Headshot of Amy J. Ko

Amy J. Ko, Ph.D.

Professor
The Information School
University of Washington, Seattle

I study how people learn about computing and information, in schools and beyond, and invent new methods and tools for teaching and learning them in equitable, liberatory ways. I draw from human-computer interaction, computing education, software engineering, programming languages, and behavioral, social, and learning sciences.

Education

2002-2008
Carnegie Mellon University
Doctorate in Human-Computer Interaction
Thesis: Asking and Answering Questions about the Causes of Software Behaviors
Brad Myers (CMU, Chair), Bonnie John (CMU), Jonathan Aldrich (CMU), Gail Murphy (UBC)
1998-2002
Oregon State University
Honors Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Psychology
Thesis: Individual Differences in Programming, Testing, and Debugging in a Statistical End-User Programming Environment
Margaret Burnett (Computer Science) and Bob Uttl (Psychology)

Academic appointments

2020-present
Professor
The Information School + Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering (courtesy)
University of Washington, Seattle
2014-2020
Associate Professor
The Information School + Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering (courtesy)
University of Washington, Seattle
2008-2014
Assistant Professor
The Information School + Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering (courtesy)
University of Washington
2006
Research Intern
Microsoft Research, Redmond
Microsoft
2002-2008
Graduate Research Assistant
Human-Computer Interaction Institute, School of Computer Science
Carnegie Mellon University
1999-2002
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Department of Computer Science
Oregon State University

Industry appointments

2015-2020
Co-founder and Chief Scientist
Executive team
AnswerDash, Inc.
2013-2015
Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer
Executive team
AnswerDash, Inc.

Honors and Recognitions

Most Influential Paper Awards

2014
Principles of a Debugging-First Puzzle Game for Computing Education
most influential paper
IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC)
2008
How Designers Design and Program Interactive Behaviors
most influential paper honorable mention
IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC)
2008
Debugging Reinvented: Asking and Answering Why and Why Not Questions about Program Behavior
best paper, most influential paper
ACM/IEEE International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE)
2006
An Exploratory Study of How Developers Seek, Relate, and Collect Relevant Information during Software Maintenance Tasks
most influential paper
IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering
2004
Six Learning Barriers in End-User Programming Systems
most influential paper
IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC)
2003
Development and Evaluation of a Model of Programming Errors
best paper, most influential paper
IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC)

Best Paper Awards

2026
Not Built for Us: Marginalized Students’ Visions for Help-Seeking in Computing Education
honorable mention
ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
2024
How Economically-Marginalized Adolescents of Color Negotiate Critical Pedagogy in a Computing Classroom
best paper
ACM Transactions on Computing Education
2024
Integrating Philosophy Teaching Perspectives to Foster Adolescents' Ethical Sensemaking of Computing Technologies
honorable mention
ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
2024
Culture-centric computational embroidery
best paper
ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), Experience Report Track
2023
Funds of knowledge used by adolescents of color in scaffolded sensemaking around algorithmic fairness
best paper
ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
2023
A qualitative study on the implementation design decisions of developers
best paper
ACM/IEEE International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE)
2022
“A key to reducing inequities in like, AI, is by reducing inequities everywhere first”: Emerging Critical Consciousness in a Co-Constructed Secondary CS Classroom
best paper
ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), Research Track
2021
Falx: Synthesis-Powered Visualization Authoring
best paper
ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
2018
On Use of Theory in Computing Education Research
best paper
ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
2018
Empowering Families Facing English Literacy Challenges to Jointly Engage in Computer Programming
honorable mention
ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
2015
From User-Centered Design to Adoption-Centered Design: A Case Study of a Research System Becoming a Product
best paper
ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
2013
Interactive Record/Replay for Web Application Debugging
honorable mention
ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST)
2013
In-Game Assessments Increase Novice Programmers' Engagement and Learning Efficiency
best paper
ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
2010
Cleanroom: Edit-Time Error Detection with the Uniqueness Heuristic
best paper
IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC)
2010
How Power Users Help and Hinder Open Bug Reporting
honorable mention
ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
2008
How Designers Design and Program Interactive Behaviors
most influential paper honorable mention
IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC)
2008
Debugging Reinvented: Asking and Answering Why and Why Not Questions about Program Behavior
best paper, most influential paper
ACM/IEEE International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE)
2005
Examining Task Engagement in Sensor-Based Statistical Models of Human Interruptibility
best paper
ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
2005
Eliciting Design Requirements for Maintenance-Oriented IDEs: A Detailed Study of Corrective and Perfective Maintenance Tasks
best paper
ACM/IEEE International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE)
2003
Development and Evaluation of a Model of Programming Errors
best paper, most influential paper
IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC)

Recognitions

2024ACM Distinguished Member A recognition given to computing scholars who have made a significant impact on the computing field.
2023ACM Distinguished Speaker A recognition given to thought leaders in computing, with an expectation of giving public talks to venues globally.
2022SIGCHI Academy A recognition given to honorary and leading individuals who have made substantial contributions to the field of human-computer interaction, shaping the field.
2021Oregon State University Council of Outstanding Early Career Engineers A recogntion given to distinguished Oregon State University alumni who are future leaders in their profession.
2021Marsha Landolt Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award, Honorable Mention One of 20 faculty nominated and 2 awarded across all University of Washington campuses in 2021, in recognition of outstanding mentorship in doctoral education.
2020ACM Senior Member For more than 10 years of technical leadership and professional contributions.
2017ACM SIGCHI Exceptional Reviewer For one or more outstanding reviews at a SIGCHI conference
2016ACM SIGCHI Exceptional Reviewer For one or more outstanding reviews at a SIGCHI conference
2014University of Washington Presidential Entrepreneurial Faculty Fellow For entrepreneurial leadership in translating research to practice.
2010National Science Foundation CAREER award NSF's most prestigious award in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education.
2004National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship A five year fellowship recognizing outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines.
2004National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship A three year fellowship in recognition of U.S. citizens with promise to advance science and engineering disciplinesof military importance.
2003National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, Honorable Mention Recognition of an outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines.
2001CRA Outstanding Undergraduate, Honorable Mention Recognition of one of the top undergraduate researchers across all computer science research areas.
2001Waldo-Cummings Outstanding Student Award Oregon State University's recognition of the top 5 undergraduates in the junior class of more than 5,000 students.
2000ACM Student Chapter Excellence Award for School Service ACM's recognition of ACM student chapter leadership, earned while President of Oregon State University's ACM student chapter.
1999Waldo-Cummings Outstanding Student Award (top Oregon State University's recognition of the top 5 undergraduates in the freshman class of more than 5,000 students.

