Teaching

Teaching has been an immensely rewarding facet of my journey. Serving as a Teaching Assistant has not only allowed me to share my knowledge and passion for the subject but has also offered invaluable lessons in mentorship and communication. This section highlights my teaching experiences and the courses I have assisted with.

At Cornell University

At TOBB University of Economics and Technology

One of the most rewarding and instructive aspects of my teaching journey has been listening to the voices of my students. Their feedback provides not only affirmation of effective practices but also insights into areas of potential growth. Here are selected evaluations from students across different courses, offering a candid perspective on the impact of my teaching methods and classroom interactions:

"Very often, I find that undergraduate TAs or even graduate TAs are not able to answer some of the questions I ask. It seems like they know what they are doing, but only to a limited extent, so their ability to answer questions in the extended scope of the course is also restricted. Such is not the case with Zeki. Zeki clearly has a very good understanding of what he studies, the classes he TAs, and what he discusses with students. He is consistently able to lay the foundation of a concept for a student if they weren't able to grasp the concept the first time. He is able to accomplish this by presenting the concept in an understandable manner- with language the student can understand and sufficient detail in mathematical formulas, relationships between parameters, diagrams, and plots that are at the student's level. Zeki has responded to any question I have asked in a clear, logical, and thoughtful manner. This is the case both for quick and simple questions and for questions that may have been beyond the scope of the course. Furthermore, Zeki doesn't need to look up my question on google then answer me as do many TAs. He knows the answer because he knows the material inside and out! Zeki's ability to TA is not questionable in any case, but superb.

Though the explanation may take awhile, or is sometimes lengthier than the average attention span of a college student, I think he can tell how long the explanation should be, or needs to be, based on the student's understanding of course material. He can explain what a student doesn't quite understand yet by approaching it in a new light. This is much better than, for example, just restating the explanation given in lecture. Additionally, Zeki usually points us to extra resources to review that elaborate on or go beyond what he has discussed. Finally, he is very active on Ed Discussion and responds to questions quickly. Zeki is an example of the ideal TA, what I expected a TA at Cornell to be like, and is what other TAs at Cornell should strive to be! I'm very grateful to have him as a TA."

-          Gloria Davidova, student in ECE 3030 (Fall 2021-2022) and ECE 4380 (Spring 2021-2022).

"I took ECE3030 during the last semester with Zeki as a TA for the class and it was for sure a fantastic experience. Zeki is probably the most knowledgeable TA in that class and is also extremely skilled at teaching. For starters, the content itself during ECE3030 can be confusing and sometimes even counterintuitive, but Zeki is always able to precisely reach the essence of a topic and helps us to absorb the concept most efficiently. Moreover, Zeki is remarkably good at controlling just the right amount of details as he explains concepts or ideas for undergraduate students like myself. In my opinion, this is a valuable skill that all TAs should try to exercise more on. Especially for a class like ECE3030 where there are a lot of topics that we slightly touched on but the topic itself can be extended much further beyond the scope of undergraduate study, Zeki is able to let us understand and realize the profoundness of an idea without overwhelming us with too much information far beyond the undergraduate-level knowledge. This allows me to fully comprehend all the important ideas and at the same time build a strong foundation for my future studies in this field.

In terms of personal character, Zeki has also been one of the kindest TA I had met at Cornell. He is highly approachable and always wants to help. He encourages us to ask questions and patiently helps us to identify any point of confusion. During the last semester, I was almost always present at Zeki’s office hour where he not only guides me through the basic concepts, but also helps me to build important connections between different topics and even extends beyond just the lecture slides."

-          Cheng Tang, Student in ECE 3030 (Fall 2022-2023).