Right now, we’re training vast numbers of students in higher education computing programs to build software. These students go on to become software engineers and developers, creating software that’s used by a wide range of diverse people. We know that software developers frequently make design decisions that impact the usability, accessibility, and inclusiveness of their software — so it stands to reason that computing students should be equipped with some sort of design training to help them build software that works for everyone.

In today’s higher ed, this kind design training typically happens in one or two courses on human-computer…

Design has been on my brain lately. What is design? Where does it happen? How does it happen best? How can we teach others to design well? These are the questions I’ve been considering as I wrap up my first year of graduate school at the UW Information School.

In December I took a step back and tried to think critically about what it takes to become a functional PhD student. I used a learning science model of competence to break down the journey toward competence and highlighted a few of the more salient barriers facing new students. But, of…

418 graduate women in computing learning the skills to change the world #GradCohort2019

This week, I attended the Computing Research Association’s (@CRAWomen) Grad Cohort for Women in Chicago, IL, USA. The two days of the workshop covered a lot of ground, from advice for first years on how to choose an advisor to strategies for third years thinking about post-degree life.

This week, Seattle welcomes the IxDA’s Interaction Week 2019, bringing together interaction design practitioners, researchers, and fangirls to explore the state of the discipline. In collaboration with the University of Washington DUB group, the conference began with the seventh annual Interaction Design Education Summit.

My current research projects explore the role of design skills and principles in introductory computing education, so I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to learn about interaction design education from the best in the field. Luckily, the summit was very welcoming to outsiders like myself. I met designers and educators from all over the world in…

Last week marked the end of my first quarter at the University of Washington’s Information School. After ten weeks, I can confidently say that I have this research thing down. I can quote seminal works at the drop of a hat. Every sentence that falls from my keyboard is publishable. I have transcended time and space and now exist on a dimensional plane of pure scholarship.

Right?

Wrong. So very wrong.

Though I have a better idea of what I’m doing now than I did three months ago, it takes a lot of work to be a successful PhD student.

…