Funding

2024-2029
AccessComputing Alliance
$5,618,463
National Science Foundation
2417014
Richard Ladner (PI), Sheryl Burgstahler (Co-PI), Raja Kushalnagar (Co-PI), Stacy Branham (Co-PI), Elain Short (Co-PI), Amy Ko (Senior Personnel)
Expands pathways for students with disabilities to participate in computing education.
2023-2027
An Equitable, Justice-Focused Ecosystem for Pacific Northwest Secondary CS Teaching
$1,400,000
National Science Foundation
#2318257
Amy J. Ko (PI), Caroline Hardin (Co-PI)
Explores pathways into CS teaching and strategies for retention. Was terminated by DOGE in 2025.
2022-2026
STEP CS scholarships
$400,000
Google
Amy J. Ko (PI), Anne Beitlers (Co-PI)
An unrestricted gift to support the STEP CS program.
2020-2025
Justice-Focused Secondary CS Teacher Education
$999,723
National Science Foundation
#2031265
Amy J. Ko (PI), Anne Beitlers (Co-PI)
Designing and launching a justice-focused CS education masters program and studying teacher learning about CS from a justice lens.
2021-2024
Equity in Computing Education Policies, Pathways, and Practices
$3,599,041
National Science Foundation
#2137834
Carol Fletcher (PI), Debra Richardson (Co-PI), Anne Ottenbreit-Leftwich (Co-PI), Joshua Childs (Co-PI), Sarah Dunton (Co-PI), Amy Ko (Senior Personnel)
Expands pathways for K-12 students to participate in computing education.
2021-2024
AccessComputing Alliance
$2,850,000
National Science Foundation
#2137312
Richard Ladner (PI), Sheryl Burgstahler (Co-PI), Raja Kushalnagar (Co-PI), Stacy Branham (Co-PI), Elain Short (Co-PI), Amy Ko (Senior Personnel)
Expands pathways for students with disabilities to participate in computing education.
2021-2024
Developing Authentic and Fair Computer Science Assessments
$877,449
National Science Foundation
#2100296
Mo Zhang (PI), Amy J. Ko (PI), Min Li (Co-PI)
Explores ways of using problem solving process data to ensure more equitable, reliable, and valid CS assessments of programming skill.
2021-2024
End-User Programming with Synthesis-Guided Interaction Models
$749,739
National Science Foundation
#2122950
Ratislav Bodik (PI), Amy J. Ko (Co-PI)
Invents new applications of program synthesis to supporting learning and end-user programming.
2022
Supporting CS teacher pathways
$200,000
UW Provost's Office
Amy J. Ko (PI), Anne Beitlers (Co-PI)
Provides two years of tuition subsidy for the new STEP CS secondary CS teacher education program in the College of Education.
2022
Supplement for Grade 6-12 Data Science Education
$200,000
National Science Foundation
#2031265
Amy J. Ko (PI), Anne Beitlers (Co-PI)
Provides tuition subsidy for the new STEP CS secondary CS teacher education program in the College of Education, with a focus on data science education.
2021-2022
Broadening Participation with CS Counternarratives
$70,000
Google
Amy J. Ko (PI), Anne Beitlers (Co-PI)
Explores ways of engaging students in CS counternarratives to develop critical consciousness of computing.
2019-2022
Formal Verification of Accessibility
$738,125
National Science Foundation
#1836813
Michael Ernst (PI), Amy J. Ko (Co-PI), Jennifer Mankoff (Co-PI), Zach Tatlock (Co-PI)
New techniques to formally verify a range of accessibility properties of web applications.
2017-2021
Programming Strategies
$1,199,555
National Science Foundation
#1703304
Thomas LaToza (PI, George Mason University), Amy J. Ko (Co-PI, University of Washington)
Develop of a new science of programming strategies.
2015-2021
BPC-AE: AccessComputing
$3,797,990
National Science Foundation
#1539179
Richard Ladner (PI, University of Washington), Sheryl Burgstahler (Co-PI), Amy J. Ko (Co-PI), Jacob O. Wobbrock (Co-PI)
Increases access to computing for students with disabilities.
2017-2020
Automatically Synthesizing Valid, Personalized, Formative Assessments of CS1 Concepts
$549,857
National Science Foundation
#1735123
Amy J. Ko (PI, University of Washington), Min Li (Co-PI, University of Washington)
New model of CS1 concepts, new approaches to formative assessment and feedback, new techniques problem synthesis, and a new paradigm for intelligent tutoring of programming.
2013-2017
HCC: Large: Variations to Support Exploratory Programming
$2,999,991
National Science Foundation
#1314399
Brad Myers (PI, Carnegie Mellon University), Amy J. Ko (Co-PI), Margaret Burnett (Co-PI, Oregon State University), Martin Erwig (Co-PI, Oregon State University), Anita Sarma (Co-PI, University of Nebraska, Lincoln), Gregg Rothermel (Co-PI, University of Nebraska, Lincoln)
New theory, tools, and techniques for supporting multiple versions and variations of programs.
2012-2015
CER: Computing Education through Collaborative Debugging
$599,999
National Science Foundation
#1240786
Amy J. Ko (PI), Margaret Burnett (Co-PI, Oregon State University), Catherine Law (Co-PI, Oregon State University)
Debugging puzzle games as a new method for engaging, efficient learning of computer programming.
2010-2014
CAREER: Enabling and Exploiting Evidence-Based Bug Triage
$592,456
National Science Foundation
#1153625
Amy J. Ko (PI)
Studies and tools for supporting analyzing and prioritizing bug reports.
2013-2014
W Fund Early Stage Capital Investment
$500,000
W Fund
Jacob O. Wobbrock (CEO), Amy J. Ko (CTO)
Gap fund to support the commercialization of the LemonAid research project.
2013-2014
Mobile/Social Debugging Games for Computing Education
$25,000
Microsoft Research Software Engineering Innovation Foundation Award
Amy J. Ko (PI)
Gift to support the Gidget research project.
2012-2013
Selection-Based Contextual Help in the Wild
$47,359
Google Faculty Research Award
Amy J. Ko (PI)
Gift to support the LemonAid research project.
2012-2013
Automatic, Individualized Instructional Feedback to Improve Learning in an Online Programming Game
$32,122
University of Washington, Royalty Research Fund
Amy J. Ko (PI)
Early stage internal grant to support Gidget.
2012-2013
Chime: Bringing Crowdsourced Contextual Help to the Masses
$50,000
UW Center for Commercialization
Jacob O. Wobbrock (PI) and Amy J. Ko (Co-PI)
Early stage internal grant to support the commercialization of LemonAid.
2010-2011
Software Developer Help Seeking on the Web
$6,200
Microsoft
Amy J. Ko (PI)
Gift to support research on developer help seeking.
2003-2008
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
$75,000
National Science Foundation
Amy J. Ko (PI)
A 3-year competitive fellowship for new doctoral students
2003-2006
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship
$75,000
Department of Defense
Amy J. Ko (PI)
A 3-year competitive fellowship for new doctoral students

Publications

Unlike most of academia, premiere conferences in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Software Engineering (SE), and Computing Education are selective venues for archival research. These conferences exceed many journals in their selectivity, visibility, and impact.

Authorship order indicates the scope of my intellectual contribution to the work. However, because I collaborate closely with my Ph.D. students on research, they are first author on many of my key publications.

Refereed Conference + Journal Articles

2027

Notes from the Field: Teachers’ Perceptions of Joyful Secondary Computing ⋅ Jayne Everson, Rotem Landesman, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), Research Track
Effect of Gender Stereotypes in Programming Assessments on Student Performance ⋅ Janet Jiang, Amy J. Ko, Mo Zhang, Kefan Yu, Min Li ⋅ ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), Research Track
An Autoethnography of Culturally Sustaining CS Teaching in a Multilingual, Multicultural Middle School Classroom ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Adrienne Gifford ⋅ ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), Research Track
A Two-Year Case Study of Accessibility Systems Change in Post-Secondary Computing Education ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Jennifer Mankoff, Mumina Guled, Kevin Lin, Matt X. Wang ⋅ ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), Research Track

2026

Visions of Disciplinary and Education Futures with Generative AI ⋅ Jaemarie Solyst, R. Ben Shapiro, Amy J. Ko ⋅ AAAI/ACM Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, and Society
“The Spark Fizzles Out: Barriers and Strategies in Computer Science Teacher Preparation Program Design” ⋅ Caroline Hardin, Noah Dougen, Amy J. Ko, Jayne Everson, Pete Tucker, Mark Oursland ⋅ Computer Science Education
Adolescent Identity Expression through Transdisciplinary, Computational, Creative Writing ⋅ Adrienne Gifford, Sophie Dahl, Cara Pangilinan, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
Not Built for Us: Marginalized Students’ Visions for Help-Seeking in Computing Education ⋅ Belén Edgar, Eman Sherif, Janet Jiang, Saara Uthmaan, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER) honorable mention
Student Experiences of Joyful Secondary CS Classrooms ⋅ Jayne Everson, Rotem Landesman, Janet Jiang, Megumi Kivuva, Eman Sherif, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
Reimagining Assessment: How Co-construction Shifts Agency in Computer Science Classrooms ⋅ Eman Sherif, Rayana Lyons, Isabel Amaya, Amy J. Ko ⋅ IEEE Conference on Research in Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT)
Justice-Centered Educational Programming Language Design ⋅ Amy J. Ko, R. Ben Shapiro, Jayne Everson, Megumi Kivuva ⋅ ACM Transactions on Computing Education
Systems, Values, and Conceptions Shaping Computing Education in Refugee Support Organizations ⋅ Megumi Kivuva, Amy J. Ko ⋅ International Society of the Learning Sciences
An Item Response Theory Model for Multiple Resubmissions ⋅ Xiang Liu, Mo Zhang, Chen Li, Hongwen Guo, Amy J. Ko, Min Li ⋅ International Society of the Learning Sciences
Ability Heuristics for Conducting Accessibility Inspections ⋅ Claire L. Mitchell, Junhan Kong, Jesse J. Martinez, Shaun K. Kane, Amy J. Ko, Alexis Hiniker, Jacob O. Wobbrock ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
Culture-Centric Computational Embroidery as a Medium for Learning Computer Science ⋅ Jayne Everson, Megumi Kivuva, Camilo Montes de Haro, Amy J. Ko ⋅ Computer Science Education

2025

Deconstructing Conceptions of Rigor in Computer Science Education ⋅ Jayne Everson, Megumi Kivuva, Eman Sherif, Alannah Oleson, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Transactions on Computing Education
Integrating large language model and psychometric analysis to understand learners' coding behaviors ⋅ Mo Zhang, Chen Li, Hongwen Guo, Min Li, Amy J. Ko, Benjamin Zhou ⋅ International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies (EDULEARN)
Dreaming of Difference: Imagining the Future of CS Education Pedagogy with Secondary Students ⋅ Jayne Everson, Rotem Landesman, Megumi Kivuva, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
How Students Tackle Coding Tasks in Formative Assessment ⋅ Chen Li, Mo Zhang, Amy J. Ko, Min Li, Benjamin Zhou, Hongwen Guo ⋅ International Conference on Data Science
Justice-Centered Computing Curriculum Design in Informal Learning ⋅ Megumi Kivuva, Davie A. Ross, Amy J. Ko ⋅ IEEE Conference on Research in Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT)
Scratch Copilot: Supporting Youth Creative Coding with AI ⋅ Stefania Druga, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Interaction Design for Children
Leveraging psychometric modeling for enhancing programming skill assessments ⋅ Chen Li, Mo Zhang, Xiang Lu, Hongwen Guo, Amy J. Ko, Min Li ⋅ ICAIE 2025: International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Education
Wordplay: Accessible, Multilingual Interactive Typography ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Carlos Aldana Lira, Isabel Amaya ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)

2024

How Economically-Marginalized Adolescents of Color Negotiate Critical Pedagogy in a Computing Classroom ⋅ Jean Salac, Lena Armstrong, Megumi Kivuva, Jayne Everson, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Transactions on Computing Education best paper
Neurodivergent Legitimacy in Computing Spaces ⋅ Mara Kirdani-Ryan, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Transactions on Computing Education
Recruiting Practices in Informal CS Learning ⋅ Chris Perdriau, Meron Solomon, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Transactions on Computing Education
Exploring the Impact of Assessment Policies on Marginalized Students' Experiences in Post-Secondary Programming Courses ⋅ Eman Sherif, Jayne Everson, Megumi Kivuva, Mara Kirdani-Ryan, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
Integrating Philosophy Teaching Perspectives to Foster Adolescents' Ethical Sensemaking of Computing Technologies ⋅ Rotem Landesman, Jean Salac, Jared Lim, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER) honorable mention
"There Will Always be a Yes and No Side": Facilitating Ethical Sensemaking Around Technology with Teens ⋅ Rotem Landesman, Jean Salac, Jared Lim, Amy J. Ko ⋅ International Society of the Learning Sciences
Factors Influencing the Social Help-Seeking Behavior of Introductory Programming Students in a Competitive University Environment ⋅ Anael Kuperwajs Cohen, Alannah Oleson, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Transactions on Computing Education
Culture-centric computational embroidery ⋅ Jayne Everson, Megumi Kivuva, Camilo Montes de Haro, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), Experience Report Track best paper

