Kathryn "Katie" Cunningham
@katieirenec.bsky.social
Assistant Prof @ Illinois Siebel School
Computer Science Education research.
Let's bring CS to all & teach it well!
https://www.kicunningham.com
Computer Science Education research.
Let's bring CS to all & teach it well!
https://www.kicunningham.com
Reposted by Kathryn "Katie" Cunningham
Zhengren finds:
- Coherence of early coursework selection predicts important later college success
- An automated advising tool (Degree Works) helps students make more coherent course choices
- Coherence of early coursework selection predicts important later college success
- An automated advising tool (Degree Works) helps students make more coherent course choices
December 4, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Zhengren finds:
- Coherence of early coursework selection predicts important later college success
- An automated advising tool (Degree Works) helps students make more coherent course choices
- Coherence of early coursework selection predicts important later college success
- An automated advising tool (Degree Works) helps students make more coherent course choices
Reposted by Kathryn "Katie" Cunningham
With data from Los Angeles & Maryland, the authors find that being assigned to an easier grading teacher (who assigns higher grades on average):
- Decreases future test scores, likelihood of graduating high
school and taking the SAT
- Reduces post-secondary enrollment, employment and earnings
- Decreases future test scores, likelihood of graduating high
school and taking the SAT
- Reduces post-secondary enrollment, employment and earnings
December 4, 2025 at 2:36 PM
With data from Los Angeles & Maryland, the authors find that being assigned to an easier grading teacher (who assigns higher grades on average):
- Decreases future test scores, likelihood of graduating high
school and taking the SAT
- Reduces post-secondary enrollment, employment and earnings
- Decreases future test scores, likelihood of graduating high
school and taking the SAT
- Reduces post-secondary enrollment, employment and earnings
New blog post: Getting through a PhD winter: medium.com/@katieirenec...
Getting through a PhD Winter
We just had an unseasonably early snowfall in the midwest. The weather will warm back up again in a few days, but before long, it will be…
medium.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:32 PM
New blog post: Getting through a PhD winter: medium.com/@katieirenec...
My colleague Gayithri Jayathirtha in the UIUC College of Education is accepting a doctoral student for the coming academic year. If you are interested in computing education research and have experience working with K-12 teachers or have been a teacher yourself, maybe it’s a fit for you!
October 31, 2025 at 2:13 PM
My colleague Gayithri Jayathirtha in the UIUC College of Education is accepting a doctoral student for the coming academic year. If you are interested in computing education research and have experience working with K-12 teachers or have been a teacher yourself, maybe it’s a fit for you!
Reposted by Kathryn "Katie" Cunningham
New paper appearing at Koli Calling:
Paper: ayaankazerouni.org/papers/2025/...
Blog: ayaankazerouni.org/blog/what-to...
From surveys at 6 institutions, interviews at 2, and choices in open ended assignments at 1, we learned about the topics that students found interesting in computing assignments
Paper: ayaankazerouni.org/papers/2025/...
Blog: ayaankazerouni.org/blog/what-to...
From surveys at 6 institutions, interviews at 2, and choices in open ended assignments at 1, we learned about the topics that students found interesting in computing assignments
What Topics Interest Students in Socially Responsible Computing Coursework? - Ayaan M. Kazerouni
ayaankazerouni.org
October 14, 2025 at 4:12 AM
New paper appearing at Koli Calling:
Paper: ayaankazerouni.org/papers/2025/...
Blog: ayaankazerouni.org/blog/what-to...
From surveys at 6 institutions, interviews at 2, and choices in open ended assignments at 1, we learned about the topics that students found interesting in computing assignments
Paper: ayaankazerouni.org/papers/2025/...
Blog: ayaankazerouni.org/blog/what-to...
From surveys at 6 institutions, interviews at 2, and choices in open ended assignments at 1, we learned about the topics that students found interesting in computing assignments
Reposted by Kathryn "Katie" Cunningham
Given funding uncertainty, we wrote about why depts & faculty should try to communicate openly with PhD applicants about any changes to their admissions processes, including if it's "nothing has changed".
Let's do what we can (when we can) to prevent cascading anxiety.
cra.org/crn/2025/09/...
Let's do what we can (when we can) to prevent cascading anxiety.
cra.org/crn/2025/09/...
Guiding PhD Applicants with Clear Communication: CRA-E Calls for Openness in Computing Admissions
By Evan Peck, Associate Professor, University of Colorado, Boulder, CRA-E Board Member; Michael Hilton, Teaching Professor, Institute for Software Research, Carnegie Mellon University, CRA-E Co-Cha…
cra.org
September 18, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Given funding uncertainty, we wrote about why depts & faculty should try to communicate openly with PhD applicants about any changes to their admissions processes, including if it's "nothing has changed".
Let's do what we can (when we can) to prevent cascading anxiety.
cra.org/crn/2025/09/...
