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Visions of Computer Science Education at Coding Boot Camps and University Classrooms

Fri, April 28, 8:15 to 10:15am, Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, Floor: Meeting Room Level, Room 221 C

Abstract

Objectives
As the unprecedented growth of computer science (CS) education expands nationally, there has been a boom of so-called “coding boot camps” that have opened to give postsecondary training in CS-related topics. Promising lucrative jobs previously only open to CS college graduates, these start-up camps have been heralded (Lapowsky, 2015) as a crucial national economic driver. With women flocking to these camps in higher proportions than to CS bachelor degree programs, the question of the rationales for CS education in these settings because important from an equity perspective. This study seeks to uncover the explicit and implicit visions for CS education held by both these camps and the more traditional environment of college CS departments and the resulting tradeoffs for their respective graduates.

Theoretical Framework
To understand the pedagogical rationales and learning outcomes of each environment, this study uses the theoretical lens of Adaptive and Routine Expertise (Hatano & Inagaki, 1986) and Preparation for Future Learning (Bransford et al, 2005) from the Learning Sciences to build a model of the skills and knowledges envisioned by curriculum developers at both boot camp and university settings and the corresponding outcomes that are expected for students who complete the program.

Techniques and Data Sources
Through a series of national focus groups, we are working with a total of ten university CS programs and ten coding boot camps to build a model of the skills and knowledges proclaimed to be offered at both types of institutions following the methodology of Jabareen (2009). This model will then be matched to models of Adaptive/Routine Expertise and Preparation for Future Learning to describe the outcomes expected for graduates of each setting.

Results
Preliminary results from this work indicate that boot camps focus on training students to quickly build CS technical skills. A significant portion of their enrollees already have a college degree, which multiple camps profess as evidence that their students already have the requisite Adaptive expertise for workplace success. Universities, on the other hand, offer fewer CS technical skills but emphasize a knowledge of CS fundamentals that they claim build a basis for students to be able to problem solve and continue to teach themselves CS technical skills long after graduating from the university, indicating preparation for future learning. Both settings foster innovation, a key component in Adaptive Expertise.

Significance
This work is related to a wider issue: the debate over the fundamental purpose of higher education. As a course of study with a recognized pathway to well-paying jobs, computer science educators must wrestle to strike a balance between preparing individuals with marketable skills while also fostering the critical thinking and intellectual development of thought leaders; attracting a diversity of students is likewise a challenge. This work illuminates the differences in outcomes from the two types of settings in terms of Adaptive/Routine Expertise and Preparation for Future Learning based on the visions of the CS educators in each setting.

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