Computing Education Blog

Spring 2026 PCAS Update: Recruiting a new Lecturer My last update on the University of Michigan’s Program in Computing for the Arts and Sciences (PCAS) was in March 2024 (see post here). I did give some updates when I wrote about our SIGCSE 2025 papers (see that post here). So much has changed since 2024, and I wanted to plug our search for a new Lecturer, so here’s a brief update. That 2024 update mentioned that we were up to 300 students enrolled in PCAS courses. We hit 700 this semester.

England: Time to replace Computer Science with Computing This is policy wonk stuff, but I find policy fascinating. As a researcher, it’s hard to figure out “How are most people (students, faculty, whatever) in this field thinking about X?” Policy-makers have to figure that out, too, and then have to respond.

GenAI as automobile for the mind, and exercise as the antidote: A metaphor for predicting GenAI’s impact Some of you may remember the Apple ads that emphasized the computer as a “bicycle for the mind.” (From https://folklore.org/Bicycle.html) GenAI is not like a bicycle for the mind. Instead, it’s more like an automobile. I’m finding that comparison to be useful in thinking about how GenAI may impact our world. A bicycle extends our abilities.

Personally Meaningful Data to Motivate Learning in Data Science and AI I have written several blog posts about the different ways to implement Media Computation in introductory programming courses. We built JES at Georgia Tech in 2002 and the final release was in 2020. Our introductory course in PCAS that uses Media Computation, COMPFOR 121: Computing for Creative Expression, uses Snap! and Pixel Equations (as described in this blog post).

Come join us at the ITiCSE 2026 Doctoral Consortium! I’ve reached the stage in my career where I’m attending conferences not because I’m presenting a paper but because I’ve agreed to take on a service role.. That’s not a bad progression. I won’t be at ACM SIGCSE 2026 because I have neither a paper not a service role — I’ll miss seeing everyone, and hope you enjoy St. Louis. I will be at ACM ITiCSE 2026 and 2027, serving as co-chair for the Doctoral Consortium.

Defining Learner-Centered Design of Computing Education: What I did on my sabbatical My planned activity during my sabbatical was to revise my 2015 book “Learner-Centered Design of Computing Education.” One of the fixes I wanted to make was a better definition of what “learner-centered design” was. In the new edition, I wrote some formal defining stuff, and then I wrote the below — an extended metaphor to make distinctions between different kinds of “centering” in education.

A New Zealand Perspective on the Challenges of Computing Education: What I did on my sabbatical January 26, 2026 at 8:00 am During our sabbatical, Barb and I spent a week in Auckland. We gave talks at the Auckland University of Technology and University of Auckland. Alison Clear (past Chair of the SIGCSE Board) and Tony Clear hosted us in their home, which was made even more delightful by Cary Laxer and his wife visiting.

Learning to teach better by observation: What I did on my sabbatical “You can observe a lot by just watching.” – Yogi Berra I had a couple of amazing experiences that made me think about how little we see each other teach and how much can be gained from doing it more. We’re challenged to scale PCAS when we don’t have an undergraduate major nor a graduate program. For us to hire undergrad or graduate teaching assistants means we have to recruit from other majors and departments.

Dr. Tamara Nelson-Fromm defends her dissertation: What Debugging Looks like in Alternative Endpoints In May, Tamara Nelson-Fromm defended her dissertation “A Qualitative Exploration of Programming Instruction for Alternative Endpoints in Post-Secondary Computing Education.” I’ve talked about Tamara’s work a few times in this blog. One of her early projects was a teaspoon language to help history teachers to build history timelines (blog post).

Creating a measure of Critical Reflection and Agency in Computing I stopped blogging while I was on sabbatical because I had to focus on finishing the second edition of Learner-Centered Design of Computing Education. And then we came back from sabbatical. I’d heard that it was tough getting back to normal work after sabbatical, and it was. I had it easier than most (e.g., I came back to summer time, and I had a light teaching schedule this Fall).