Improving Undergraduate Computer Science Education via Reading Group Networks

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Digital technologies have spread to virtually every sector of the economy, increasing the demand for a workforce able to creatively apply their computational skills to diverse societal problems. Undergraduate research experiences encourage curiosity and creativity, but are difficult to scale due to inherent time constraints on faculty mentors. This project will study the benefits of exploratory reading groups as a scalable strategy for undergraduate computer science (CS) education and workforce development. In exploratory reading groups, teams of students explore areas that interest them by selecting, reading, and discussing research papers. Reading groups in other fields have been shown to foster supportive peer networks and intellectual curiosity, both of which are critical to student retention, especially for diverse student populations. It is anticipated that participating in exploratory reading groups will help CS students develop a big-picture view of how computer science is done, as well as provide peer support and promote their curiosity. This project also seeks to contribute to computer-based approaches for forming student groups and to generate new knowledge about factors that influence group stability and effectiveness. This project has the potential to impact students' abilities to form and use groups as support networks in the future computing workplace. This project's long-term educational goal is to expand opportunities for curiosity-driven learning. It aims to adapt the traditional use of reading groups, typically focused on developing critical thinking skills, to the goal of fostering curiosity and creativity in computer science through exploration of topics of students' choosing. The project has four objectives: (1) Adapt the materials, structure, and supporting platforms used in non-computer science reading groups through a student-centered process, and evaluate their impact on educational outcomes through a two-year longitudinal study. (2) Study the use of everyday productivity tools as a generalizable means for: a) collecting student-generated content in face-to-face activities; b) enhancing papers with related courses and articles; and c) providing personalized recommendations. (3) Develop and evaluate heuristic algorithms for group formation that maximize participation, given student preferences. (4) Evaluate the collective knowledge system of the reading groups to understand capacity for participants to tap into their past reading group communities to find needed information. The validated processes, materials, and code for platforms and algorithms developed over the course of the project will be open sourced. A digital platform for educators will also be created, primarily for exploratory purposes. Instructions will be provided for educators to set up their own open-source platforms.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.