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Center for Learning, Computing, and Imagination

Education

LCI members teach and lead numerous courses and programs at the University of Washington that help people become better computing educators or computing education researchers.

Fifteen researchers at our Fall kickoff, doing crafts.

Become a researcher

We’re excited that you’re excited about research on learning, computing, and imagination! Completing a PhD can be a long and exciting journey, but there’s also a lot of hidden curriculum about how to apply. Here are a few tips on how to navigate:

  • What is computing education research? Read Amy’s FAQ to learn more about computing education and ed tech. You may find it’s exactly what you’re looking for, or not at all what you’re looking for.
  • Are we recruiting? Yes! Faculty in the Center are almost always recruiting new doctoral students. If they aren’t, they will say so on their websites. There’s no need to write them and ask.
  • Can we reach out? Yes. It is okay to reach out to faculty in the center and see if they are willing to correspond or even meet. Some will have capacity to do that outside of the admissions process, some will not. We receive many requests like this, but can’t always make the time; some do not meet out of the admissions process as a rule, as their process already includes phone interviews. We highly encourage you to reach out to PhD students and postdocs in the lab as an alternative, as they have more capacity for meeting.
  • Where should I apply? Our faculty are in many units across campus; think about who you want to be advised by and apply to their unit and apply to multiple if you are interested in working with many of us. (We coordinate on admissions so that no one falls through the cracks.)
  • What if I have questions about the process? In addition to contacting the advisors in the program you’re applying to, many units offer pre-application mentoring (CSE PAMS, the iSchool Applicant Feedback program). Also refer to national resources like SPARC, which answer many frequently asked questions about PhD admissions.
  • Is there funding? Yes, our faculty are always fundraising, and attempt to cover your tuition, stipend, and benefits. You get paid to do a PhD. If you are an undergrad, consider applying to the NSF GRFP program, and if you are in the workforce, consider applying to the NSF CSGrad4US program.

If you’re a student at the University of Washington, consider these courses:

  • Participate in the CSE 590E Computer Science Education seminar. It’s got a graduate level course number, but it’s open to students at all levels. It often discusses computing education research papers and their application to CS teaching.
  • Sign up for the CSE 599 Computing Education Research course. It’s like 590E, but primarily intended for PhD students,with more reading and more written work expected.
Fifteen pre-service teachers making faces in front of a whiteboard.

Become a teacher

That depends on the level at which you want to teach.

  • Interested in middle or high school?
    • Read about the College of Education’s STEP CS program, an interdisciplinary partnership between the Allen School, The Information School, and the College of Education to prepare middle and high school CS teachers. The FAQ linked above has everything you need to know.
  • Interested in college-level teaching? There are many ways you can learn:
  • Not sure? That’s okay! There are some ways of learning more about pathways.