In this session, we discuss how students entering an online computer science master’s program prepare for the program, and we examine how preparation differs based on demographics and prior experience. Our findings can inform the creation of preparatory courses, which may increase diversity in online graduate programs.
Students entering graduate computer science programs prepare for these programs in various ways. Existing research has examined how students prepare and how effective preparatory interventions are. However, such research typically focuses on a single intervention, which may be subject-specific, but often relates to preparing more generally for life as a graduate student. Preparatory work that incoming students pursue prior to enrolling in a graduate computer science program can be particularly important for underrepresented minorities and those without technical backgrounds. Our research uses survey data from incoming students in an online graduate computer science program to answer three research questions: What are the backgrounds of students entering the program? How do students prepare for the program? And how does student preparation differ based on demographics and prior experience? We find that male students are more likely than female students to enter the program with prior computer science qualifications. Additionally, most students pursue preparation prior to entering the program, and many pursue multiple different types, with the most common being self-study and MOOCs. Older students and female students are more likely to pursue preparation, as are those with non-technical degrees. Finally, students with no prior online learning experience are less likely to pursue preparation than students with at least some exposure to online learning. These findings highlight the importance of considering student backgrounds and demographics when creating preparatory courses and indicate the potential value of preparatory courses in increasing diversity in online graduate programs.