures on electronics circuits with hands-on laboratory experiments and group projects.
Dynamics | Teaching Assistant
Summer 2023
Fundamental principles of motion and forces in engineering systems.
Teaching Evaluations
Student Testimonials
“Faranak was an absolutely phenomenal TA for this class: She did not stop talking, and everything she said was useful. She provided good explanations of student questions and what was on the homework, and for the two times I needed her to look at my code, she thoroughly dug through my code and was able to explain multiple fixes which improved my code and made it function properly; and with the notes she gave me, I learned quite a bit about how to use Matlab in the process. I seriously appreciate her ability to teach.”
— Student, Introduction to Programming (Summer 2025)
“She was very good at explaining the questions we had and the material.”
— Student, Summer 2025
“She can explain the questions during sessions well and it is helpful for me to review what I learned during the lecture.”
— Student, 2025
“Very clear and useful feedback and explanations on specific questions/problems.”
— Student, Spring 2024
“TA was knowledgeable and often walked through similar homework problems during section for the times I did go, and was very responsive on email.”
— Student, Spring 2024
“She seemed nice and helpful when I went.”
— Student, Spring 2024
“Very helpful TA!”
— Student, Spring 2024
“I just wanted to thank you for your help throughout this quarter. You provided very detailed lectures in the hopes of helping us complete our homework and stayed during office hours many hours past when you needed to. I hope your doctorate goes well and you enjoy the rest of your time at UCSB.”
— Alec Perkins, Student (December 2023)
“There is nothing I can think of that Faranak needs to improve on. She would always respond quickly to homework concerns I had and provide as much help as I needed. Thank you!!”
— Student, Spring 2023
“Openness to students’ questions. The lectures were very clear and I felt like I really could understand what you were lecturing about.”
— Student, Spring 2022
“The quick walkthroughs before the lab helped a lot with understanding the concepts as well as the procedure.”
— Student, Electronics and Circuits (Spring 2023)
“I like how well-prepared the pre-lab presentations/explanations were. Also, I know everybody asks for help during the lab so I appreciate you getting to everybody as much as possible.”
— Student, Electronics and Circuits (Spring 2023)
“The TA was available to answer any questions that were presented and did so in a clear manner, making it very useful.”
— Student, Electronics and Circuits (Spring 2023)
“The rederivation of certain concepts useful in labs.”
— Student, Electronics and Circuits (Spring 2023)
“Their willingness to go over specific issues both in lab and on homework made it very easy to see the small details and mistakes in work.”
— Student, Electronics and Circuits (Spring 2023)
Open-Source Course Materials
C++ Development Course
I’ve developed a comprehensive C++ programming course with all materials freely available:
| GitHub Repository | Course PDF |
- 204 curated code examples across 29 chapters
- Complete documentation with learning paths (beginner → advanced)
- Topics: Functions, OOP, Templates, STL, Smart Pointers, Concurrency, Modern C++ (C++11/14/17/20)
- MIT License - freely available for students and educators
Perfect for self-study or as supplementary material for programming courses
Interested in having me as a TA or guest lecturer? Contact me!