Let's do what we can (when we can) to prevent cascading anxiety.
cra.org/crn/2025/09/...
Reposted by Kathryn "Katie" Cunningham
LINK ROT: 38% webpages that existed in 2013 were no longer available 10 years later.
Even among pages that existed in 2021, 22% no longer accessible just two years later. This is often because individual page was deleted or removed on otherwise functional website.
Many implications for knowledge 🧪
Even among pages that existed in 2021, 22% no longer accessible just two years later. This is often because individual page was deleted or removed on otherwise functional website.
Many implications for knowledge 🧪
September 14, 2025 at 11:19 PM
LINK ROT: 38% webpages that existed in 2013 were no longer available 10 years later.
Even among pages that existed in 2021, 22% no longer accessible just two years later. This is often because individual page was deleted or removed on otherwise functional website.
Many implications for knowledge 🧪
Even among pages that existed in 2021, 22% no longer accessible just two years later. This is often because individual page was deleted or removed on otherwise functional website.
Many implications for knowledge 🧪
Reposted by Kathryn "Katie" Cunningham
🚨 Major shake-up in NSF funding for K-12 STEM ed:
Caps proposals at $750K max for 3 years. Prior cap used to be $5M up to 5 years for some programs.
Archives several existing programs (DRK-12, AISL, CSforAll, TD, parts of ECR:Core). Combines into broad program with much lower expected # of awards.
Caps proposals at $750K max for 3 years. Prior cap used to be $5M up to 5 years for some programs.
Archives several existing programs (DRK-12, AISL, CSforAll, TD, parts of ECR:Core). Combines into broad program with much lower expected # of awards.
NSF STEM K-12 (STEM K-12)
www.nsf.gov
August 22, 2025 at 10:55 PM
🚨 Major shake-up in NSF funding for K-12 STEM ed:
Caps proposals at $750K max for 3 years. Prior cap used to be $5M up to 5 years for some programs.
Archives several existing programs (DRK-12, AISL, CSforAll, TD, parts of ECR:Core). Combines into broad program with much lower expected # of awards.
Caps proposals at $750K max for 3 years. Prior cap used to be $5M up to 5 years for some programs.
Archives several existing programs (DRK-12, AISL, CSforAll, TD, parts of ECR:Core). Combines into broad program with much lower expected # of awards.
The NSF CISE directorate now has a Computing Education Research program! nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
Good news for every CER researcher who had to explain to their CS department head why they can't "just submit a Small"
Good news for every CER researcher who had to explain to their CS department head why they can't "just submit a Small"
Computing Education Research
nsf.gov
August 5, 2025 at 2:41 PM
The NSF CISE directorate now has a Computing Education Research program! nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
Good news for every CER researcher who had to explain to their CS department head why they can't "just submit a Small"
Good news for every CER researcher who had to explain to their CS department head why they can't "just submit a Small"
An absolute hero.
“You’ve got to, in your heart of hearts, believe that there’s nothing children can’t do with the right amount of access and opportunity and support. And you’ve got to convey that to the children and to their teachers and school leaders. That, in the end, is the North Star.”
“You’ve got to, in your heart of hearts, believe that there’s nothing children can’t do with the right amount of access and opportunity and support. And you’ve got to convey that to the children and to their teachers and school leaders. That, in the end, is the North Star.”
Behind the scenes of Mississippi’s school turnaround with Carey Wright
Former state superintendent Carey Wright shares strategies for sustained improvements in student outcomes and hopes for the future of education in Mississippi.
www.mckinsey.com
June 1, 2025 at 11:44 PM
An absolute hero.
“You’ve got to, in your heart of hearts, believe that there’s nothing children can’t do with the right amount of access and opportunity and support. And you’ve got to convey that to the children and to their teachers and school leaders. That, in the end, is the North Star.”
“You’ve got to, in your heart of hearts, believe that there’s nothing children can’t do with the right amount of access and opportunity and support. And you’ve got to convey that to the children and to their teachers and school leaders. That, in the end, is the North Star.”
!!
New data: teaching domain-specific knowledge does NOT lead to better memory for new content in that domain. psycnet.apa.org/record/2025-...
May 21, 2025 at 3:30 PM
!!
No one knows what might happen with the current administration and federally funded science. But it might be useful to consider Reagan's deep cuts of the Social Sciences in the early 1980s as possible precedent.
journals.openedition.org/histoire-cnr...
journals.openedition.org/histoire-cnr...
Crisis and Responses: the Politics of the Social Sciences in the Un...
After several decades in which the United States government increased its financial support for social science research, social scientists in the US were confronted in the early 1980s with an attem...
journals.openedition.org
January 31, 2025 at 4:56 AM
No one knows what might happen with the current administration and federally funded science. But it might be useful to consider Reagan's deep cuts of the Social Sciences in the early 1980s as possible precedent.
journals.openedition.org/histoire-cnr...
journals.openedition.org/histoire-cnr...
