2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Background
Despite women representing more than half of the US population, they remain underrepresented in Computing fields. An introductory programming course (CS1) is considered a critical course for progression in the Computer Science (CS) degrees and often presents challenges for retention and graduation, especially among underrepresented students. Previous research has indicated that women may be more likely to leave or lose interest in computing due to various challenges. The computing classroom culture needs to improve engagement and create a welcoming environment for women. As more schools are using peer instruction, such as LA (Learning Assistant), PLTL (‎Peer-Led Team Learning), and UTA (Undergraduate Teaching Assistants), some research indicates that such practice for recitation, laboratory sessions, and grading may promote engagement and improve the educational students’ experiences, especially women.

Purpose
This study aims to determine whether using UTAs in a large CS1 class is an effective practice specifically for women and other underrepresented students and to identify strategies that UTAs can employ to enhance active engagement for women and all students.  

Method
The paper presents institutional data showing the outcomes of students in the first three courses programming sequence. This data includes a comparative analysis between classes with UTAs and those without UTAs.
We also conducted qualitative research observing classroom dynamics via multiple data sources including video recordings depicting interactions between students and UTAs, field notes derived from the researcher with prior experience instructing CS1, and interviews with a faculty advisor in computing.

Findings
Since the start of the study in the Fall of 2021, data from classes with UTAs show improvement in students’ grades and progression from CS1 to CS3, which indicates students’ persistence in the field. We also observed increased engagement in the classroom, such as how often students call UTAs for assistance during labs.

Implications
Our findings will provide insights into effective classroom practices to support underrepresented students in CS learning environments. These insights can be leveraged for training for UTAs and faculty towards gender inclusive CS education.

NCWIT (National Center for Women & Information Technology) (National Center for Women & Information Technology) (2022). Women and Information Technology by the Numbers. https://ncwit.org/resource/NCWITbythenumbers/  

Mirza, D., Conrad, P. T., Lloyd, C., Matni, Z., & Gatin, A. (2019, July). Undergraduate teaching assistants in computer science: a systematic literature review. In Proceedings of the 2019 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research (pp. 31-40).