Student Transitions Through an Entire Computing Program

While the challenges experienced by first-year computing students have been well studied, little work has explored the transitions in disciplinary participation and challenges experienced by upper-years. This study explores how students' needs and challenges evolve through a computing degree. We collected the experiences of first to final-year undergraduate computing students through surveys and interviews. We organized these experiences into themes that we compare against previous literature and illustrate with quotes. Upper-year students perceive changes in (a) levels of support and (b) the kinds of challenges they experience as they progress through the program. Second-year students feel pressured by the increasing difficulty of courses. This pressure increases through the third year as students begin to perceive a need to find employment. The experiences of our students suggest the need to better support the middle years of academic programs. Students in the first year are well-supported in their university transition, but students in the middle are often left to find their way as they develop a deeper understanding of their desired place in the field.