2023

Developing novice programmers' self-regulation skills with code replays ⋅ Benjamin Xie, Jared Lim, Paul Pham, Min Li, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
"A field where you will be accepted": Belonging in student and TA interactions in post-secondary CS education ⋅ Leah Perlmutter, Jean Salac, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
Navigating a blackbox: Students' experiences and perceptions of automated hiring ⋅ Lena Armstrong, Jayne Everson, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
Funds of knowledge used by adolescents of color in scaffolded sensemaking around algorithmic fairness ⋅ Jean Salac, Alannah Oleson, Lena Armstrong, Audrey Le Meur, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER) best paper
Exploring identity through computing integration in a Spanish language and literature class ⋅ Megumi Kivuva, Keith O'Hara, Amy J. Ko ⋅ IEEE Conference on Research in Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT)
Scaffolding children's sensemaking around algorithmic fairness ⋅ Jean Salac, Rotem Landesman, Stefania Druga, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Interaction Design for Children
A qualitative study on the implementation design decisions of developers ⋅ Jenny Liang, Maryam Arab, Minhyuk Ko, Amy J. Ko, Thomas D. LaToza ⋅ ACM/IEEE International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE) best paper
"Taught to be automata": Examining the departmental role inshaping initial career choices of computing students ⋅ Mara Kirdani-Ryan, Amy J. Ko, Emilia A. Borisova ⋅ Computer Science Education
Proposing, preparing, and teaching an equity- and justice-centered secondary pre-service CS teacher education program ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Anne Beitlers, Jayne Everson, Brett Wortzman, Dan Gallagher ⋅ ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), Experience Report Track

2022

Teaching inclusive design skills with the CIDER assumption elicitation technique ⋅ Alannah Oleson, Meron Solomon, Chris Perdriau, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction
“I would be afraid to be a bad CS teacher”: Factors Influencing Participation in Pre-Service Secondary CS Teacher Education ⋅ Jayne Everson, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
A decade of demographics in computing education research: A critical review of trends in collection, reporting, and use ⋅ Alannah Oleson + Benjamin Xie, Jean Salac, Jayne Everson, Megumi Kivuva, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
How families design and program games: a qualitative analysis of a 4-week online in-home study with a cellular-automata programming platform ⋅ Stefania Druga, Tom Ball, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Interaction Design for Children
The Landscape of Teaching Resources for AI Education ⋅ Stefania Druga, Nancy Otero, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education
Surfacing Equity Issues in Large Computing Courses with Peer-Ranked, Demographically-Labeled Student Feedback ⋅ Benjamin Xie, Alannah Oleson, Jayne Everson, Amy J. Ko ⋅ Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction diversity + inclusion award
An Exploratory Study of Sharing Strategic Programming Knowledge ⋅ Maryam Arab, Thomas D. LaToza, Jenny Liang, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
Family as a Third Space for AI Literacies: How Do Children and Parents Learn about AI Together? ⋅ Stefania Druga, Fee Christoph, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
“A key to reducing inequities in like, AI, is by reducing inequities everywhere first”: Emerging Critical Consciousness in a Co-Constructed Secondary CS Classroom ⋅ Jayne Everson, Megumi Kivuva, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), Research Track best paper
The House of Computing: Integrating Counternarratives into Computer Systems Education ⋅ Mara Kirdani-Ryan, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), Experience Report Track

2021

HowToo: A Platform for Sharing, Finding, and Using Programming Strategies ⋅ Maryam Arab, Jenny Liang, Yang Kyu Yoo, Amy J. Ko, Thomas D. LaToza ⋅ IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC)
Domain Experts’ Interpretations of Assessment Bias in a Scaled, Online Computer Science Curriculum ⋅ Benjamin Xie, Matt Davidson, Baker Franke, Emily McLeod, Min Li, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Learning at Scale
How Do Children’s Perceptions of Machine Intelligence Change when Training & Coding Smart Programs? ⋅ Stefania Druga, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Interaction Design for Children
Falx: Synthesis-Powered Visualization Authoring ⋅ Chenglong Wang, Yu Feng, Rastislav Bodik, Isil Dillig, Alvin Cheung, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) best paper
A Theory of Robust API Knowledge ⋅ Kyle Thayer, Sarah Chasins, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Transactions on Computing Education
Towards Understanding the Effective Design of Automated Formative Feedback for Programming Assignments ⋅ Qiang Hao, David Smith, Lu Ding, Amy J. Ko, Camille Ottaway, Jack Wilson, Kai Hicks, Alistair Turcan, Timothy Poehlman, Tyler Greer ⋅ Computer Science Education
Investigating Item Bias in a CS1 exam with Differential Item Functioning ⋅ Matt Davidson, Amy J. Ko, Brett Wortzman ⋅ ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), Research Track

2020

On the Role of Design in K-12 Computing Education ⋅ Alannah Oleson, Amy J. Ko, Brett Wortzman ⋅ ACM Transactions on Computing Education
Learning Machine Learning with Personal Data Helps Stakeholders Ground Advocacy Arguments in Model Mechanics ⋅ Yim Register, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
The Effect of Informing Agency in Self-Directed Online Learning Environments ⋅ Benjamin Xie, Greg Nelson, Harshitha Akkaraju, William Kwok, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Learning at Scale (L@S)
Computing Students' Learning Difficulties in HCI Education ⋅ Alannah Oleson, Meron Solomon, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
Scout: Rapid Exploration of Interface Layout Alternatives through High-Level Design Constraints ⋅ Amanda Swearngin, Chenglong Wang, Alannah Oleson, James Fogarty, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
Investigating Novices' In Situ Reflections on Their Programming Process ⋅ Dastyni Loksa, Benjamin Xie, Harrison Kwik, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), Research Track
Explicit Programming Strategies ⋅ Thomas D. LaToza, Maryam Arab, Dastyni Loksa, Amy J. Ko ⋅ Empirical Software Engineering

2019

What Distinguishes Great Software Engineers? ⋅ Paul Luo Li, Amy J. Ko, Andrew Begel ⋅ Empirical Software Engineering
Towards Validity for a Formative Assessment for Language-Specific Program Tracing Skills ⋅ Greg Nelson, Amber Hu, Benjamin Xie, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research
A Systematic Investigation of Replications in Computing Education Research ⋅ Qiang Hao, David H. Smith IV, Naitra Iriumi, Michaeil Tsikerdekis, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Transactions on Computing Education
A Theory of Instruction for Introductory Programming Skills ⋅ Benjamin Xie, Dastyni Loksa, Greg Nelson, Matt Davidson, Dongsheng Dong, Harrison Kwik, Alex Tan, Leanne Hwa, Min Li, Amy J. Ko ⋅ Computer Science Education
Teaching Explicit Programming Strategies to Adolescents ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Thomas D. LaToza, Stephen Hull, Ellen Ko, William Kwok, Jane Quichocho, Harshitha Akkaraju, Rishin Pandit ⋅ ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), Research Track
Teaching Accessibility: A Design Exploration of Faculty Professional Development at Scale ⋅ Saba Kawas, Laura Vonessen, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), Research Track
An Item Response Theory Evaluation of a Language-Independent CS1 Knowledge Assessment ⋅ Benjamin Xie, Matt Davidson, Min Li, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), Research Track

2018

On Use of Theory in Computing Education Research ⋅ Greg Nelson, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER) best paper
Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching Inclusive Design ⋅ Alannah Oleson, Christopher Mendez, Zoe Steine-Hanson, Claudia Hilderbrand, Chris Perdriau, Margaret Burnett, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
Experiences of Computer Science Transfer Students ⋅ Harrison Kwik, Benjamin Xie, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
Rewire: Interface Design Assistance from Examples ⋅ Amanda Swearngin, Wil Li, Mira Dontcheva, Morgan Dixon, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
Empowering Families Facing English Literacy Challenges to Jointly Engage in Computer Programming ⋅ Rahul Banerjee, Jason Yip, Amy J. Ko, Caroline Pitt, Kiley R. Sobel, Kung Lee, Leanne Liu, Meng Wang, Zoran Popovic ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) honorable mention
Informal Mentoring of Adolescents about Computing: Relationships, Roles, Qualities, and Impact ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Leanne Hwa, Katie Davis, Jason Yip ⋅ ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), Research Track
An Explicit Strategy to Scaffold Novice Program Tracing ⋅ Benjamin Xie, Greg Nelson, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), Research Track
Who Teaches Accessibility? A Survey of U.S. Computing Faculty ⋅ Kristen Shinohara, Saba Kawas, Amy J. Ko, Richard E. Ladner ⋅ ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), Research Track

2017

Predicting Abandonment in Online Coding Tutorials ⋅ Annie Yan, Michael J. Lee, Amy J. Ko ⋅ IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC)
Comprehension First: Evaluating a Novel Pedagogy and Tutoring System for Program Tracing in CS1 ⋅ Greg Nelson, Benjamin Xie, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
Barriers Faced by Coding Bootcamp Students ⋅ Kyle Thayer, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
Computing Mentorship in a Software Boomtown: Relationships to Adolescent Interest and Beliefs ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Katie Davis ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
Genie: Input Retargeting on the Web through Command Reverse Engineering ⋅ Amanda Swearngin, Amy J. Ko, James Fogarty ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
A Three-Year Participant Observation of Software Startup Software Evolution ⋅ Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM/IEEE International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE), Software Engineering in Practice
General Principles for a Generalized Idea Garden ⋅ Will Jernigan, Amber Horvath, Michael J. Lee, Margaret M. Burnett, Taylor Cuilty, Sandeep Kuttal, Anicia Peters, Irwin Kwan, Faezeh Bahmani, Amy J. Ko, Christopher J. Mendez, Alannah Oleson ⋅ Journal of Visual Languages and Computing
A Pedagogical Analysis of Online Coding Tutorials ⋅ Ada Kim, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), Research Track

