Internships can be valuable opportunities to enhance computing students' development and build partnerships between academia and industry. Yet, information remains limited on interns' perspectives on their experiences, the role played by mentors, and how upskilling can enhance preparation. In this dissertation, a multi-phase study will be employed, taking a convergent-parallel mixed-methods approach. Data will be collected through surveys and semi-structured interviews and analyzed with phenomenography and reflexive thematic analysis. The goal is to understand computing students' transition to the workplace and to explore opportunities to develop more effective models.

Partnerships between academic institutions and industry for internships can benefit both parties. Experiential learning may help students prepare for their futures, while employers can help identify potential talent for jobs. Although the student perspective has been well explored, scholarship around employers remains limited. In this experience report, we describe a micro-internship program for (n=95) computing students that combined 7 weeks of university-led upskilling workshops with three weeks of practical experience with (n=18) employers to complete challenge projects in small groups. We elaborate further on the preparation and implementation required, as well as detail our qualitative evaluation of the program from the employer perspective. Situated learning theory (SLT) guided the investigation, which involved gathering feedback from employers through semi-structured interviews. Applying reflexive thematic analysis to employer interviews, we inductively examined: (1) how industry mentors integrated students into professional computing communities of practice (COP), (2) the mechanisms they employed to facilitate students' legitimate peripheral participation, (3) their observations of growth in students' technical and professional skills and identity formation, and (4) reciprocal learning that occurred during the internship period. Six resulting themes were then deductively mapped to SLT sub-constructs to further understand employers' impact during computing internships. Employers facilitated authentic problem solving and real-world learning experiences for students while gaining new perspectives and insights regarding new technology and problem-solving approaches in the process.

Making the transition from academia to industry can be a rite of passage for college graduates. Internships allow students to gain experience in small doses, and help shape their career goals, actions, and decisions. We sought to explore how employers perceived undergraduate computing students' performance and experience in a three-week micro-internship. We applied the boundary crossing (BC) framework and analyzed and interpreted n = 49 quotes extracted from semi-structured interviews with three industry mentors using the methodology of framework analysis. We examined the quotes and categorized them into one of four mechanisms of BC: identification, coordination, reflection, and transformation. The greatest number of BC mechanisms reported was that of coordination at the interpersonal level (33%), where the interns interacted with their mentors to navigate the differences in expectations and tasks that they had already identified. 51% of the BC mechanisms were reported to be at the interpersonal level, while six instances of transformation at the institutional level were also observed in the analysis. Our study's results can help administrators and industry mentors gain insight into how computing students may leverage mentorship to navigate professional dynamics.

The expanding applications of technology across sectors, coupled with the rising demand for qualified graduates, necessitate consideration of new ways to increase engagement with the discipline of computing. Towards this goal, we established a week-long program for non-majors to explore computing concepts (e.g., artificial intelligence) and aid in their professional development (e.g., through fostering presentation skills). We also sought to cultivate a community and incorporated peer and industry mentorship. In the experience report that follows, we detail the novel program and its evolution over five iterations across two institutions. We applied the Community of Inquiry framework to contextualize the programmatic design and its evaluation. Surveys collected daily gave insight into the student perspective on the various lessons and activities offered, with feedback from up to n = 141 students in total. Apart from including Likert-scale ratings to quantify preferences for each session, open-ended responses allowed greater understanding around what may have been viewed favorably or what could require further improvements. Based on the findings, we highlight how aspects of the experience may have contributed to the participants' engagement with the content, with others involved in the program, and with respect to learning outcomes. The session details and reflections presented are intended to inform as well as offer inspiration to other educators and administrators who may seek to introduce students from other majors to computing.

Internships can allow computing students to cultivate valuable skills while offering them practical insight into industry. The aim of our study was to gain an understanding of undergraduate computing students' perceptions of a three-week micro-internship (called a ''Sprinternship'') program. We sought to explore their experiences throughout its duration, which included a priori professional and technical development training. We applied the methodology of phenomenography, conducting semi-structured interviews with n = 27 students and taking the developmental approach to the analysis. We noted cognitive, affective, interpersonal, and career-oriented factors often influenced students' views of the experience. In this work, we share the seven categories of description that emerged from the analysis and provide the implications. The findings of this investigation can offer guidance for educators and administrators looking to create similar short-term internship opportunities.

The demand for skilled workers in computing continues to outpace the supply of qualified graduates. Despite the need, hiring can be challenging, both for employers seeking prospective employees and for students who may be unsure where to apply, daunted by technical interviews, and/or feeling the effects of imposter phenomena. In this experience report, we describe a program established to reduce some of these hurdles by pairing (n = 63) undergraduate students with (n = 7) companies to offer short-term computing internships, called a Sprinternship. Sprinternships eliminated the hurdle of technical interviews, provided students with training beforehand to offer foundational knowledge, and placed them in teams to work on challenge projects. We describe the details of the program and our investigation of its impact. Social Cognitive Career Theory guided the inquiry as we took a mixed-methods approach to understand the students' experiences and the potential impact on their self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and career goals. Quantitative analysis revealed a statistically significant increase in students' confidence in computing, something echoed in their open-ended responses. Thematic analysis further yielded that Sprinternships were meaningful in two major areas: Goals and Learning Experiences. The program aided in students' self-discovery, made them feel accomplished, and strengthened their industry ambitions. Responses also revealed positive and negative programmatic aspects to consider for future iterations. We hope that our description of the Sprinternships, findings, and recommendations can be useful to other practitioners looking to engage students with practical learning and enhance their graduate employability.