Alumni as Teachers and Mentors for CS 1 Students (original) (raw)

As computer science education expands at the K-12, postsecondary, and graduate levels, more teachers are needed to staff courses. At the post-secondary level, permanent faculty lines may not match the computer science student enrollment, especially during growth periods. To meet demand, CS programs may teach larger class sizes, hire visiting or adjunct faculty, and request additional permanent positions. This experience report describes one solution to meet increasing CS course demands: hire alumni as part-time adjunct faculty members to teach introductory computer science labs. Alumni were familiar with the labs from the student perspective and some of the alumni even served as teaching assistants while undergraduates. Furthermore, the alumni served as role models for CS 1 students, preparing short professions talks to share about their software engineering career and life. CS 1 students completed surveys during the first week and last week of the semester to learn about their motivation for taking CS 1 (first week), their current major (first week and last week), their understanding of the computing profession (first week and last week), and the impact of the professions talks (last week). Students appreciated advice from alumni about practical job-seeking tips (advice for resumes, cover letters, and interviews), navigating college, and making the most of opportunities and resources.

Sign up for access to the world's latest research.

checkGet notified about relevant papers

checkSave papers to use in your research

checkJoin the discussion with peers

checkTrack your impact