A Passion for Teaching and Creative Autonomy

Irmak Aytekin's avatar

written and conducted by

Irmak Aytekin

The edited audio of the interview could be found below.

A Passion for Teaching and Autonomy: The Journey of Sadia Sharmin

In an era when computer science (CS) is often perceived as highly competitive and high-pressure, Sadia Sharmin’s story serves as a refreshing reminder that genuine curiosity and human connection can shape a profoundly rewarding career. An assistant professor in the teaching stream in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto (U of T), Professor Sharmin has been teaching in various capacities since 2015. Her path—unexpected, student-focused, and deeply influenced by a desire to make learning fun—sheds light on how flexibility, creativity, and empathy can transform classroom experiences in CS and beyond.

Early Exposure and the Serendipitous Start

Professor Sharmin began her undergraduate journey at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) in the Communications, Culture, and Information Technology (CCIT) program. Initially aiming to explore graphic and web design, she decided to take a first-year computer science elective just for fun. This elective, then capped at around 100 students, was worlds away from today’s expansive and highly competitive classes. Despite it being “just for fun,” the course quickly became the pivotal stepping stone in her academic life.

“I had a friend who was taking it [the CS course]. It was different back then—it wasn’t so competitive. We only had around a hundred students in the entire CSC108 class. I thought, ‘This is actually fun.’ And I noticed it wasn’t fun for a lot of people, which made me realize that maybe this was something I enjoyed and could excel at.”

That spark led her to formally pair computer science with her CCIT major. Further solidifying her interest in teaching, Professor Sharmin became an undergraduate teaching assistant at UTM—a role that revealed how much she enjoyed helping others learn. However, she still did not initially see herself pursuing a lifelong career in academia. Only after finishing her master’s degree (focused on communication studies) and seeking part-time roles did the opportunity to become a sessional lecturer arise. While she found the prospect daunting—especially since she was asked to handle multiple courses including a fourth-year capstone—her innate passion for teaching shone through.

From TA to Faculty: Finding a Calling

Embracing an unexpected lecture assignment can be overwhelming. Professor Sharmin’s fast transition into teaching multiple courses, including advanced topics, showcased her adaptability. It was also the decisive moment when she recognized teaching as her true calling.

“I got lucky. I was nervous, but after my first year of teaching, I realized this was really fun and I wanted to pursue it for real, so I went on to do my PhD.”

Her approach centers on building genuine connections with her students. Even before becoming a professor, she noticed that students, often intimidated by faculty, felt comfortable approaching her for guidance. She has continued to leverage this natural rapport, creating an inviting atmosphere in her classroom.

Making Learning Fun: A Lifelong Goal

Professor Sharmin’s commitment to creating more open-ended assignments and allowing students to direct their own learning can be traced back to her childhood experiences. She recalls attending private schools in Bangladesh and Malaysia that emphasized rigid structure and exams from as early as kindergarten. Her father, an educator himself, counterbalanced that rigidity at home, making learning enjoyable with creative exercises and fun workbooks.

“Learning was associated with fun. And I remember telling my dad when I was five that I’d become a kindergarten teacher to make learning fun. Even though I eventually explored design and development, that feeling never fully left me.”

Challenging the “Factory Model”

During her undergraduate years, Professor Sharmin encountered an article in The Atlantic that critiqued the so-called “factory model” of education—a system that evolved to process large groups of students uniformly, often at the cost of personal connection and creativity (Selingo, 2013). The article resonated deeply with her own observations, spurring a teaching philosophy that seeks to give each student agency.

In her classes, Professor Sharmin incorporates open-ended projects, such as text adventure games, that encourage creativity. She recognizes that a certain level of uniformity is necessary to ensure basic competencies, but she believes that offering choice can profoundly improve student engagement:

“I incorporate flexibility within limits. I try to make assignments more open-ended and creative. Little steps, but I hope it’s something.”

This approach aligns with the broader movement in education championed by thinkers like Ken Robinson, who famously argued that rigid, standardized methods can stifle creativity (Robinson, 2006). Professor Sharmin’s small-yet-meaningful strategies—allowing design freedom in programming projects or letting students pick from different project ideas—foster ownership and excitement about learning.

Balancing Autonomy and Structure

One might question whether too much autonomy can be overwhelming, especially for first-year students new to both university life and technical fields like computer science. Professor Sharmin acknowledges this dilemma. A certain measure of structure ensures students acquire fundamental technical skills, yet her experience shows that autonomy need not be an all-or-nothing approach. Instead, scaffolding freedom—offering well-defined goals but flexible pathways—can help students become motivated problem-solvers who take pride in their work.

This kind of autonomous learning also reflects research in educational psychology, which suggests that when students have a say in their learning process, their intrinsic motivation, engagement, and achievement can significantly increase (Deci & Ryan, 2008).

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