Aakash Gautam

Aakash Gautam

Designing socio-technical systems for an inclusive and just society, across HCI, learning sciences, and community-based participatory action research.

Posts by Collection

portfolio

publications

Finding Abstraction-Comprehension Balance: A Study of Model-Based Integrated Science and Computational Thinking Application

Published in American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, 2017

This paper discusses representational tensions arising in developing integrated computational thinking and science modules.

Recommended citation: Gautam, A., Wall Bortz, W., Tatar, D., Lipscomb, K., Rivale, S., Orsino, C. & Etzkorn, F. (2017). Finding Abstraction-Comprehension Balance: A Study of Model-Based Integrated Science and Computational Thinking Application. American Educational Research Association (AERA'17). http://aakash.xyz/files/aera2017.pdf

An Empirical Study of Activity, Popularity, Size, Testing, and Stability in Continuous Integration

Published in The Mining Software Repositories (MSR) Conference, 2017

We perform a cluster analysis to classify software projects that follow continuous integration in terms of their activity, popularity, size, testing, and stability.

Recommended citation: Gautam, A., Vishwasrao, S., & Servant, F. (2017). An Empirical Study of Activity, Popularity, Size, Testing, and Stability in Continuous Integration. In 2017 IEEE/ACM 14th International Conference on Mining Software Repositories (MSR). http://aakash.xyz/files/msr2017.pdf

Case for Integrating Computational Thinking and Science in aLow-Resource Setting

Published in International Conference of Information and Communication Technologies on Development (ICTD), 2017

We studied a method to integrate computational thinking, the ability to express problems and their solutions to a computing device, into an existing science classroom with the goal of deepening learning in both science and computational thinking in a low-resource setting in Nepal.

Recommended citation: Gautam, A., Bortz, W. E. W., & Tatar, D. (2017). Case for integrating computational thinking and science in a low-resource setting. In Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development (ICTD'17). http://aakash.xyz/files/ictd2017.pdf

Participatory Tensions in Working with a Vulnerable Population

Published in Participatory Design Conference (PDC), 2018

The question raised is “how should our PD practice position itself with respect to the ideal of comprehensive democratic participation when potential harm may ensue to vulnerable people?”

Recommended citation: Gautam, A., Shrestha, C., Kulak, A., Harrison, S., & Tatar, D. (2018). Participatory Tensions in Working with a Vulnerable Population. In Proceedings of the 15th Participatory Design Conference: Short Papers, Situated Actions, Workshops and Tutorial-Volume 2. http://aakash.xyz/files/pdc2018.pdf

Social Photo-Elicitation: The Use of Communal Production of Meaning to Hear a Vulnerable Population

Published in ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW), 2018

We adapted photo-elicitation to hear the voices of a group of sex-trafficking survivors, making the technique more communal.

Recommended citation: Gautam, A., Shrestha, C., Tatar, D., & Harrison, S. (2018). Social Photo-Elicitation: The Use of Communal Production of Meaning to Hear a Vulnerable Population. In Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 2, 56. http://aakash.xyz/files/cscw2018.pdf

Beyond Saving: A Case for Agency-First Approach Against Domestic Violence

Published in International Conference of Information and Communication Technologies on Development (ICTD), 2019

We analyzed videos containing narrative stories of eight women in Nepal who had experienced domestic violence. We argue that designed systems, whether they be technologies or public policies, need to support the survivor’s agency rather than seeing them as victims needing to be saved.

Recommended citation: Gautam, A., Shrestha, C., & Tatar, D. (2019). Beyond Saving: A Case for Agency-First Approach Against Domestic Violence. In Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development. http://aakash.xyz/files/ictd2019.pdf

Integrating Computational Thinking into Middle School Science: A Search for Synergistic Pedagogy

Published in American Society for Engineering Education-Southeastern Section, 2019

This paper highlights evidence that students can learn CT and science in tandem, particularly when pedagogy weaves the two domains into classroom tasks in complementary ways.

Recommended citation: Bortz, W. W., Gautam, A., Lipscomb, K., & Tatar, D. (2019). Integration Computational Thinking into Middle School Science: A search for Synergistic Pedagogy. In ASEE Southeastern Section Conference. http://aakash.xyz/files/asee2019.pdf

The Availability of Pedagogical Responses and the Integration of Computational Thinking.

Published in Integrating digital technology in education: School-university-community collaboration, 2019

We focus on one teacher’s pedagogical strategies employed in each of the two integrated domains-in this case, computational thinking and science.

Recommended citation: Bortz, W. W., Gautam, A., Tatar, D., & Lipscomb, K. (2019). The Availability of Pedagogical Responses and the Integration of Computational Thinking. Integrating Digital Technology in Education: School-University-Community Collaboration (2019), 81. https://www.infoagepub.com/products/Integrating-Digital-Technology-in-Education

Adding Voices to Support Web Navigation Among a Low Digital Literacy Group

Published in Designing Interactive Systems (DIS), 2019

This paper presents our initial experiences introducing and refining a voice-annotated web application to a group of people who have limited experience with technology.

