IT Distinguished Colloquium Series

As computing becomes an essential literacy regardless of domain, the pathways into the field remain uneven and often opaque. This talk presents a research agenda that centers agency as a core equity outcome — examining how "interactive visibility" can help students, educators, and leaders recognize constraints, make sense of learning, and navigate professional futures.

Three illustrative projects from a broader portfolio demonstrate how this ecosystem operates across different levels of the CS education pipeline. The first study addresses structural access, linking school participation with demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic data to surface not just where opportunities are scarce, but why disparities cluster in particular communities.

Because access is a hollow promise without support, the second project examines how learning analytics can make student thinking legible for formative action. By translating patterns in student code into interpretable representations, this work helps teachers, especially those that transition from other disciplines, identify misconceptions and adapt instruction in real-time.

Finally, recognizing that even strong instruction can fall short if students cannot envision a future in the field, the third project investigates interactive curriculum–career representations. These tools enable bi-directional exploration between coursework and career trajectories, moving students from passive enrollment toward intentional, self-directed planning.

Together, these studies argue for a shift in focus: moving beyond access alone toward the creation of equitable CS pathways that sustain participation and build long-term professional agency.