CRA-I Blog
The CRA-I Blog frequently shares news, timely information about the computing research industry community, and items of interest to the general community. Subscribe to blog emails here to stay connected.
The CRA-I Blog frequently shares news, timely information about the computing research industry community, and items of interest to the general community. Subscribe to blog emails here to stay connected.
CRA Quadrennial Paper: Preparing the Workforce for an AI-Driven Future
/in Community Event, Community Updates, CRA-E, CRA-I Announcements, CRA-I General Information, ReportThe paper, Empowering the Future Workforce: Prioritizing Education for the AI-Accelerated Job Market, authored by Lisa Amini (IBM Research), Henry F. Korth (Lehigh University), Nita Patel (Otis), Evan Peck (University of Colorado Boulder), and Ben Zorn (Microsoft), underscores the essential role of education, policy, and industry collaboration in equipping workers for an AI-driven future.
The Changing Landscape of Work
AI is integrating into workplaces at an unprecedented pace, with 70 percent of surveyed CEOs believing it will significantly alter their business models within three years. While this transformation presents new opportunities, it also poses challenges — displacing traditional jobs and demanding entirely new skill sets. PwC’s 2024 AI Jobs Barometer has already identified significant shifts in the skills required across AI-exposed jobs, demonstrating the need for proactive workforce education.
Key Barriers to AI Workforce Readiness
The paper identifies several obstacles that could hinder workforce preparedness, including:
Recommendations for Workforce Resilience
To ensure a competitive and adaptable workforce, the paper outlines several key recommendations:
The Path Forward
AI is already transforming the job market, and preparing the workforce for this shift requires coordinated action from government, industry, and academia. By prioritizing AI literacy, upskilling, and responsible AI education, we can ensure that workers are equipped to navigate and thrive in the evolving technological landscape. Please see the full paper here, as well as the full series of 2024-2025 CRA Quadrennial Papers at cra.org/cra-quadrennial-papers.
What Computing Practitioners Are Saying About Undergraduate Computer Science Education
/in Community Event, Community Updates, CRA-I Announcements, CRA-I Event, CRA-I General Information, P2P SurveyIn a recent survey conducted by the Computing Research Association’s Industry committee (CRA-I) titled the Practitioner-to-Professor (P2P) survey, over 1,000 computing professionals shared their insights on the current state of undergraduate computer science (CS) education. This work has been greatly benefited from the project’s advisor, Rahul Simha (George Washington University). The findings are crucial for aligning academic curricula with industry needs, ensuring that graduates are well-prepared for the workforce, while at the same time well-versed in the fundamentals of CS for a long-term career in a fast-evolving field.
Survey Overview
Launched in spring 2024, the survey gathered responses from 1,048 qualified professionals, primarily in software development roles. Notably, 54% of the respondents hold degrees in computer science, with a significant portion having over 21 years of experience in the field. This diverse pool highlights the importance of the feedback, reflecting a wide array of industry perspectives on necessary competencies for future graduates.
Key Findings
Curriculum Expansion
Importance of Soft Skills
Role of Mathematics
Suggestions for Programming Education
Database Education
The findings from the CRA P2P survey provide invaluable insights into how undergraduate computer science education can evolve to better meet the needs of the industry. As academia continues to foster partnerships with the tech industry, implementing these recommendations may ensure that graduates are not only knowledgeable but also equipped with the skills necessary for successful careers in computing.
Stay tuned for the full report available in early 2025, promising a deeper analysis of these findings and their implications for CS education. See the summary here.
This project is being partially supported by the Division of Undergraduate Education at the U.S. National Science Foundation under Award #2110815 under a larger umbrella project called DEAP.
CCC and CRA-I Respond to NTIA Request for Comment on Ethical Guidelines for Research Using Pervasive Data
/in Community Event, Community Updates, CRA-I AnnouncementsLast week, CRA-Industry, in collaboration with Computing Community Consortium (CCC), submitted a Response to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Department of Commerce’s Request for Comments: Ethical Guidelines for Research Using Pervasive Data. The response was written by Nazanin Andalibi (University of Michigan), David Danks (University of California, San Diego), Haley Griffin (Computing Research Association), Mary Lou Maher (Computing Research Association), Jessica McClearn (Google), Chinasa T. Okolo (The Brookings Institution), Manish Parashar (University of Utah), Jessica Pater (Parkview Health), Katie Siek (Indiana University), Tammy Toscos (Parkview Health), Helen V. Wright (Computing Research Association), and Pamela Wisniewski (Vanderbilt University).
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) was seeking, “public input on the potential writing of ethical guidelines for the use of ‘pervasive data’ in research. Such guidelines, if warranted, would detail how researchers can work with pervasive data while meeting ethical expectations of research and protecting individuals’ privacy and other rights.” Below are some of the main points from CCC & CRA-I’s response.
(1) Benefits to the proposed guidelines:
(2) Drawbacks to the proposed guidelines:
(3) The NTIA definition of pervasive data could be improved by,
(4) Existing barriers to accessing pervasive data:
Even once data is obtained, the authors expressed that there are hardships to actually use the data to conduct research (e.g. assessing the quality of data, determining who can provide consent/permission to use the data, etc.). They concluded that if researchers are to have access to pervasive data, we would need a large-scale shift in thinking about how that data is made available, what protections are available to companies, what standards researchers should be held to, and how to evaluate the quality of the data.
(5) Data held by online services that would be most valuable to the public interest if researchers were able to access it is data that:
(6) Guidance for researchers working with pervasive data considering consent and autonomy. Researchers should clarify if a user allowing access to their data is,
They also presented the principle of “do no harm” as an alternative model to traditional consent that can provide protection for data subjects in cases where autonomy is limited or consent is given in circumstances where it is required for the individual to have access to required or desired resources.
(7) In order to take future technological advances into account, the guidelines should do the following:
Read the full CCC & CRA-I RFC Response here.