2016

The Role of Self-Regulation in Programming Problem Solving Process and Success ⋅ Dastyni Loksa, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
Programming, Problem Solving, and Self-Awareness: Effects of Explicit Guidance ⋅ Dastyni Loksa, Amy J. Ko, William Jernigan, Alannah Oleson, Chris Mendez, Margaret M. Burnett ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)

2015

Explaining Visual Changes in Web Interfaces ⋅ Blaze Jayne Burg, Amy J. Ko, Michael D. Ernst ⋅ ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST)
A Principled Evaluation for a Principled Idea Garden ⋅ William Jernigan, Amber Horvath, Michael J. Lee, Margaret M. Burnett, Taylor Cuilty, Sandeep Kuttal, Anicia N. Peters, Irwin Kwan, Faezeh Bahmani, Amy J. Ko ⋅ IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC)
Comparing the Effectiveness of Online Learning Approaches on CS1 Learning Outcomes ⋅ Michael J. Lee, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
What Makes a Great Software Engineer? ⋅ Paul Luo Li, Amy J. Ko, Jiamin Zhu ⋅ ACM/IEEE International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE)
From User-Centered Design to Adoption-Centered Design: A Case Study of a Research System Becoming a Product ⋅ Parmit K. Chilana, Amy J. Ko, Jacob O. Wobbrock ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) best paper

2014

Principles of a Debugging-First Puzzle Game for Computing Education ⋅ Michael J. Lee, Faezeh Bahmani, Irwin Kwan, Jillian LaFerte, Polina Charters, Amber Horvath, Fanny Luor, Jill Cao, Catherine Law, Michael Beswetherick, Sheridan Long, Margaret M. Burnett, Amy J. Ko ⋅ IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC) most influential paper
Challenging Stereotypes and Changing Attitudes: The Effect of a Brief Programming Encounter on Adults' Attitudes toward Programming ⋅ Polina Charters, Michael J. Lee, Amy J. Ko, Dastyni Loksa ⋅ ACM Symposium on Computer Science Education

2013

A Practical Guide to Controlled Experiments of Software Engineering Tools with Human Participants ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Thomas D. LaToza, Margaret M. Burnett ⋅ Empirical Software Engineering
Interactive Record/Replay for Web Application Debugging ⋅ Blaze Jayne Burg, Richard Bailey, Amy J. Ko, Michael D. Ernst ⋅ ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST) honorable mention
In-Game Assessments Increase Novice Programmers' Engagement and Learning Efficiency ⋅ Michael J. Lee, Amy J. Ko, Irwin Kwan ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER) best paper
A Multi-Site Field Study of Crowdsourced Contextual Help: Usage and Perspectives of End-Users and Software Teams ⋅ Parmit K. Chilana, Amy J. Ko, Jacob O. Wobbrock ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)

2012

LemonAid: Selection-Based Crowdsourced Contextual Help for Web Applications ⋅ Parmit K. Chilana, Amy J. Ko, Jacob O. Wobbrock ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
Is This What You Meant? Promoting Listening on the Web with Reflect ⋅ Travis Kriplean, Michael Toomim, Jonathan Morgan, Alan Borning, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
Investigating the Role of Purposeful Goals on Novices' Engagement in a Programming Game ⋅ Michael J. Lee, Amy J. Ko ⋅ IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC)

2011

Personifying Programming Tool Feedback Improves Novice Programmers' Learning ⋅ Michael J. Lee, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
Feedlack Detects Missing Feedback in Web Applications ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Xing Zhang ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
Characterizing the Differences Between Pre- and Post- release Versions of Software ⋅ Paul Luo Li, Ryan Kivett, Zhiyuan Zhan, Sung-eok Jeon, Nachiappan Nagappan, Brendan Murphy, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM/IEEE International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE), Software Engineering in Practice
Design, Discussion, and Dissent in Open Bug Reports ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Parmit K. Chilana ⋅ iConference
Why-Oriented End-User Debugging of Naive Bayes Text Classification ⋅ Todd Kulesza, Simone Stumpf, Weng-Keen Wong, Margaret M. Burnett, Stephen Perona, Amy J. Ko, Ian Oberst ⋅ ACM Transactions on Interactive Intelligent Systems, 1(1), Article 2
The State of the Art in End-User Software Engineering ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Robin Abraham, Laura Beckwith, Alan Blackwell, Margaret M. Burnett, Martin Erwig, Chris Scaffidi, Joseph Lawrance, Henry Lieberman, Brad A. Myers, Mary Beth Rosson, Gregg Rothermel, Mary Shaw, Susan Wiedenbeck ⋅ ACM Computing Surveys, 43(3), Article 21
The Role of Conceptual Knowledge in API Usability ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Yann Riche ⋅ IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC)
Post-Deployment Usability: A Survey of Current Practices ⋅ Parmit K. Chilana, Amy J. Ko, Jacob O. Wobbrock, Tovi Grossman, George Fitzmaurice ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)

2010

Gestalt: Integrated Support for Implementation and Analysis in Machine Learning Processes ⋅ Kayur Patel, Naomi Bancroft, Steven M. Drucker, James Fogarty, Amy J. Ko, James A. Landay ⋅ ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST)
Cleanroom: Edit-Time Error Detection with the Uniqueness Heuristic ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Jacob O. Wobbrock ⋅ IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC) best paper
How Power Users Help and Hinder Open Bug Reporting ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Parmit K. Chilana ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) honorable mention
Understanding Usability Practices in Complex Domains: Implications for Training the Next Generation of Usability Professionals ⋅ Parmit K. Chilana, Jacob O. Wobbrock, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
Extracting and Answering Why and Why Not Questions about Java Program Output ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Brad A. Myers ⋅ ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology, 22(2)
Understanding Expressions of Unwanted Behaviors in Open Bug Reporting ⋅ Parmit K. Chilana, Amy J. Ko, Jacob O. Wobbrock ⋅ IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC)

2009

Attitudes and Self-Efficacy in Young Adults' Computing Autobiographies ⋅ Amy J. Ko ⋅ IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC)
Finding Causes of Program Output with the Java Whyline ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Brad A. Myers ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
Fixing the Program My Computer Learned: Barriers for End Users, Challenges for the Machine ⋅ Todd Kuleza, Weng-Keen Wong, Simone Stumpf, Stephen Perona, Rachel White, Margaret M. Burnett, Ian Oberst, Amy J. Ko ⋅ International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces (IUI)

2008

How Designers Design and Program Interactive Behaviors ⋅ Brad A. Myers, Sun Young Park, Yoko Nakano, Greg Mueller, Amy J. Ko ⋅ IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC) most influential paper honorable mention
Debugging Reinvented: Asking and Answering Why and Why Not Questions about Program Behavior ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Brad A. Myers ⋅ ACM/IEEE International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE) best paper + most influential paper

2007

Information Needs in Collocated Software Development Teams ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Rob DeLine, Gina Venolia ⋅ ACM/IEEE International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE)
Let's Go to the Whiteboard: How and Why Software Developers Draw Code ⋅ Mauro Cherubini, Gina Venolia, Rob DeLine, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)

2006

A Linguistic Analysis of How People Describe Software Problems in Bug Reports ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Brad A. Myers, Duen Horng Chau ⋅ Visual Languages and Human-Centric Computing
Answering Why and Why Not Questions in User Interfaces ⋅ Brad A. Myers, David Weitzman, Amy J. Ko, Duen Horng Chau ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
Barista: An Implementation Framework for Enabling New Tools, Interaction Techniques and Views for Code Editors ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Brad A. Myers ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
An Exploratory Study of How Developers Seek, Relate, and Collect Relevant Information during Software Maintenance Tasks ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Brad A. Myers, Michael J. Coblenz, Htet Htet Aung ⋅ IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering most influential paper
Dimensions Characterizing Programming Feature Usage by Information Workers ⋅ Chris Scaffidi, Amy J. Ko, Brad A. Myers, Mary Shaw ⋅ IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC)

2005

Citrus: A Language and Toolkit for Simplifying the Creation of Structured Editors for Code and Data ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Brad A. Myers ⋅ ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST)
Examining Task Engagement in Sensor-Based Statistical Models of Human Interruptibility ⋅ James Fogarty, Amy J. Ko, Htet Htet Aung, Elspeth Golden, Karen P. Tang, Scott E. Hudson ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) best paper
Eliciting Design Requirements for Maintenance-Oriented IDEs: A Detailed Study of Corrective and Perfective Maintenance Tasks ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Htet Htet Aung, Brad A. Myers ⋅ ACM/IEEE International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE) best paper
A Framework and Methodology for Studying the Causes of Software Errors in Programming Systems ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Brad A. Myers ⋅ Journal of Visual Languages and Computing
Using Objects of Measurement to Detect Spreadsheet Errors ⋅ Michael J. Coblenz, Amy J. Ko, Brad A. Myers ⋅ IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC)
Design Requirements for More Flexible Structured Editors from a Study of Programmers' Text Editing ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Htet Htet Aung, Brad A. Myers ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)

2004

Six Learning Barriers in End-User Programming Systems ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Brad A. Myers, Htet Htet Aung ⋅ IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC) most influential paper
Designing the Whyline: A Debugging Interface for Asking Questions About Program Failures ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Brad A. Myers ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)

2003

Development and Evaluation of a Model of Programming Errors ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Brad A. Myers ⋅ IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC) best paper + most influential paper
Individual Differences in Program Comprehension Strategies in Unfamiliar Environments ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Bob Uttl ⋅ IEEE International Workshop on Program Comprehension (IWPC)

2002

Improving the Design of Visual Programming Language Experiments Using Cognitive Walkthroughs ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Margaret M. Burnett, Thomas R.G. Green, Karen J. Rothermel, Curtis R. Cook ⋅ Journal of Visual Languages and Computing, 13(5)

