Computing Trajectories: Pathways into Computer Science and Programming Experience in the First Year

• Main Author: Maczka, Darren Kurtis
• Other Authors: Engineering Education
• Format: Others
• Published: Virginia Tech 2019
• Subjects: engineering education; computer science education; first-year engineering; MATLAB; broadening participation
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10919/92198

Many universities across the United States have been experiencing an increased demand for computer science majors. Adjusting curriculum to meet increased demand runs the risk of damaging ongoing efforts to broaden participation in computer science. To manage growth, and increase the representation of women and underrepresented minorities in the field, we must first understand current patterns for participation, and factors that may impact access and persistence. Universities with common first-year engineering programs present an opportunity for addressing some of the barriers that have traditionally limited access to computer science to certain groups. In particular, common first-year programs could provide early positive experiences with computer programming which encourage more students to consider computer science as a viable major. To better understand how a common first-year engineering program may impact matriculation and persistence in computer science, I conducted studies to identify high-level patterns of participation in computer science, as well as how students experience programming instruction in an introductory engineering course. All studies share the same context: a large public research institution with a common first-year engineering program. Results indicate that women are leaving computer science at all points of the curriculum, contributing to a reduced representation of women earning CS degrees. In contrast, URM and first-generation students have higher representation at graduation than when declaring major interest before the start of their first year. === Doctor of Philosophy === Many universities across the United States have been experiencing an increased demand for computer science majors. Adjusting curriculum to meet demand runs the risk of damaging efforts to increase the diversity of the computer science workforce. To manage growth and increase the representation of women and underrepresented minorities (students who are not white or East Asian) in the field, we must first understand who currently studies computer science, and factors that lead to their success in the major. Universities with general first-year engineering programs present an opportunity for addressing some of the barriers that have traditionally discouraged women and underrepresented minorities from pursuing computer science. In particular, these programs could provide early positive experiences with computer programming which encourage more students to consider computer science as a possible major. To better understand how experiences during students’ first-year transition to college may impact decisions to major in computer science, I conducted studies to explore who enters computer science, and how they succeed in the major, as well as how students experience programming instruction in an introductory engineering course. All studies share the same context: a large public research institution with a general first-year engineering program. Results indicate that women are leaving computer science at all points of the curriculum, contributing to a reduced representation of women earning CS degrees. In contrast, underrepresented minority students and students with parents who did not receive a college degree, make up a higher percentage in the group graduating with a CS degree than in the group who declare CS as their first major.