Mobilising more women into computing
Conference Proceeding
Taylor-Smith, E., Shankland, C., Smith, S., & Barr, M. (in press)
Mobilising more women into computing. In SRHE International Conference 2022
According to HESA data, UK universities' computing departments continue to suffer from a gender imbalance, where at present only 21% of students are female. This imbalance can...
Direct entrants as route guides to the higher education landscape
Conference Proceeding
Taylor-Smith, E., Meharg, D., & Fabian, K. (in press)
Direct entrants as route guides to the higher education landscape. In SRHE International Conference 2022
Students who study for an HND at further education college and then join the university directly into the 3 rd year of their honours degree are a valuable segment of our acade...
Participant-centred planning framework for effective gender balance activities in tech
Conference Proceeding
Taylor-Smith, E., Barnett, C., Smith, S., Barr, M., & Shankland, C. (2022)
Participant-centred planning framework for effective gender balance activities in tech. In UKICER '22: Proceedings of the 2022 Conference on United Kingdom & Ireland Computing Education Research. https://doi.org/10.1145/3555009.3555016
The gender imbalance in the tech industry [21], mirrored in computing education [13], is problematic in terms of providing appropriate products and services for the whole popu...
How are we positioning degree apprenticeships? Analysis of adverts
Conference Proceeding
Fabian, K., Taylor-Smith, E., & Smith, S. (2021)
How are we positioning degree apprenticeships? Analysis of adverts. In SRHE International Conference on Research into Higher Education
Degree apprentices are recruited by employers, rather than universities, reflecting their status as paid employees, first and foremost. This study analysed job adverts for IT ...
Degree Apprentices’ Lockdown Survey: Reflections on working and studying from home
Conference Proceeding
Taylor-Smith, E., & Fabian, K. (2021)
Degree Apprentices’ Lockdown Survey: Reflections on working and studying from home. In SRHE International Conference on Research into Higher Education
During the first UK lockdown period, degree apprentices in two universities in Scotland were invited to complete a short qualitative survey with their reflections on starting...
Computing degree apprenticeships: An opportunity to address gender imbalance in the IT sector?
Conference Proceeding
Smith, S., Taylor-Smith, E., Fabian, K., Barr, M., Berg, T., Cutting, D., …Zarb, M. (2020)
Computing degree apprenticeships: An opportunity to address gender imbalance in the IT sector?. In 2020 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE). https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE44824.2020.9274144
This paper explores the potential for new work-based apprenticeship degrees to encourage more women into computing degrees and the IT sector. In the UK, women are currently un...
Pulling your weight?: New CS entrants' reflections on their experience of collaborative work at high school
Conference Proceeding
Bhardwaj, J. (2019)
Pulling your weight?: New CS entrants' reflections on their experience of collaborative work at high school. In UKICER: Proceedings of the 1st UK & Ireland Computing Education Research Conference. https://doi.org/10.1145/3351287.3351294
University CS courses encourage collaborative work to improve engagement, despite the popular perception that CS attracts students who prefer working alone. The aim of this st...
Facilitating computing students' transition to higher education
Conference Proceeding
Fabian, K., Taylor-Smith, E., Meharg, D., & Varey, A. (2019)
Facilitating computing students' transition to higher education. In UKICER: Proceedings of the 1st UK & Ireland Computing Education Research Conference. https://doi.org/10.1145/3351287.3351298
Students who progress to higher education from further education colleges are faced with academic, social, and logistical challenges during their transition. In general, they ...
Bridging the Digital Skills Gap: Are computing degree apprenticeships the answer?
Conference Proceeding
Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, S., Fabian, K., Berg, T., Meharg, D., & Varey, A. (2019)
Bridging the Digital Skills Gap: Are computing degree apprenticeships the answer?. In ITiCSE '19 Proceedings of the 2019 ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education. , (126-132). https://doi.org/10.1145/3304221.3319744
This paper describes a study investigating whether apprenticeship computing degrees in Scotland are attracting additional entrants who will become IT professionals and fill a ...
Identity and belonging for graduate apprenticeships in computing: the experience of first cohort degree apprentices in Scotland
Conference Proceeding
Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, S., & Smith, C. (2019)
Identity and belonging for graduate apprenticeships in computing: the experience of first cohort degree apprentices in Scotland. In Proceedings of the 24th Annual Conference on Innovation & Technology in Computer Science Education (ITiCSE’19) (2-8). https://doi.org/10.1145/3304221.3319753
In September 2017, our university’s first graduate apprentices began degrees in Software Development, Cybersecurity, and Information Technology Management for Business. This s...