Excellence in Teaching: Chris Kanich

Chris Kanich
Professor, Computer Science
College of Engineering

Years at UIC: 12

What courses do you teach, and what topics do you find most engaging or meaningful to teach?
In the past I've taught Computer Networking and Computer Systems, important courses that introduce students to "where the rubber meets the road" in computing - in other words, where their code is directly interacting with the mechanisms inside of the operating system. This is where they learn about practical realities that go beyond the mathematical properties of their code, and where they can learn to make things really fast, robust and effective in the real world.

Most recently I've been primarily teaching Secure Web Application Development. This is a course that introduces students to full-stack web development, which is how you put all of the pieces together to deploy a web application for all the world to see and use. However, when you do such a thing, you're also giving all the world an opportunity to attack that website! That's why we introduce security as an integral part of the course, making sure that students learn good habits as part of their introduction to web development.

I also teach classes at the 500 level in security and privacy, with a focus on helping junior graduate students understand the overall scientific process of ideation and development, sound evaluation and most importantly communication of their ideas, and why they are an advance in the state of the art. Being able to both read and write about those advancements is core to graduate study in computer science, and I'm very happy to contribute to that process.

All of these courses are engaging and meaningful in their own ways - I certainly can't pick one.

What do you enjoy most about teaching at UIC?
Like so much else about UIC, I enjoy most that it's a combination of quantity, quality and impact. I'm teaching a large number of students. So, so, so many of them are pouring their heart and soul into their education (many by working a full-time job at the same time), and I'm having an impact for students who are the best representation of the American dream - hard-working children of hard-working people who just want a better life for themselves and their family. I am honored to play any role I can in their success.

What advice would you give to students interested in teaching careers?
Teaching, especially in the age of information overload and generative AI, is all about connecting with your students on a human level and inspiring them to put the effort in to learn the content that you guide them toward. My expertise is helpful when I'm answering questions or designing the course, but on a day-to-day basis, what I'm really doing is lighting a fire inside these students in a way that helps them persevere through learning difficult concepts and putting the finishing touches on a large project that they'll use not only to get a grade in my class, but also to advertise their skills to employers.

For those interested in going into teaching, having a good foundation of knowledge is good, but in my experience what separates the good from the great really comes down to how well you can motivate study in your own area (which goes doubly so for classes that are required for popular majors and which students might not be intrinsically interested in).

What's something you've learned from your students over the years?
I've learned quite a bit, but most of all probably is exactly how much is possible when a group of students who have literally no background in an area dive head first into learning it, and come out at the end of 15 short weeks with a really showstopping final project that I never would have even dreamt of myself. Those are the most enjoyable learning experiences for me.