Lil Blume

CSC 290 Communication Skills for Computer Scientists This undergraduate credit course is offered once a year in the fall at the St. George Campus of the University of Toronto. Classes are run as three-hour workshops one night a week and class size is limited.

Calendar Description Targeted instruction and significant practice in the communication skills required for careers in computer science. The curriculum covers written, oral, and interpersonal communication. Students will hand in short pieces of writing each week and make oral presentations using interactive multimedia web technology. Interpersonal communications classes are designed to give students insight into their current habits and new skills for working with others. By the end of the semester, students complete research papers on CS topics and collaborate with a team to present their findings.

Course Description and Philosophy An article describing the way speaking, writing, and interpersonal communication are taught this course can be found in the Proceedings of the 14th Annual ACM SIGCSE Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education. The pdf can be found here: http://faculty.uoit.ca/collins/publications/docs/CSforCS-ITiCSE2009.pdf

Course Website Former CSC 290 student, Max Drozd created a website for the Fall 2009 course. If you are interested in taking this class, you can look at the website and see the articles posted and the links to all websites referred to in the course activity book. http://csc290.ca/

Epresence Videos Students make five short presentations over the term and one group presentation. These are all captured digitally and posted here: http://epresence.kmdi.utoronto.ca/8/page/Published.aspx Some of the videos can be see without a password and are still visible on this site. This process allows students to review their presentations. The website has a feedback feature in which the students tag specific moments and comment on those moments in response to questions posed by the professor and TA.

Student Comments

"I wanted to thank you for offering this course, making this course available, bringing this course into the "light of day." In the past few days, I have applied a few techniques I learned from this course throughout the summer. The ones I used the most often are I-Messages and Responding Non-Defensively. I have to say, they _really_ worked! I am putting myself in the other's shoes and picturing the scenario in their position. I've had to reply to some comments and my replies weren't rushed. I liked this course because I actually learned things I can apply directly in my life." Dritan Xhabija August 23, 2007

"I have been meaning to tell you this story about my application of interpersonal skills. I went to a salon to have my hair cut the day after CSC290 exam. The barber looked very annoyed while I was detailing the hairstyle I desired and he just started cutting my hair before I even finished. I stopped him right away and I said: "Can you tell me why you seem so unhappy?” He then told me his frustration with customers who are too demanding about their hair styles. Then I said: "So you think I don’t trust you and you feel hurt. Is that why you were so annoyed?” He replied: “Yeah” and the haircut went very well from that point on. What’s even more amazing is that I said those lines almost unconsciously. I felt like those words just slipped out of my mouth." Eric Yao, January 13, 2009

Lil is a dynamic lecturer. Her course, communication skills for computer scientists, has helped me transform my career from a software engineer, to a project manager, to an entrepreneur.
She taught me how to manage perceptions, how to communicate the "I" message instead of the "You" accusation, and how to assert myself non-defensively. These skills have helped me build and manage my personal brand and client relationships effectively.
Lil has equipped me well to achieve my goals and I cannot imagine success without the skills she taught me in that course.

http://danielchu.wordpress.com/bio/

Daniel Chu
President and CEO
SilkStart Technology Inc.

TESTIMONIALS

"I wish you’d come back to Victoria to give the faculty another session. The few hours I got to spend with your were some of the most useful I’ve ever spent on professional development." Lorna Crozier, award-winning poet, professor University of Victoria

“The ability to communicate effectively is especially important in my role as an elected official, and I have Lil Blume to thank. Her communications course has taught me important lessons on how to listen with empathy and communicate non-defensively – skills that are essential whether I am in a boardroom debate, being interviewed by the media, or on the phone with a constituent. Lil is a dynamic and energetic teacher who delivers with passion."
– Shaun Chen, Trustee (Ward 21, Scarborough-Rouge River), Toronto District School Board

I have had the privilege to attend two different memoir writing workshops given by Lil Blume, the first was a workshop at Har El Synagogue in North Vancouver which was open to all members of the congregation and the second was for the Vancouver Second Generation group (adult children of Holocaust survivors) who have been meeting regularly over many years and doing workshops with Lil Blume. In each case Lil was enthusiastic, interesting, and motivating. In each of these workshops, participants ranged widely in age, writing ability, and experience as writers. Lil demonstrated an inspiring ability to make the workshop relevant for all participants while supporting each of us in such a way that we not only moved forward individually, but learned to honour and appreciate the contributions of others. I cannot recommend Lil highly enough as a teacher and mentor.

-- Helen Mintz, storyteller, performer, translator www.helenmintz.com