Reposted by Kathryn "Katie" Cunningham
College Major Restrictions and Student Stratification www.nber.org/papers/w3326...
"major restrictions disproportionately lead URM students toward less lucrative majors, explaining nearly all growth in within-institution ethnic stratification since the 1990s"
"major restrictions disproportionately lead URM students toward less lucrative majors, explaining nearly all growth in within-institution ethnic stratification since the 1990s"
College Major Restrictions and Student Stratification
Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...
www.nber.org
December 23, 2024 at 12:19 PM
College Major Restrictions and Student Stratification www.nber.org/papers/w3326...
"major restrictions disproportionately lead URM students toward less lucrative majors, explaining nearly all growth in within-institution ethnic stratification since the 1990s"
"major restrictions disproportionately lead URM students toward less lucrative majors, explaining nearly all growth in within-institution ethnic stratification since the 1990s"
“For me, letting go of stereotype threat has been both humbling and liberating. It has forced me to recalibrate how I think about research, advocacy, and the stories we tell about human potential. It’s a reminder that science, at its best, is about progress, not protecting idols.”
Stereotype threat: a once-dominant idea in social psychology that shaped how we think about identity and performance. But what happens when the evidence crumbles? A deep dive into the failed replications, the myths, and what it all means. Read my latest essay: open.substack.com/pub/michaeli...
Revisiting Stereotype Threat
A Reckoning for Social Psychology
open.substack.com
December 19, 2024 at 2:55 PM
“For me, letting go of stereotype threat has been both humbling and liberating. It has forced me to recalibrate how I think about research, advocacy, and the stories we tell about human potential. It’s a reminder that science, at its best, is about progress, not protecting idols.”
“Extrinsic rewards can kickstart the internally rewarding learning process (motivation transformation).”
Are rewards bad in education? We just published a theoretical paper in Learning & Instruction (with Lisa Bardach as the lead), giving a nuanced perspective on this issue: "The role of rewards in motivation --- beyond dichotomies".
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
The role of rewards in motivation—Beyond dichotomies
A vast amount of research has examined how extrinsic rewards influence motivation in learning. Whereas some studies have indicated that rewards are be…
www.sciencedirect.com
December 19, 2024 at 2:42 PM
“Extrinsic rewards can kickstart the internally rewarding learning process (motivation transformation).”
Postdoc opportunity in CSEd at Aalto: www.aalto.fi/en/open-posi...
Postdoctoral Researcher Position in Advanced Student Modeling and Tailored Large Language Models for Personalized Learning in Computer Science | Aalto University
www.aalto.fi
December 13, 2024 at 10:28 AM
Postdoc opportunity in CSEd at Aalto: www.aalto.fi/en/open-posi...
Reposted by Kathryn "Katie" Cunningham
"consistent overestimation of smaller groups and underestimation of larger groups...people make the same errors when estimating the size of... Americans who have a passport or own a dishwasher"
November 22, 2024 at 3:23 AM
"consistent overestimation of smaller groups and underestimation of larger groups...people make the same errors when estimating the size of... Americans who have a passport or own a dishwasher"
Reposted by Kathryn "Katie" Cunningham
The first time was fun. The second will be even better. Please apply!
Computing education by non-CS Ed folks: Ben Shapiro (the good one) and I are ready for the second run of CERAMICS (Computing Education Research Advancing Methods for Curricula and Systems). Please see and share the FAQ + app link:
docs.google.com/document/d/e...
docs.google.com/document/d/e...
November 16, 2024 at 2:09 AM
The first time was fun. The second will be even better. Please apply!
Midwest thoughts: I have so many questions about sump pumps
November 14, 2024 at 4:47 AM
Midwest thoughts: I have so many questions about sump pumps
I'm recruiting a PhD student or two this cycle. If you're passionate about using research to improve computing education, maybe that's you. Learn more about my group here: medium.com/@katieirenec... (from 2022, but still accurate) and here: trailslab.web.illinois.edu
Opportunities for PhD students in Computing Education (and possibly a postdoc too)
Do you want to improve the teaching and learning of computing topics?
medium.com
November 11, 2024 at 2:04 AM
I'm recruiting a PhD student or two this cycle. If you're passionate about using research to improve computing education, maybe that's you. Learn more about my group here: medium.com/@katieirenec... (from 2022, but still accurate) and here: trailslab.web.illinois.edu
I haven't found too much Computing Ed or Ed Psych chatter over here, but I'm curious to find out if it's around!
November 11, 2024 at 2:03 AM
I haven't found too much Computing Ed or Ed Psych chatter over here, but I'm curious to find out if it's around!
Lab website! trailslab.web.illinois.edu
TRAILS Lab - Home
TRAILS Lab @ Illinois
trailslab.web.illinois.edu
November 11, 2024 at 1:39 AM
Lab website! trailslab.web.illinois.edu