skip to main content

Attention:

The NSF Public Access Repository (PAR) system and access will be unavailable from 8:00 PM ET on Friday, March 21 until 8:00 AM ET on Saturday, March 22 due to maintenance. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Explore Research Products in the PAR
It may take a few hours for recently added research products to appear in PAR search results.


Title: Collaborative Culture: Analyzing Global Trends in Computing Education
Computing education (CEd), or computer science education (CSEd), research has the potential to affect not only what and how we teach, but also who is taught and where. While CEd has grown as a discipline over the past two decades, many institutions still lack formal departments or programs. Given that it is a specialized and interdisciplinary area of research, we wanted to assess the values of collaboration and access. To develop a better understanding of the researchers and institutions working in CEd, we manually collected publication data from the Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (ITiCSE) and the ACM International Computing Education Research (ICER) conferences, and the ACM Transactions on Computing Education journal, between 2015 and 2020. Using a collective total of 1099 publications, we analyzed affiliation information about the authors and their institutions. Although we hoped to uncover a global presence and collaborative relationships demonstrating a “CSEd for all” mindset, instead we found that North America and Europe were over-represented relative to other continents. Additionally, collaborations remained a national or regional affair, for the most part. While many factors may contribute, from language barriers to financial obstacles, communication across country lines needs to improve to truly develop a more equitable international presence in the field. Through this research, we hope to raise awareness of where CEd research is being conducted and what level of collaboration occurs between institutions and countries. Moreover, we want to encourage researchers to seek alternative perspectives and to expand their collaborations to ensure CEd work truly encompasses a broader worldview.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1939265
PAR ID:
10281714
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
The 17th International Conference on Frontiers in Education: Computer Science & Computer Engineering
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. ; ; ( , SIGCSE '21: Proceedings of the 52nd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education)
    null (Ed.)
    Although computer science education (CSEd) is growing rapidly as a discipline, presently there are a limited number of formal programs available for students to pursue graduate degrees. To explore what options exist, we sought to develop a better understanding of the researchers and institutions currently working in CSEd. We collected publication data between 2015 and 2020 from the Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (ITiCSE) and ACM International Computing Education Research (ICER) conferences, and from the ACM Transactions on Computing Education (TOCE) journal. Using a total of 1,099 publications, we analyzed the authorship blocks and their affiliations. We created a comprehensive database, used for analysis on recent contributions to CSEd research. Among other findings, we observed that 2,068 distinct authors contributed, spanning 578 global institutions. From these, 963 of the authors came from 236 distinct universities in the United States. Moreover, we found that most often, new growth from international contributions resulted from the participation of additional universities, whereas in the United States most growth was the result of new contributors from the same universities. The results of this research are intended to encourage global collaborations, to provide an informative guide about recent publications in the field, and also to serve as a guidepost for graduate recruitment and further exploration into CSEd research and programs. 
    more » « less
  2. ; ; ; ; ; ( , 2019 Research on Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing and Technology (RESPECT))
    null (Ed.)
    Equity is arguably an agreed upon value within the Computer Science education (CSed) community, and perhaps even more so within efforts to universalize access to CSed within K12 settings through emerging `CS for All' initiatives. However, stakeholders often mean different things when referring to equity, with important implications for what CS teaching and learning looks like in schools. In this paper, we explore the question of how K12 school district actors' conceptualizations of equity manifest within their planning and implementation of district-wide CSed initiatives. Based on a research-practice partnership aimed at supporting and researching district-wide CSed initiatives, data presented - interviews with district faculty, district planning documents, meeting transcripts and field observations - were drawn from five participating school districts as they made decisions and enacted activities over 11 months in areas including vision-setting, curriculum, professional development, leadership efforts and use of formative data about implementation. Analyzing these data through equity frameworks found in CSed literature, we highlight three distinct but interconnected ways that district actors conceptualized equity within their CSed initiatives: (1) equity in who Computer Science is for, (2) equity in how Computer Science is taught, and (3) equity in what Computer Science is taught. Data show that these varied conceptualizations resulted in different kinds of decisions about CSed in districts. We discuss the implications of these findings in terms of their relevance to equity-oriented CS education researchers, and what lessons they hold for policy-makers and education leaders engaged in their own efforts to support equitable computer science education. 
    more » « less
  3. ; ; ; ( , ACM Transactions on Computing Education)
    Computer science education (CSEd) is a growing interdisciplinary area that continues to gain momentum from students, researchers, and educators. Yet, there are few formal programs or degree options for students interested in pursuing graduate work in CSEd. This article explores the existing state of CSEd in the United States (U.S.) through semi-structured interviews with ( n = 15) faculty engaged in CSEd research. Thematic coding of the transcripts revealed the complexities involved in the development of formal programs, the distinct considerations for faculty, and the value of having strong ties to both computer science and education. The themes described positive aspects of support and cohesion within the larger community and opportunities to expand knowledge across fields. Applying Cornell and Parker’s principles of interdisciplinary science to the field of CSEd, we provide recommendations for ways forward and discuss the potential impact on institutional structures, research capacity, individual and group identities, and teaching and learning. The findings from this investigation not only inform on the present state of CSEd in the U.S., but also offer guidance for CSEd-focused graduate programs. 
    more » « less
  4. ; ( , SIGCSE)
    Since the 1960s, the ACM has provided routinely updated guidelines for what concepts constitute a computer science curriculum, with the latest version currently in development in 2023. These guidelines have traditionally provided a model curriculum from which universities can choose to adopt or modify for their own purposes. What is unclear, however, is to what degree schools follow the curriculum recommendations that the ACM provides. While most faculty and students likely have knowledge of their own institution's curriculum, as well as what courses are offered at a small selection of other schools, the goal of the work presented in this poster is to distill a cohesive view of what computer science curriculums in their second and third years look like across a broad range of universities across a range of institutions. Our goal with this work was to answer the following question: What do computer science course requirements look like at a wide range of different institutions? We believe the work will help those who are trying to develop curriculum changes within their own institutions and aims to provide a more cohesive view of what trends and patterns exist in course offerings and degree requirements for computer science in the second and third years across a wide range of universities. 
    more » « less
  5. ; ; ; ; ( , Computer Science Education)
    null (Ed.)
    ABSTRACT Background: As teachers work to broaden the participation of racially and ethnically underrepresented groups in computer science (CS), culturally responsive computing (CRC) becomes more pertinent to formal settings. Objective: Yet, equity-oriented literature offers limited guidance for developing deep forms of CRC in the classroom. In response, we support the claim that “it takes a village” to develop equity-oriented CS education but additively highlight the roles of cultural experts in the process. Methods: We use a case study methodology to explore one instance of this: a collaboration between a multi-racial team of researchers, a Black cosmetologist, and a White technology teacher. Findings: Three themes supported the CRC collaboration: multi-directional relationship building, iterative engagement with culture-computing, and collaborative implementation of a hybrid lesson. Implications: As opposed to orienting broadening participation around extractive metaphors like “pipelines,” our case study constructs the metaphor of an “open village” to orient CS education toward collaborations between schools and the communities they serve. 
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email