PIs: Julia Melkers and Ruth Kanfer
The Dr. Melkers and the ROCS team, in collaboration with the Dr. Ruth Kanfer and her doctoral students in the PARK Lab (School of Psychology, Georgia Tech), is working on an on-going suite of research projects to assess the experience and outcomes of working adults enrolled in the GT Online Master’s Program in Computer Science (OMSCS). The Georgia Tech OMSCS program has been a leader and innovator in implementing the first exclusively online graduate program in computing from an accredited university for a fraction of the cost of traditional, residential programs. Through support of the College of Computing, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and other internal support, our interdisciplinary team has been able to build a set of cumulative research inquiries that build upon one another.
- Development and implementation of a new conceptualization and measures aimed at assessing adult learner self-efficacy and other student experiences in the context of an online degree program in computing.
- Study of degree strategies via course-sequencing analysis.
- Examination of working adult experiences as OMSCS TA’s in furthering their own professional development.
- Study of the impacts of COVID on the OMSCS student experience highlighting the intersectional challenges among working adults who are balancing school/learning, home and work lives and obligations.
- Student-driven research on a thesis (self-regulated learning) and dissertation (career-networks/social capital as a foundation for deciding to pursue OMSCS) have also extended the inquiry of our team.
- Other work in progress include addressing the OMSCS experience of groups traditionally underrepresented in the information technology field (women and people of color); and the real-world consequences of online graduate training on learning attitudes and career development through a study of alumni.
Click here to learn more about the Kanfer lab
Click here to learn more about OMSCS
Publications
* = student author
Ruthotto*, Isabel, Quintin Kreth*, and Julia Melkers. “Entering or advancing in the IT labor market: The role of an online graduate degree in computer science.” The Internet and Higher Education (2021): 100820.
Ruthotto*, Isabel, Quintin Kreth*, Jillian Stevens*, Clare Trively*, and Julia Melkers. “Lurking and participation in the virtual classroom: The effects of gender, race, and age among graduate students in computer science.” Computers & Education 151 (2020): 103854.
Goodman, Joshua, Julia Melkers, and Amanda Pallais. “Can online delivery increase access to education?.” Journal of Labor Economics 37, no. 1 (2019): 1-34.
Kreth*, Quintin, Mary Eve Spirou*, Sarabeth Budenstein*, and Julia Melkers. “How prior experience and self-efficacy shape graduate student perceptions of an online learning environment in computing.” Computer Science Education 29, no. 4 (2019): 357-381.
Working Papers/Under Review
Tatel*, C.E., Lyndgaard*, S.F., Kanfer, R., & Melkers, J.E. (in prep). Course Choice and Timing in Adult Online Skill Training: A Profile Approach to Differential Patterns of Successful Learning Management.
Lyndgaard*, S.F., & Kanfer, R. (in prep). A socio-cognitive framework of adult online learning: Integrating interpersonal, intrapersonal, and cognitive learning strategies.
Lyndgaard*, S.F., Tatel*, C.E., Kanfer, R., Melkers, J.E., & Sabree*, J. (submitted). The hidden cost of COVID: Consequential effects for the development of a diverse STEM workforce.
Posters
Pham, V. & Lyndgaard, S.F. (Nov, 2021). Gender Differences in Affect During Online Learning: A Sentiment Analysis Approach. To be presented at American Psychological Association, Technology, Mind, and Society Annual Conference
Lyndgaard, S.F., & Kanfer, R. Working Adults as Self-Regulated Learners: Strategy Use in Online Skill Training. Poster at the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA. April 2021.
Lyndgaard, S.F., Tatel, C.E., Kanfer, R., Melkers, J.E., & Sabree, J.E. COVID-19 and Exacerbation of Disparities in Computing: Work and Upskilling Attitudes. Poster at the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA. April 2021.
Tatel*, C.E., Lyndgaard*, S.F., Kanfer, R., & Melkers, J.E. A Profile Approach to Differential Patterns of Successful Learning Management. Poster at the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA. April 2021.
Panels/Presentations
Melkers, J.E., Kanfer, R., Lyndgaard, S.F., Ruthotto*, I., & Tatel8, C.E. Transforming Graduate STEM Education: Challenges and Observations from the Study of a US Large Online Master’s Programme. Panel session at the NOS-HS funded workshop “Understanding Digital Transformations of Teaching and Learning in Nordic Higher Education”, Atlanta, GA (remote). March 2021.
Kanfer, Ruth, Julia Melkers, David Joyner, Sibley Lyndgaard*, Isabel Ruthotto*, David Schiff* and Corey Tatel*. “Using Online Technologies to Build Computing Skills That Meet Future Workforce Needs.” Panel Organizer, Chair, and Presenter (of 7 sessions). Interactive Panel Presentation at the Technology, Mind and Society (APA) Conference. Washington, DC. October 2019.