Wed 18 Feb 2026 08:30 - 17:00 at Meeting Room 276 - Doctoral Consortium Chair(s): Barbara Ericson, Susan Rodger

Discrete mathematics is a foundational course in the undergraduate computer science curriculum. Despite its long history in the curriculum, the literature and our student surveys show that students find the topics of proofs and discrete probability significantly more difficult than other topics in the course. The need for pedagogical interventions is pronounced yet the current body of literature largely consists of instructor experience reports with interventions, creating a significant gap in the literature for student voice and data-driven design. To address this gap in the literature, I propose a mixed-methods study designed in three phases: (1) compare student, instructional faculty, and literature perceptions; (2) a quasi-experimental design involving two data- and pedagogically-based interventions; and (3) an analysis and additional focus group with students designed to understand and track student motivations and perceptions of the course and the efficacy of contextualizing discrete mathematics in computer science. The findings of this dissertation research are expected to contribute to the inclusion of student voice into the DM research literature and a comparative mapping of student and instructional faculty DM perceptions, two scalable data-designed interventions, empirical evidence for the efficacy of the interventions, and evidence-based guidance on the creation of curricula pieces in discrete mathematics for computer science majors.

Wed 18 Feb

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08:30 - 17:00
Doctoral ConsortiumDoctoral Consortium at Meeting Room 276
Chair(s): Barbara Ericson University of Michigan, Susan Rodger Duke University
08:30
8h30m
Talk
Novel Pedagogical Games Powered by Large Language Models for Computer Science Education
Doctoral Consortium
Kathleen Kelly Colorado School of Mines
08:30
8h30m
Talk
Large Language Model Tools for Enhancing Student Learning Processes in Computing Education
Doctoral Consortium
Opetunde Ibitoye University of Cincinati
08:30
8h30m
Talk
CS1 Instructor Tools for Actionable and Informed Interventions
Doctoral Consortium
Abigail Liu University of Delaware
08:30
8h30m
Talk
Designing AI-Resistant Assignments via Iterative Perturbation to Promote Interactive Learning
Doctoral Consortium
Sam Gilson North Carolina State University
08:30
8h30m
Talk
Helping Programming Students Find and Fix Performance Bugs
Doctoral Consortium
Hope Dargan MIT CSAIL
08:30
8h30m
Talk
What skills do students need to use programming environments?
Doctoral Consortium
Idel Martinez-Ramos Georgia Institute of Technology
08:30
8h30m
Talk
Aligning Student and Educator Mental Models of Generative AI Use for Productive Teaching and Learning
Doctoral Consortium
08:30
8h30m
Talk
How Retrieval Augmented Generation Can Assist Secondary Computer Science Educators - Research Description
Doctoral Consortium
Christopher Watson Howard University
08:30
8h30m
Talk
Self-Selected Experience-Based Grouping in CS1: Examining Student Success and Persistence in CS Major
Doctoral Consortium
April Crockett Tennessee Tech University
08:30
8h30m
Talk
Computing in the Everyday: Engaging Teachers and Learners in Authentic and Personal Data Interactions
Doctoral Consortium
Ashley Quiterio Northwestern University
08:30
8h30m
Talk
Toward Design Principles for Integrating Computing into K-12 Science and Engineering Through Block-Based Modeling
Doctoral Consortium
Adelmo Eloy University of Sao Paulo (USP)
08:30
8h30m
Talk
Diagnosing Students’ Understanding of Objects and Classes in OOP
Doctoral Consortium
Priyadharshini Ganapathy Prasad University of Florida
08:30
8h30m
Talk
Teaching the algorithm design technique selection process
Doctoral Consortium
08:30
8h30m
Talk
From Code Generation to Learning: Investigating AI-Assisted Programming in Computing Education
Doctoral Consortium
Salma El Otmani University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
08:30
8h30m
Talk
Exploring Generative AI for Learning Experiences and Instructional Practices in Software Engineering Education
Doctoral Consortium
Tianjia Wang Virginia Tech
08:30
8h30m
Talk
Teaching Students through Comparing Code in CS1
Doctoral Consortium
Azeeza Eagal North Carolina State University
08:30
8h30m
Talk
Empowering Computer Science Teachers by Integrating AI into Learning Environments
Doctoral Consortium
Bahare Riahi North Carolina State University
08:30
8h30m
Talk
An Intervention for Bolstering Help-Seeking Efficacy and Enriching Help-Seeking Approaches
Doctoral Consortium
Shao-Heng Ko Duke University
08:30
8h30m
Talk
Wearable Electrotactile Feedback for Motor Skill Acquisition
Doctoral Consortium
Vishruti Ranjan National University of Singapore
08:30
8h30m
Talk
A Student-Centered Approach to the Discrete Mathematics Curriculum
Doctoral Consortium
David Magda University of Florida