Sarah Carruthers

dblp:50/3819 · DBLP profile ↗
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6ranked-venue papers
4as first author
5since 2021 · last 2026
0000-0001-6935-2440ORCID · corroborated

Domains — the database's venue-derived domains; a paper can count in several

Human-computer interaction and ubiquitous computing · 6 · 4 first-author · 5 since 2021
YearPublicationVenuePosition
2026 Exploring the Impact of Gen-AI on Team-Based Computing Capstone Projects
abstract
Team-based capstones are a cornerstone of computing education, designed to prepare students for professional computing practice. The rapid adoption of Generative AI (GenAI) is reshaping how students plan, implement, test, and document their capstone work, raising new questions about workflows, team dynamics, assessment practices, and graduate readiness for using GenAI in the workplace. This Working Group (WG) investigates how GenAI is influencing capstone design and practice from the perspectives of students, early-career graduates, instructors, and employers. Using a mixed-methods approach, including a scoping literature review, cross-institutional surveys, and semi-structured interviews, the WG will examine how GenAI is currently integrated into capstone courses, how students use and perceive GenAI across the project lifecycle, how instructors are adapting task design, supervision, feedback, and assessment, and how employer expectations for GenAI competencies align with university preparation. The ultimate goal is to produce evidence-based guidance that helps educators realign capstone experiences with the realities of GenAI-integrated professional computing practice.
Asma Shakil, Marie Devlin, KellyAnn Fitzpatrick, Sarah Carruthers, Mirela Gutica, Ronnie Howard, Stoney Jackson, Edward Latorre, Tyler Menezes, Joseph Mertz, Tominiyi Olupitan, Alex Potanin, Floris Westerman
ITiCSE (2)4
2026 Enabling Student Ownership of LLM-Use through Team Contracts
abstract
Team projects can play an important role in preparing students for collaborative work environments. They provide opportunities for students to negotiate a consensus with members of their team. In this paper, we present a tool to guide students through developing a team LLM-use policy in computer science courses. The tool is designed to ask students to reflect upon important aspects of LLM-use, and to take ownership of their team's policy. Based on our preliminary experiences in a variety of courses, we find that this tool is an effective and flexible addition to team-based projects.
Floris Westerman, Sarah Carruthers
ITiCSE (2)2
2025 Reflective Dialogue to Support Curricular Change
abstract
This poster explores some of the challenges and opportunities that can be faced when adopting Indigenous Ways of Knowing into computer science teaching. It shares the experiences of one non-Indigenous computer science educator working to find a respectful and relevant way to incorporate Indigenous Ways of Knowing into their teaching, including relationship-building conversations with Indigenous Elders and scholars, and reflective dialogue with other non-Indigenous educators.
Sarah Carruthers
ITiCSE (2)1
2024 On a Path to Indigenization and Decolonization of Computer Science Teaching
abstract
In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action, Canadian post-secondary institutions face the important, and daunting, task of decolonizing or Indigenizing curriculum across all disciplines. Computer science (CS) is not exempt from this responsibility and CS educators find themselves facing a challenging task. The field of computer science can seem very removed from Indigenous Ways of Knowing; training as an academic leaves many unprepared for the challenge of Indigenization or decolonization of curriculum or pedagogy; non-Indigenous educators are often deeply concerned with how to approach this task respectfully and authentically; and many computer science professors have had few opportunities to engage with Indigenous scholars and communities.
Sarah Carruthers
SIGCSE (2)1
2023 Growing an Accessible and Inclusive Systems Design Course with PlantUML
abstract
Unified Modelling Language (UML) diagrams are commonly used in Systems Analysis and Design (SAaD) courses to communicate complex ideas, designs, and processes. While tools exist to accommodate blind and visually impaired users to work with UML diagrams, many tools fall short in terms of enabling these users to independently create and edit diagrams. This, in turn, limits the extent to which blind users can work in team and peer-feedback activities that use visual diagrams. Adapting visual design activities to be accessible and inclusive benefits not only blind users but sighted users, as well. Being inclusive can lead to more diverse perspectives and ideas, which is invaluable to the creative process of iterative design. In this experience report we describe how a SAaD course was adapted, using off-the-shelf tools, to be not only accessible to a student who uses a screen reader but also inclusive, enabling all students to equally participate in team and peer-feedback activities. We report the successes and challenges of this experience from the perspective of the instructor, the blind student, and their sighted teammates.
Sarah Carruthers, Amber Thomas, Liam Kaufman-Willis, Aaron Wang
SIGCSE (1)1
2011 Draw a social network
abstract
We investigate the effect of graph theory instruction on the representations of social networks by grade six students. In this quasi-experimental study, treatment groups participated in graph theory lessons as part of their mathematics class. In evaluating student responses to pre and posttests we observed that students shifted in their approach to representing a social network problem, from less to more abstract - starting with complex vertices (superfluous detail) and planar graphs (no crossed edges) toward simple vertices and non-planar graphs.
Sarah Carruthers, Todd M. Milford, Timothy Pelton, Ulrike Stege
ITiCSE1