2001

Visually Testing Recursive Programs in Spreadsheet Languages ⋅ Margaret M. Burnett, Bing Ren, Amy J. Ko, Curtis Cook, Gregg Rothermel ⋅ IEEE Symposia on Human-Centric Computing Languages and Environments

2000

Using the Cognitive Walkthrough to Improve the Design of a Visual Programming Experiment ⋅ Thomas R.G. Green, Margaret M. Burnett, Amy J. Ko ⋅ IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC)

Refereed Workshop Papers

Toward the Development of HCI Pedagogical Content Knowledge ⋅ 2020 ⋅ Alannah Oleson, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM SIGCHI Symposium on HCI Education (EduCHI 2020)
Modeling Programming Problem Solving Through Interactive Worked Examples ⋅ 2017 ⋅ Dastyni Loksa, Amy J. Ko ⋅ Workshop on Evaluation and Usability of Programming Languages and Tools (PLATEAU)
Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives on Collaborations with Software Engineers ⋅ 2017 ⋅ Paul Luo Li, Amy J. Ko, Andrew Begel ⋅ International Workshop on Cooperative and Human Aspects of Software Engineering (CHASE)
What is a Programming Language, Really? ⋅ 2016 ⋅ Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Workshop on Workshop on Evaluation and Usability of Programming Languages and Tools (PLATEAU)
Thirty Years of Software Problems in the News ⋅ 2014 ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Bryan Dosono, Neeraja Duriseti ⋅ International Workshop on Cooperative and Human Aspects of Software Engineering (CHASE)
Representations of User Feedback in an Agile, Collocated Software Team ⋅ 2012 ⋅ Michael J. Lee, Amy J. Ko ⋅ International Workshop on Cooperative and Human Aspects of Software Engineering (CHASE)
A Case Study of Post-Deployment User Feedback Triage ⋅ 2011 ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Michael J. Lee, Valentina Ferrari, Stephen Ip, Charlie Tran ⋅ International Workshop on Cooperative and Human Aspects of Software Engineering (CHASE)
Comparing Bioinformatics Software Development by Computer Scientists and Biologists: An Exploratory Study ⋅ 2009 ⋅ Parmit K. Chilana, Carole Palmer, Amy J. Ko ⋅ Workshop on Software Engineering for Computational Science and Engineering
JASPER: An Eclipse Plug-In to Facilitate Software Maintenance Tasks ⋅ 2006 ⋅ Michael J. Coblenz, Amy J. Ko, Brad A. Myers ⋅ Proceedings of the 2006 OOPSLA Workshop on Eclipse Technology eXchange

Books

Teaching Accessible Computing ⋅ 2024 ⋅ Alannah Oleson, Amy J. Ko, Richard Ladner ⋅ Online
Critically Conscious Computing: Methods for Secondary Education ⋅ 2021 ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Anne Beitlers, Brett Wortzman, Matt Davidson, Alannah Oleson, Mara Kirdani-Ryan, Stefania Druga, Jayne Everson ⋅ Online
Foundations of Information ⋅ 2020 ⋅ Amy J. Ko ⋅ Online
Informatics Teaching Guide ⋅ 2019 ⋅ Amy J. Ko ⋅ Online
User Interface Software and Technology ⋅ 2017 ⋅ Amy J. Ko ⋅ Online
Cooperative Software Development ⋅ 2016 ⋅ Amy J. Ko ⋅ Online
Design Methods ⋅ 2015 ⋅ Amy J. Ko ⋅ Online

Book Chapters

A Study Design Design Process ⋅ 2019 ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Sally Fincher ⋅ Cambridge Handbook on Computing Education Research (Sally Fincher, Anthony Robin, Eds.)
Learning Outside the Classroom ⋅ 2019 ⋅ Andrew Begel, Amy J. Ko ⋅ Cambridge Handbook on Computing Education Research (Sally Fincher, Anthony Robin, Eds.)
Tools and Environments ⋅ 2019 ⋅ Lauri Malmi, Ian Utting, Amy J. Ko ⋅ Cambridge Handbook on Computing Education Research (Sally Fincher, Anthony Robin, Eds.)
Human-Centered Methods to Boost Productivity ⋅ 2019 ⋅ Brad A Myers, Amy J. Ko, Thomas D. LaToza, YoungSeok Yoon ⋅ Sadowski C., Zimmermann T. (eds) Rethinking Productivity in Software Engineering. Apress, Berkeley, CA
Individual, Team, Organization, and Market: Four Lenses of Productivity ⋅ 2019 ⋅ Amy J. Ko ⋅ Sadowski C., Zimmermann T. (Eds) Rethinking Productivity in Software Engineering. Apress, Berkeley, CA
Why Not to Measure Productivity ⋅ 2019 ⋅ Amy J. Ko ⋅ Sadowski C., Zimmermann T. (eds) Rethinking Productivity in Software Engineering. Apress, Berkeley, CA
The World is Your Test Suite ⋅ 2016 ⋅ Amy J. Ko ⋅ Perspectives on Data Science for Software Engineering, 1st Edition
Software Engineering Through Qualitative Methods ⋅ 2010 ⋅ Amy J. Ko ⋅ Making Software: What Really Works, and Why We Believe It

Refereed Magazine Articles

It’s Time for More Critical CS Education ⋅ 2020 ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Alannah Oleson, Mara Kirdani-Ryan, Yim Register, Benjamin Xie, Mina Tari, Matt Davidson, Stefania Druga, Dastyni Loksa, Greg Nelson ⋅ Communications of the ACM (CACM)
AccessComputing Promotes Teaching Accessibility ⋅ 2016 ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Richard Ladner ⋅ ACM Inroads
Programmers are Users Too: Human Centered Methods for Improving Tools for Programming ⋅ 2016 ⋅ Brad A. Myers, Amy J. Ko, Thomas D. LaToza, YoungSeok Yoon ⋅ IEEE Computer
New to the Movement: Reflections on the Future of Information Schools from Inspired Junior Faculty ⋅ 2009 ⋅ Jacob O. Wobbrock, Amy J. Ko, Julie A. Kientz ⋅ Interactions
Natural Programming Languages and Environments ⋅ 2004 ⋅ Brad A. Myers, John F. Pane, Amy J. Ko ⋅ Communications of the ACM (CACM)

Juried Conference Papers

Measuring students' programming skills via online practice ⋅ 2024 ⋅ Hongwen Guo, Mo Zhang, Amy J. Ko, Min Li, Benjamin Zhou, Jared Lim, Paul Pham, Chen Li ⋅ Computer Science Educational Data Mining Workshop
What do you really mean by rigor? Deconstructing the definition in CS Teaching ⋅ 2023 ⋅ Jayne Everson, Anne Beitlers, Amy J. Ko ⋅ American Education Research Association
Scout: Mixed-Initiative Exploration of Design Variations through High-Level Design Constraints ⋅ 2018 ⋅ Amanda Swearngin, Amy J. Ko, James Fogarty ⋅ ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST)
Mining Whining in Support Forums with Frictionary ⋅ 2012 ⋅ Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI), alt.chi
Designing for a Billion Users: A Case Study of Facebook ⋅ 2012 ⋅ Parmit K. Chilana, Christina Holsberry, Flavio Oliveira, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Case Studies (CHI)
Supporting Active Listening and Grounding on the Web through Restatement ⋅ 2011 ⋅ Travis Kriplean, Michael M. Toomim, Jonathan T. Morgan, Alan Borning, Amy J. Ko ⋅ ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), Horizons Workshop

Juried workshop papers

Crowdsourced Q&A-based Contextual Help for Web Applications: Challenges and Opportunities ⋅ 2013 ⋅ Parmit K. Chilana, Amy J. Ko, Jacob O. Wobbrock ⋅ CSCW Workshop on Social Media Question Asking
Designing Crowdsourced, Context-Sensitive Help for Web Applications ⋅ 2011 ⋅ Parmit K. Chilana, Amy J. Ko, Jacob O. Wobbrock ⋅ Workshop on Crowdsourcing and Human Computation
How Do Open Source Developers Talk about Users? ⋅ 2010 ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Parmit K. Chilana ⋅ CHI 2010 Workshop on The Future of FLOSS in CHI Research and Practice
The Past, Present and Future of Programming in HCI ⋅ 2009 ⋅ Brad A. Myers, Amy J. Ko ⋅ Human-Computer Interaction Consortium (HCIC)
Designing Software for Unfamiliar Domains ⋅ 2009 ⋅ Parmit K. Chilana, Amy J. Ko, Jacob O. Wobbrock ⋅ Workshop on Cooperative and Human Aspects of Software Engineering (CHASE)
Source-Level Debugging with the Whyline ⋅ 2008 ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Brad A. Myers ⋅ Workshop on Cooperative and Human Aspects of Software Engineering
The Role of Science in Supporting Software Development ⋅ 2006 ⋅ Amy J. Ko ⋅ Workshop on Supporting the Social Side of Large-Scale Software Development, at the 2006 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work
More Natural and Open User Interface Tools ⋅ 2005 ⋅ Brad A. Myers, Amy J. Ko ⋅ Workshop on the Future of User Interface Design Tools

Technical Reports

The Importance of Computing Education Research ⋅ 2016 ⋅ Steve Cooper, Jeff Forbes, Armando Fox, Susan Hambrusch, Amy J. Ko, Beth Simon ⋅ CRA Computing Community Consortium
Asking and Answering Questions about the Causes of Software Behavior ⋅ 2008 ⋅ Amy J. Ko ⋅ Carnegie Mellon University Dissertation
Asking and Answering Questions about the Causes of Software Behaivors ⋅ 2006 ⋅ Amy J. Ko ⋅ Carnegie Mellon University, Thesis Proposal
Identifying Types of End Users: Hints from an Informal Survey ⋅ 2005 ⋅ Amy J. Ko, Brad A. Myers, Mary Shaw ⋅ Carnegie Mellon University ISRI Technical Report, no. CMU-HCII-05-101 and Human Computer Interaction Institute Technical Report, no CMU-ISRI-05-110
Individual Differences in Programming, Testing, and Debugging Strategies in a Statistical End-User Programming Environment ⋅ 2002 ⋅ Amy J. Ko ⋅ Oregon State University, Honors Thesis

