Impact of Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTAs) on Gender-inclusive Student Engagement in an Introductory Computer Programming Course

Tiana Solis; Stephen Secules

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Women in Engineering Division (WIED) Technical Session 1 - Women in Computing
Tagged Division: Women in Engineering Division (WIED)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/47566

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Paper Authors

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Tiana Solis Florida International University orcid.org/0000-0003-0036-1124

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Tiana Solis is an instructor and a part-time Ph.D. student at Florida International University. She received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Computer Science from SUNY (State University of New York) Polytechnic Institute in Utica, New York.

Her research and instructional interests include student access and success in computing, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Higher Education.

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Stephen Secules Florida International University orcid.org/0000-0002-3149-2306

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Stephen is an Assistant Professor Engineering and Computing Education at Florida International University. He has a prior academic and professional background in engineering, having worked professionally as an acoustical engineer. He has taught a number of courses on design, sociotechnical contexts, education, and learning. He conducts research on equity and culture in engineering education and supports undergraduate and graduate student researchers through the Equity Research Group.

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Abstract

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). 

Citation
Format

Solis, T., & Secules, S. (2024, June), Impact of Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTAs) on Gender-inclusive Student Engagement in an Introductory Computer Programming Course Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47566

TY - CPAPER
AB -
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 &amp;amp; Information Technology) (National Center for Women &amp;amp; Information Technology) (2022). Women and Information Technology by the Numbers. https://ncwit.org/resource/NCWITbythenumbers/

Mirza, D., Conrad, P. T., Lloyd, C., Matni, Z., &amp;amp; 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).

AU - Tiana Solis
AU - Stephen Secules
CY - Portland, Oregon
DA - 2024/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Impact of Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTAs) on Gender-inclusive Student Engagement in an Introductory Computer Programming Course
UR - https://peer.asee.org/47566
ER -