This Birds of a Feather (BoF) session aims to build a community of graduate student researchers who study Computer Science Education (CSEd) during SIGCSE TS and continue beyond the conference. Given the interdisciplinary nature of CSEd research, graduate students may enter the field from varied departments such as computer science, education, information, and engineering education. Therefore, many graduate students lack a CSEd research community within their own institution. This BoF session will provide a space for SIGCSE TS graduate students to build their community across institutions, both during and after the conference. In this session, we will discuss key topics to improve graduate study experiences, including relationships with advisors, research topic selection, mentoring, and navigating conferences. The second half of the session will focus on discussing post-BoF activities to keep students engaged throughout the year, including future paper outlining and peer review sessions, as well as inviting former graduate students to share their career paths and experiences. During the BoF session, attendees will meet fellow graduate students in the same research field and brainstorm future activities. They will then have the opportunity to participate in follow-up sessions based on their ideas.

K–12 computer science (CS) education can be transformed by infusing learning experiences with joy and creativity. This paper presents a qualitative study in which ten K–12 CS teachers submitted lesson plans exemplifying joyful learning. They then participated in in-depth interviews about their strategies and beliefs. Major themes from prior work include the role of joy in fostering engagement and creativity, the challenges posed by perceptions of CS as boring or inaccessible, and strategies for making learning personally meaningful and fun. We adopt perspectives from Flow Theory, Funds of Knowledge Theory, and Self-Determination Theory as a conceptual framework for our analysis. We draw conclusions regarding when teachers believe that joyful CS learning environments emerge and then discuss implications for designing CS curricula. The work elevates teacher voices and stories alongside academic analysis.

As the focus on computer science (CS) in K-12 classrooms grows, many teachers are turning to "Hour of Code" (HoC) programs. Created in 2013, they invite teachers to spend one hour working on pre-developed CS activities with their students. Little work has been done with K-12 students (the primary audience) regarding the effects of HoC. This study reports findings from computer science education research with over 1000 students who engaged in HoC activities. Students reported their interest and perceptions of CS before and after completing HoC activities. Stated goals focus on exposing students to computers. This research effort seeks to determine if the intended impact of these activities is being reached.

As greater emphasis has been placed on computer science in K-12 education, states, districts and schools are under pressure to increase course offerings and student enrollment in computer science courses. This increases pressure and demand to either hire computer science teachers or train existing teachers to teach computer science. Studies have been done to determine the effects of different routes to licensure on many fields of teachers. Studies with specific emphasis on Career and Technology Education teachers have been completed, but studies have not yet evaluated the effects of licensureon Computer Science teachers specifically. Information regarding the different routes to licensure in the United States is reported along with suggestions for improvement. Use of this information can help states to make changes necessary to support computer science teachers and programs in the United States.