Impact

Press

2026
The End of the Coder?
2026
A Fireside Chat with Prof Amy J Ko: On visibility, belonging, and reimagining computing for everyone
2026
Got bugs? Here’s how to catch the errors in your scientific software
2026
Everything Feels More Glitchy Right Now and Everyone Is Blaming Vibe Coding. The Real Story Is More Complicated
2026
Apple’s App Course Runs $20,000 a Student. Is It Really Worth It?
2025
Conversations with a Prominent Propagator: Amy Ko
David P. Bunde, Zack Butler, Christopher L. Hovey, Cynthia Taylor
ACM Inroads
2025
Confronting AI in the classroom
Abby Acone
Fox 13 news
2025
The Trump Administration Has Canceled Millions in NSF Grants
Megan Zahneis
The Chronicle of Higher Education
2024
Washington state is a leader in computer science education, but disparities persist
Claire Bryan
Seattle Times
2024
UW researchers taught kids to code with cultural research and embroidery machines
Stefane Milne
University of Washington
2024
The architecture of SAST tools: An explainer for developers
Nicole Choi
GitHub
2024
Hearsay Culture
Dave Levine
2023
How my broken elbow made the ableism of computer programming personal
Amy J. Ko
Nature
2023
Six tips for better coding with ChatGPT
Jeffrey M. Perkel
Nature
2022
How a Big Donation is Making a Difference for One Local Computer Science Program
Blake Peterson
425 Business
2022
Google Giving $400K to UW Computer Science Teacher Education Program
John Stearns
425 Business
2022
For-profit coding boot camps prey on BIPOC workers
Sravya Tadepalli
Prism Reports
2021
Vulnerability, Reflection, and CS Education with Amy Ko
Jared O'Leary
2020
Can Online Education Fix the Gender Diversity Problem in Coding?
Chelsea Toczauer
OnlineEducation.com
2016
Why the Software Industry Needs Computing Education Research
Amy J. Ko and Susanne Hambrusch
Huffington Post
2016
Do Computer Coding Toys for Kids Really Work?
Tia Ghose
LiveScience
2016
Academia to Industry in Computer Science
Jeff Meyerson
2012
Frictionary 'mines your whines' to pinpoint software bugs
Paul Marks
NewScientist
2012
Study: Facebook relies on good design to retain users
Joab Jackson
IDG News
2010
Violence against technology has psychological roots
Owen Lei
King5 News
2005
The Ten Biggest Problems in Computing and How We'll Solve Them
Alan Cohen
PC Magazine
2004
Researchers Aim to Make Debugging Simpler
Mike Crissey
Associated Press

Invited Keynotes

2026
Love, Learning, and Computing Education
2026 ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium
2025
Ten recipes for leveraging ADA Title II compliance for more accessible higher education
ASSETS workshop; Teaching Accessibility Across Disciplines: Perspectives From ADA Title II
2021
Code, Calculators, Creativity, and the Many Paths to CS Education
2021 Washington State Why CS Summit
2021
Requirements of Oppression
2021 IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference
2021
The Roots of Inequity in K-12 CS Education
2021 CSTA Conference
2021
Deconstructing CS Culture
2021 IEEE RESPECT Conference
2020
Computing Education: A Critical Time for a Critical Literacy
IT University of Copenhagen
2019
21st Century Grand Challenges in Computing Education
2019 Koli Calling Computing Education Research Conference
2018
Mining the Mind, Minding the Mine: Grand Challenges in Comprehension and Mining
2018 International Conference on Mining Software Repositories and International Conference on Program Comprehension
2016
A Human View of Programming Languages
SPLASH 2016
2009
Where HCI and Software Engineering Meet
CHOOSE Forum, Bern Switzerland
2009
Asking and Answering Questions about the Causes of Software Behavior
India Software Engineering Conference, Pune, India

Invited Talks

2026
A Means to Know End: Generative AI and the Many Futures of Learning
Wesleyan University
2025
Justice-Centered Educational Programming Languages
Lewis and Clark College
2025
Wordplay: Accessible, Multilingual, Interactive Typography
2025 ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
2025
Justice-Centered Educational Programming Languages
Berkeley EECS Colloqium
2024
Justice-Centered Educational Programming Languages
Harvey Mudd and Pomona College, joint colloqium
2024
Liberatory Futures for Computing Literacy
NCWIT Summit 2024
2024
Searching for Justice in Programming Language Design
Cal State Sonoma
2024
Building a Community of Equity-Focused CS Educators
SIGCSE Technical Symposium 2024
2024
Searching for Justice in Programming Language Design
L'Université du Québec à Montréal
2023
Searching for Justice in Programming Language Design
University of Michigan
2023
Searching for Justice in Programming Language Design
HCI Institute, Carnegie Mellon
2022
The Promise and Problems of CS for All
CSAIL, MIT
2022
The Promise and Problems of CS for All
Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada
2021
Programming as Cognition, Programming as Politics
University of Colorado Boulder, Institute for Cognitive Science
2021
Critical Computing Education
Digital Learning Lab, University of California, Irvine
2021
Critical Computing Education
California Institute of Technology, Computing and Mathematical Sciences, Keller Colloquium
2021
Critical Computing Education
University of California, Davis, Computer Science, Computing Education Research at Davis Seminar
2020
Critical Computing Education
University of Pennsylvania, Computer and Information Science, Seminar Series
2020
Critical Computing Education
Carnegie Mellon University, HCI Institute, Seminar Series
2020
Critical Computing Education
University of Virginia, Computer Science Distinguished Speaker Series
2020
Critical Computing Education
University of Colorado joint Colloqium of the Department of Information Science and College of Media, Communication and Information
2020
Studying Programming through Making
2020 PL+HCI Swimmer School
2020
CS Education in Higher Education
Microsoft
2019
Programming: What it is and How to Teach it
ETH Zurich Computer Science
2018
Big Ideas Behind the Whyline
2018 International Conference on Software Engineering
2018
Learning to Code: Why We Fail, How We Flourish
Stanford University, HCI Seminar
2017
Learning to Code: Why We Fail, How We Flourish
University of Michigan, MISC Seminar
2018
Learning to Code: Why We Fail, How We Flourish
Northwestern University, CS+X Colloquium
2017
Three Years in the Startup Trenches: Reflections on People, Product, and Software Evolution
ACM Learning Center Webinar
2017
Three Years in the Startup Trenches
Amazon Stackhouse Talks
2015
What makes a great software engineer?
ACM Learning Center Webinar
2011
Defect Detection for the Wayward Web
Coverity, San Francisco, CA
2012
Defect Detection for the Wayward Web
Microsoft, Redmond, WA
2011
Defect Detection for the Wayward Web
MIT, Cambridge, MA
2011
Defect Detection for the Wayward Web
UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
2010
Where is the User in Software Evolution?
IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Hawthorne, NY
2009
Asking and Answering Questions about the Causes of Software Behavior
IIT Mumbai, India
2009
Asking and Answering Questions about the Causes of Software Behavior
Intel Research Seattle, Seattle, WA
2008
Asking and Answering Questions about the Causes of Software Behavior
Accenture, Chicago, Illinois
2008
Asking and Answering Questions about the Causes of Software Behavior
Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
2008
Asking and Answering Questions about the Causes of Software Behavior
SRI International, Menlo Park, CA
2006
Human-Centered Approaches to Software Engineering Research
University of British Columbia, CS Department, Vancouver, B.C.

Invited Panels

2024
Computing and Information Sciences as a Partner in the Post-Discipline
Trans Studies 2024
2022
Equity, Justice, and Engineering Education
Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) Program, Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan
2022
MIT EECS Rising Stars careers panel
Massachusets Institute of Technology
2021
Capacity, Access, Participation, and Experience in K-12 CS Education
IEEE Conference on Research in Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT)
2021
Women in Science
North Central ESD K-12 STEM Education Summit
2020
LGBTQ+ in Science
Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University
2021
Teaching Accesibility
AccessComputing Seminar Series
2016
Why CS Departments Should Embrace CS Education Research
CRA Snowbird Conference

Patents

2017
Context- and Activity-Aware Content Selection
U.S. Patent No. 9,727,561
Amy J. Ko and Victor Medina
2012
Systems and Methods for Selection-Based Contextual Help Retrieval
U.S. Patent No. 9,811,583
Parmit K. Chilana, Amy J. Ko, and Wobbrock, J.O.
2010
A Debugging Interface
U.S. Patent No. 7,735,066
Amy J. Ko and Brad A. Myers

