Tag Archive: Data Buddies Project
Where do graduate students find mentors? CERP analyzed results of the 2018 Data Buddies Survey and discovered the most common sources for mentors. Additionally, CERP uncovered some significant differences between where men and women graduate students find mentors.
The annual Data Buddies Survey came to a close in February of 2020. CERP wishes to thank the 134 institutions and departments that made data collection possible, with special appreciation extended to Elite Data Buddies who received at least a 20% response rate from survey respondents.
Analyzing data collected graduating computing students during the spring of 2018, CERP replicated findings indicating that students with formal research experience are more likely to apply to graduate school and enroll in doctoral programs compared to students without any formal research experiences during their undergraduate program.
According to the Data Buddies Survey (2018), undergraduate students with pre-college coding experience tend to have higher sense of belonging in computing. Given the importance of sense of belonging for retaining students in the field of computing, this finding highlights the potential long-term benefits of engaging students in coding early-on.
During a student’s time in a computing degree program, numerous hardships may cause them to seriously consider leaving the program prior to completion. This infographic presents reasons undergraduate and graduate students selected for deciding to remain in their computing degree program.
Data Buddies data show that access to academic resources, quality of the technical content of courses, and availability of professors outside of class are the top three characteristics of a program that are most strongly associated with students’ overall satisfaction with computing degree programs.
Interest in the field, job prospects, and a desire to make an impact on the society are the most common reasons for why students choose to enroll in a computing degree program at both undergraduate and graduate level. An understanding of these factors can not only help departments’ recruitment efforts but also guide strategies for student retention.
The annual CRA Data Buddies Survey will open October 2019. If your department is not yet a member, sign up here to learn more about your students and how your department compares to other similar departments.
Among students at doctoral-granting institutions who have never participated in a formal REU, CERP data indicate IT majors are less likely to plan to participate in an REU before graduation compared to CS and CSE majors. This infographic presents students’ future REU plans by major.
Graduate students in computing doctoral degree programs reported, by far, the highest level of interest in computing researcher positions in industry followed by faculty positions at research universities and research positions in government labs.
A recent Forbes article written by Maria Klawe, president of Harvey Mudd College and a former CRA board member, addresses “Why We Need Inclusive Teaching In Every Classroom.” In the article, Klawe interviews Colleen Lewis, a computer science professor at Harvey Mudd, about Lewis’ work to develop, incorporate, and disseminate inclusive teaching practices. Lewis researches issues of diversity and gender in computer science education and collaborates with CRA’s Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline (CERP). In the article, she shares resources and mentions her new project with CERP.
