Meeting Students Where they Are: A Virtual Computer Science Education Research (CSER) Experience for Undergraduates (REU)

Abstract

Currently, the computer science community is experiencing a rise in interest in computer science education research (CSER). However, current structures and belief systems within the discipline have largely relegated computer science education researchers to the margins. Computer science education researchers are mainly lone-wolf scholars in their departments that participate in CSER in addition to their more widely accepted computer science research. As such, there has been a resistance to offer doctoral programs in CSER. Florida International University has not only invested inCSER by hiring a CSER tenure-track faculty member, they have also established a School of Computer Science Education and Engineering Education. Despite this investment, one obstacle remains the low visibility and understanding of computer science education research among undergraduate students. This makes establishing are search group of Ph.D. students challenging. In order to combat this obstacle, a four-year program was developed as a dedicated pipeline to the computer science education Ph.D. through a series of research experiences for undergraduates (REU). Summer 2020 consisted of the first cohort of this four year commitment. Given that 2020 was wrought with a series of unprecedented events, this REU was designed and executed virtually. This paper presents the plan, setting, execution, and subsequent evaluation of this virtual REU experience. Student-feedback was overwhelmingly positive; however, as with any endeavor there were many lessons learned.