Teaching

Courses

YearsCourseTitleEvaluations
2024–2026
INFO 494
undergrad
Justice-Centered Educational Programming Languages
A weekly research studio, held annually, for working on Wordplay and other justice-centered educational programming languages research. A way to earn credit by contributing to Wordplay.
540Autumn 2024: 4.7Winter 2025: 4.8Spring 2025: 4.8Autumn 2025: 4.5Winter 2026: 4.6Spring 2026: 4.8202420252026
2022–2026
EDTEP 577
graduate
Computer Science Equity & Justice
This graduate course educates teacher candidates about equity and justice issues in computer science and computer science education, while also teaching content knowledge foundations of CS. I teach it in partnership with the UW College of Education's Secondary Teacher Education Program, which I'm helping design and launch.
540Spring 2022: 4.8Spring 2023: 4.9Spring 2024: 4.9Spring 2025: 4.3Spring 2026: 5.020222023202420252026
2018–2024
HCID 520
graduate
User Interface Software and Technology
This core course in our Masters of HCI+Design teaches students the history, theory, and foundations of user interfaces. Students acquire a literacy for communicating and reasoning about interfaces.
540Winter 2018: 4.8Winter 2019: 4.8Winter 2020: 4.9Winter 2021: 4.2Winter 2022: 4.7Winter 2024: 3.4201820192020202120222024
2018–2023
INFO 200
undergrad
Intellectual Foundations of Informatics
This survey course covers big ideas in information, information technology, and information systems. Students learn the history of information, foundational concepts in information, the relationship between information and computing, skills in analyzing and designing information systems, and the role of information systems in society.
540Autumn 2018: 4.8Winter 2020: 4.8COVID-19COVID-1920182020202120222023
2010–2020
INFO 442
undergrad
Cooperative Software Development
This undergraduate software engineering class teaches foundations of team-based software development, leveraging the latest research on coordination, cooperation, and human cognition in software development. Students leave ready to become meaningful contributors to teams big and small, but also to understand the processes that teams use and how they can improve them.
540Autumn 2010: 4.5Winter 2012: 4.5Spring 2017: 4.8Spring 2019: 4.8Autumn 2019: 4.8Autumn 2020: 4.720102012201720192020
2008–2018
INFO 360
undergrad
Design Methods
This undergraduate class teaches students design thinking skills in the domain of information and computing. It leverages multiple forms of active learning, involves a significant amount of studio-based learning, and helps students develop creative confidence.
540Autumn 2008: 4.5Autumn 2008: 4.6Spring 2010: 4.3Spring 2010: 4.6Spring 2011: 4.3Autumn 2011: 4.4Autumn 2011: 4.3Autumn 2012: 4.3Autumn 2012: 4.7Autumn 2015: 4.2Autumn 2016: 4.9Winter 2017: 5.0Autumn 2017: 4.5Winter 2018: 4.820082010201120122015201620172018
2011–2013
INFO 490/491
undergrad
Capstone
This undergraduate capstone sequence engages students in a 6-month project, usually culminating in a functional, deployable prototype, and often in collaboration with a client from local industry.
540Winter 2011: 3.5Spring 2012: 4.7Winter 2013: 4.0Spring 2013: 4.1201120122013
2010–2011
INSC 541
graduate
HCI Design Foundations for Interactive Systems
This doctoral course teaches theoretical foundations of HCI, preparing students as designers, design researchers, and HCI researchers.
540Winter 2010: 4.8Spring 2011: 4.720102011

Postdoc Supervision

2025-present
Jaemarie Solyst
Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering
2024-2025
Max Skorodinsky
The Information School
2022-2024
Jean Salac
The Information School
- Assistant Professor, Computer Science, Carlton College (2024)
2015-2016
Roshanak Zilouichian
Information School

Doctoral Student Supervision

Committee Chair

2024-present
Janet Jiang
Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2026)
2022-present
Eman Sherif
Computer Science
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2024)
2022-present
Megumi Kivuva
iSchool
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2023)
2021-2026
Rotem Landesman
The Information School
Co-advisor: Katie Davis
- 2024 ACM ICER Best Paper Award Honorable Mention
2020-2026
Jayne Everson
Computer Science
- ACM SIGCSE Best Paper Award (2024)
- ACM SIGCSE Best Paper Award (2022)
2018-2024
Mara Kirdani-Ryan
Computer Science
- Assistant Teaching Professor, The Information School, University of Washington (2024)
2022-2023
Leah Perlmutter
Computer Science & Engineering
- Assistant Professor, Computer Science, Grinnell College, 2023
2019-2023
Stefania Druga
Information School
- Research Scientist, Google Gemini (2023)
2018-2023
Alannah Oleson
Information School
- Assistant Professor, Computer Science, University of Denver (2024)
- Husky 100, recognizing top UW students (2022)
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2018)
2016-2022
Benjamin Xie
Information School
- Assistant Professor, Computer Science, University of Denver (2025)
- Husky 100, recognizing top UW students (2021)
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2017)
- Postdoc, Stanford University (2022-2024)
2016-2021
Greg Nelson
Computer Science
- Assistant Professor, Computer Science, University of Maine (2022)
- ACM ICER John Henry Best Paper Award (2018)
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2015)
- NSF CAREER (2026)
2015-2020
Kyle Thayer
Computer Science
Co-advisor: Katharina Reinecke
- Assistant Teaching Professor, The Information School, University of Washington (2019)
2013-2020
Dastyni Loksa
Information School
- Assistant Professor, Towson University, Computer Science (2020)
2018-2019
Yim Register
Information School
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2019)
2015-2019
Amanda Swearngin
Computer Science
Co-advisor: James Fogarty
- Research Scientist, AIML, Apple (2020)
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2016)
2014-2018
Zakariya Dehlawi
Information School
2009-2016
Paul Luo Li
Information School
- Senior Data Scientist, Microsoft (2016)
2009-2015
Michael J. Lee
Information School
- Assistant Professor, Information Systems, New Jersey Institute of Technology (2015)
- ACM ICER Best Paper Award (2013)
2011-2015
Blaze Jayne Burg
Computer Science
Co-advisor: Michael Ernst
- Senior Software Engineer, Apple (2015-present)
- ACM UIST Best Paper Nominee (2015)
2008-2013
Parmit K. Chilana
Information School
Co-advisor: Jacob Wobbrock
- Assistant Professor, Simon Fraser University, Computer Science (2016)
- Assistant Professor, University of Waterloo, Management Sciences, (2013-2016)
- Facebook PhD Fellowship (2010)
- Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Doctoral Award (2009)
2009-2010
Casey Hickerson
Information School

Committee Member

2026 — presentJosh Horotwitz University of WashingtonComputer Science & Engineering
2025Majeed Kazemitabaar University of TorontoComputer Science
2026 — presentDaeun Hwang University of WashingtonThe Information School
2025 — presentMelissa Chen NorthwesternComputer Science
2025 — presentHannah Potter University of WashingtonComputer Science & Engineering
2025 — presentJialin Li University of PennsylvaniaComputer Science & Engineering
2024 - 2026Luis Morales-Navarro University of PennsylvaniaGraduate School of Education
2024 — presentDaniela Wolf Graz University of TechnologyComputer Science
2024 - 2025Edward Misback University of WashingtonComputer Science
2022 - 2024Ella Lombard University of WashingtonPsychology
2024 — presentAmber Hu Michigan State UniversityEducation
2024 — presentAashaka Desai University of WashingtonComputer Science
2023 - 2025Sara Nurollahian University of UtahComputer Science
2022 - 2025Camille Gobert Paris-Saclay UniversityComputer Science
2022 - 2025Venkatesh Potluri University of WashingtonComputer Science
2018 - 2024Maryam Arab George Mason UniversityComputer Science
2018 - 2022Mina Tari University of WashingtonThe Information School
2022Bas Jansen Leiden UniversityInstitute of Advanced Computer Science
2022Sangho Su University of WaterlooComputer Science
2021 - 2023Leah Perlmutter University of WashingtonComputer Science & Enngineering
2021 - 2022Alex Okeson University of WashingtonComputer Science & Enngineering
2021 — presentBurren Peil University of WashingtonHuman-Centered Design and Engineering
2021 — presentAnne Drew Hu Michigan State UniversityCollege of Education
2020 - 2021Jean Salac University of ChicagoComputer Science
2020 - 2021Lily Durwood University of WashingtonPsychology
2020 - 2022Matthew Davidson University of WashingtonCollege of Education
2019 - 2021Chenglong Wang University of WashingtonComputer Science & Engineering
2018 - 2021Meen Chul Kim Drexel UniversityInformation Science
2018 - 2020Srinivasan Iyer George Mason UniversityComputer Science
2018 - 2024David Samudio George Mason UniversityComputer Science
2018 - 2019Justin Smith North Carolina State UniversityComputer Science
2017 - 2021Alex Kale University of WashingtonThe Information School
2017 - 2019Aaron Bauer University of WashingtonComputer Science & Engineering
2017 - 2020Elena Agapie University of WashingtonHuman-Centered Design and Engineering
2017 - 2018James Bornholt University of WashingtonComputer Science & Engineering
2017 - 2018Abdullah Ali University of WashingtonThe Information School
2017 - 2020Yea-Seul Kim University of WashingtonThe Information School
2016 - 2018Lauren Milne University of WashingtonComputer Science & Engineering
2016 - 2018Eric Butler University of WashingtonComputer Science & Engineering
2016 - 2018Justin Huang University of WashingtonComputer Science & Engineering
2016 - 2020Elena Agapie University of WashingtonHuman-Centered Design & Engineering
2016 - 2018Jonathan Bragg University of WashingtonComputer Science & Engineering
2016 - 2019Nan-Chen Chen University of WashingtonHuman-Centered Design and Engineering
2014 - 2016Matthew Kay University of WashingtonComputer Science & Engineering
2012 - 2017Catherine Baker University of WashingtonComputer Science & Engineering
2012 - 2014Roshanak Zilouchian University of Illinois, Urbana-ChampaignComputer Science
2012 - 2015Sean Fullerton University of WashingtonInformation School
2011 - 2016Jared Bauer University of WashingtonInformation School
2011 - 2014Paul Gross Washington University in St. LouisComputer Science
2011 - 2014Marilyn Ostergren University of WashingtonInformation School
2011 - 2012Jing Xie University of North Carolina, CharlotteComputer Science, UNC Charlotte
2008 - 2012Kayur Patel University of WashingtonComputer Science & Engineering
2010 - 2013Michael Toomim University of WashingtonComputer Science & Engineering
2010 - 2012Travis Kriplean University of WashingtonComputer Science & Engineering
2009 - 2011Elisabeth Jones University of WashingtonInformation School

Service

Journal Editorial Boards

2021-2027
ACM Transactions on Computing Education
Editor in Chief
2016-2019
IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering
Associate Editor
2015-2021
ACM Transactions on Computing Education
Associate Editor
2009
IEEE Software Special Issue on End-User Software Engineering
Co-Editor

Conference Program Chair

2020-2021
ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
Program Co-Chair
2020
International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE), Software Engineering Education and Training Track
Program Co-Chair
2019-2020
ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
Program Co-Chair
2012-2013
ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
Program Sub-Committee Co-Chair
2011-2012
ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
Program Sub-Committee Co-Chair
2011
IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC)
Program Co-Chair

Conference Program Committee Member

2014-2026
ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER)
Senior Program Committee Member
2018-2019
ACM/IEEE International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE)
Program Board Member
2016-2019
ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), Research Track
Senior Program Committee Member
2013-2018
International Workshop on Live Programming
Program Committee Member
2017
Programming Experience Workshop (PX)
Program Committee Member
2017
Summit on Advances in Programming Languages (SNAPL)
Program Committee Member
2014-2016
ACM/IEEE International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE)
Program Committee Member
2016
Workshop on Evaluation and Usability of Programming Languages and Tools (PLATEAU)
Program Committee Member
2014
Future Programming Workshop
Program Committee Member
2010-2013
ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
Associate Chair
2012-2013
Workshop on User Evaluation for Software Engineering Researchers
Program Committee Member
2011
ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST)
Associate Chair
2011
ACM Symposium on the Foundations of Software Engineering
Program Committee Member
2011
IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC)
Program Committee Member
2009-2010
International Workshop on Search-Driven Development
Program Committee Member

Conference Reviewer

2025
MIT Press
Book reviewer
2005-2025
ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
2015-2024
ACM Transactions on Computing Education
2020
Princeton University Press
Book reviewer
2018-2020
Empirical Software Engineering
2018
Workshop on Designing Technologies to Support Human Problem Solving
2017-2018
Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction
2005-2015
ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST)
2010-2011
ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW)
2004-2010
IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centered Computing (VL/HCC)
2010
ACM Symposium on Engineering Interactive Computing Systems (EICS)
2009
ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology (TOSEM)
2009
International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces (IUI)
2009
IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering
2006-2008
International Journal of Human-Computer Studies (IJHCS)
2008
Advances in Human-Computer Interaction (AHCI)
2006
Graphics Interface (GI)
2004-2005
Journal of Visual Languages and Computing (JVLC)

Proposal Reviewer

2011-2025
National Science Foundation (CISE, EHR)
NSF Panelist

International Service

2024-2026
Committee Member
CHI Academy Selection Committee
I help evaluate nominations for CHI Academy members.
2024
Mentor
SIGCSE Doctoral Consortium
I served as a mentor for twenty doctoral students from around the globe.
2020-2023
Committee Member
CRA-E
I work on projects that help create equitable pathways to participating in CS research.
2021-2022
Advisory Board Member
ITU Center for Computing Education
I advice on the research centers scope and priorities.
2017-2020
Member
ACM Education Advisory Council
I helped create resources, curriculum standards, and education guidelines for the global CS community.
2017-2019
Co-Chair
SIGCSE Doctoral Consortium
I co-organized and co-ran the doctoral consortium, co-located with the ACM ICER conference annually.
2018-2019
Committee member
Computing Research Association (CRA) Undergraduate Research Award Committee
I helped select finalists and winners for the CRA award.
2011-2015
Steering Committee Member
IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centric Computing
I helped select future conference locations and device conference publication policy.
2014-2015
Co-organizer
Dagstuhl on Human-Centered Software Development Tools
I helped propose, plan, and run the weeklong workshop
2015
Co-author
CRA Whitepaper on Computing Education Research
I co-authored this whitepaper to help spread the word about the importance of CS education research in CS departments.
2009-2010
Graduate Consortium Chair
IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centric Computing
I co-organized and ran the doctoral consortium, reaching 40 doctoral students.

National Service

2021-2024
Executive Board Member
Expanding Computing Education Pathways Alliance (ECEP)
I help define strategic actions that lead to a more inclusive project, better positioning the ECEP community to advocate for, promote, and embrace equity in computer science education.
2021-2022
Committee Member
Code.org AP CS A advisory committee
I'm advising Code.org on the design and implementation of a new curriculuar effort.
2021
Committee Member
College Board AP CS Principles Standards Committee
I helped define assessments for the AP CS Principles exam.
2021
External Evaluator
University of North Texas, Information Science, Academic Program Review
I participated in a formal evaluation of the department's programs.
2013-2015
Director
EUSES Consortium
I led annual meetings and maintained the website for the international research collective, and then officially ended the group.

Regional Service

2022-present
Volunteer
Lambert House
I facilitate and mentor LGBTQ+ and especially trans youth around Puget Sound
2018-present
Director
CS for All WA
I organize the group, which meets monthly to inform policy, organize community, and centralize information about about Washington state's K-12 CS for All efforts on the web (https://cseforallwa.org). Supported by the NSF-funded Exploring Computing Education Pathways project (https://ecepalliance.org).
2025-2026
Subcommittee chair
Washington State Board of Education FutureReady Technology, Media Literacy, and Computer Science Subcommittee
I was invited by the Washington State Board of Education to lead the subcommittee on technology, media literacy, and computer science, to form recommendations for the next version of the state's graduation requirements
2021-2023
Panel Member
Kaiser Permanente Gender Health Advisory Panel
Along with a group of a dozen other trans and non-binary community members, I provide guidance, ideas, feedback, and advocacy to Kaiser on their gender health services.
2018-2020
Secretary
Seattle Public Schools CS Advisory Board.
I advise the city on its CS curriculum and teacher pathways.
2017-2018
Member
Washington State Computer Science Leadership Team
I provided expertise on CS learning to help shape state policy.

University Service

2025-2026
Member
Accessibility Exceptions Review Panel
Evaluated faculty requests for exceptions to accessibility policies, ensuring compliance with legal and ethical standards.
2025-2026
Member
Accessibility Sustainability Committee
Designed and informed policy related to digital content accessibility.
2025-2026
Member
UW I&T Academic Services Board
Advised on student database information system policy and governance.
2016-2017
Program Chair
Masters in HCI+Design
I led the fourth year of the masters degree, renewing the campus-wide contract supporting its resources, hiring a new director to lead the program for the next three years, and securing a dedicated studio space in the former UW Alumni house.
2015
Curriculum design committee member
Global Innovation Exchange (GIX), University of Washington
I helped design and structure the The UW Master of Science in Technology Innovation Program.
2013-2015
Member
MHCI+D Executive Committee
I helped set policy and procedures for the masters degree.
2013-2014
Co-founder
Masters in Human-Computer Interaction and Design, University of Washington
I helped design, plan, and launch the inaugural year of the masters degree.
2013
Co-organizer
DUB Retreat, University of Washington
I co-organized the annual retreat for the HCI community at UW.
2012-2013
Member
MHCI+D Faculty Search
I evaluated and recruited applicants to join the MHCI+D instructional faculty.

Departmental Service

2024-2030
Associate Dean for Academics
Associate Dean for Academics
I serve as the iSchool's Associate Dean for Academics (40% time).
2023-2024
Incoming Associate Dean for Academics
Associate Dean for Academics
I shadowed our Associate Dean for Academics to prepare to take over his role.
2024
Interim Program Chair
Informatics
I served as interim program chair while our program chair was on leave.
2023
Member
iSchool Ph.D. Admissions Committee
I helped plan admissions policy, review Ph.D. applications, and make final admissions recommendations.
2017-2022
Program Chair
Informatics
I oversee the iSchool's undergraduate degree, which has nearly 500 students and graduates more than 200 per year. I identify curricular, community, and policy priorities, organize discussions of proposed changes, and implement the changes with the support of staff.I reframed the curriculum around the study, design, and development of information technology for the good of people, organizations, and society; I reduced reliance on guest faculty; I increased the inclusiveness and scalability of admissions; I grew the program by over 50%; and I increased the percept of women in the program to 40% and increased the representation of Black and Latinx by 100%.
2016-2022
Member
iSchool Academics Council
I deliberate with the other program chairs and the Associate Dean for Academics on school-wide policy issues, as well as approve program-level changes.
2016-2022
Member
iSchool Leadership Council
I deliberate with the Dean and numerous leaders across the iSchool to make strategic choices about the school's initiatives and finances.
2020-2021
Member
iSchool Faculty Search
I helped search for and recruit data science teaching professors.
2016-2020
Chair
iSchool Informatics Admissions Committee
I designed, planned, and executed an admissions process with the support of staff, reviewing over 800 applications a year. I implemented many anti-racist efforts, including implicit bias training and removal of structurally racist evaluation criteria
2012-2014
Member
iSchool Faculty Search
I evaluated and recruited applicants to join the iSchool as tenure-track faculty.
2012-2013
Member
iSchool Elected Faculty Council
I helped advance the interests of faculty in the school through policy change and advocacy to the dean, helping to secure an annual disbursement of flexible funding.
2010-2012
Member
iSchool Informatics Program Committee
I helped make decisions on program curriculum, policy, and procedures.
2009-2010
Member
iSchool Ph.D. Admissions Committee
I helped plan admissions policy, review Ph.D. applications, and make final admissions recommendations.
2008-2009
Member
iSchool Recognitions Committee
I helped identify, nominate, and recognize faculty, staff, and students with school-level awards.
2000-2002
President
Oregon State University ACM Student Chapter
I served as ACM Student Chapter president for three years, hosting the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest, launching two years of student-taught 1 credit pass/fail courses to address curricular gaps, and bi-weekly pizza gatherings.

Open Source

2023-present
Co-director and maintainer
Reciprocal Reviews
I lead a community of volunteers that design, built, and maintains infrastructure for sustainable peer review labor markets by creating "review tokens" that are used for payment for peer review.
2023-present
Director
Wordplay
I am the lead maintainer and faciliator of this community-engaged open source educational programming language.
2023-present
Director
Adminima
I am the lead maintainer of this platform for organizing people, roles, processes, and change in organizations. I use this for my administrative work in the Information School.
2023-present
Director
Bookish
I am the lead maintainer of this online book publishing platform. It is the key infrastructure for my textbooks, and for other authors globally looking for free platforms for sharing knowledge in book form.