Recommended citation: Gautam, A., Tatar, D., & Harrison, S. (2019). Adding Voices to Support Web Navigation Among a Low Digital Literacy Group. In Companion Publication of the 2019 on Designing Interactive Systems Conference 2019 Companion (pp. 165-169). http://aakash.xyz/files/dis2019a.pdf

Designing to Reflect Our Better Nature

Published in Designing Interactive Systems (DIS), 2019

We present a set of technologies designed in our research group where the focus has been on highlighting the nuanced but critical agency of people to shape interaction with their world using and through computers.

Recommended citation: Gautam, A., Stewart, M., Shrestha, C., Tibau, J., Harrison, S., & Tatar, D. (2019). Designing to Reflect Our Better Nature. In Companion Publication of the 2019 on Designing Interactive Systems Conference 2019 Companion (pp. 21-24). http://aakash.xyz/files/dis2019b.pdf

Missing in Measurement: Why Identifying Learning in Integrated Domains Is So Hard

Published in Journal of Science Education and Technology, 2019

We present a mixed-methods analysis of student assessment results and consider potential issues with moving too quickly toward relying on a rubric-based approach to evaluating student learning in an integrated computational thinking and science classroom.

Recommended citation: Bortz, W. W., Gautam, A., Tatar, D., & Lipscomb, K. (2020). Missing in Measurement: Why Identifying Learning in Integrated Domains Is So Hard. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 29(1), 121-136. http://aakash.xyz/files/jost2019.pdf

Society is the System: Beyond Individual Empowerment to Structural Negotiations

Published in Computing Professionals for Social Responsibility: The Past, Present and Future Values of Participatory Design (Book Chapter), 2020

A book chapter arguing for moving beyond individual empowerment to structural negotiations in participatory design.

Recommended citation: Gautam, A. & Tatar, D. (2020). Society is the System: Beyond Individual Empowerment to Structural Negotiations. In Computing Professionals for Social Responsibility: The Past, Present and Future Values of Participatory Design.

Abstraction Through Multiple Representations in an Integrated Computational Thinking Environment

Published in ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE) Technical Symposium, 2020

Changing the representational affordances available to the students allows them to take their CT thinking beyond learning-to-abstract towards learning-through-abstraction.

Recommended citation: Gautam, A., Bortz, W., & Tatar, D. (2020). Abstraction Through Multiple Representations in an Integrated Computational Thinking Environment. In Proceedings of the 51st ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (pp. 393-399). http://aakash.xyz/files/sigcse2020.pdf

Crafting, Communality, and Computing: Building on Existing Strengths To Support a Vulnerable Population

Published in ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI), 2020

In this work, we present reflections from introducing a voice-annotated web application to a group of survivors. Link to the recorded presentation.

Recommended citation: Gautam, A., Harrison, S., & Tatar, D. (2020). Crafting, Communality, and Computing: Building on Existing Strengths To Support a Vulnerable Population. In Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems http://aakash.xyz/files/chi2020.pdf

p for political: Participation Without Agency Is Not Enough

Published in Participatory Design Conference (PDC), 2020

Reflecting on observations from participatory activities with a group of sex-trafficking survivors, we argue that building participant agency on the small and personal interactions is necessary before engaging in larger Political participation. Link to the recorded presentation.

Recommended citation: Gautam, A., Harrison, S., & Tatar, D. (2020). p for political: Participation Without Agency Is Not Enough. In Proceedings of the 16th Participatory Design Conference (PDC'20) http://aakash.xyz/files/pdc2020.pdf

From Needs to Strengths: Operationalizing an Assets-Based Design of Technology

Published in ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW), 2020

In this workshop, we will bring together researchers and industry actors to explore the implications of assets-based perspectives across domains, including Education, Information and Communication Technologies and Development (ICTD), and Participatory Design (PD).

Recommended citation: Wong-Villacres, M., Gautam, A., Roldan, W., Pei, L., Dickinson, J., Ismail, A., ... & Roden, E. (2020). From Needs to Strengths: Operationalizing an Assets-Based Design of Technology. In Conference Companion Publication of the 2020 on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (pp. 527-535). http://aakash.xyz/files/cscw2020.pdf

Crowdsolve: Managing Tensions in an Expert-Led Crowdsourced Investigation

Published in Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact., 5(CSCW1), 2021

Managing tensions in expert-led crowdsourced investigations.

Recommended citation: Venkatagiri, S., Gautam, A., & Luther, K. (2021). Crowdsolve: Managing Tensions in an Expert-Led Crowdsourced Investigation. In Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact., 5(CSCW1).

Reflections on Assets-Based Design: A Journey Towards A Collective of Assets-Based Thinkers

Published in ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW), 2021

Marisol Wong-Villacrés and I reflect on our assets-based design endeavors with two different communities. We present assets-based design as an ongoing process that prioritizes the formation and evolution of a collective of assets-based thinkers who continually learn about their assets and ways to use them to attain desirable change.

Recommended citation: Wong-Villacrés, M., Gautam, A., Tatar, D., DiSalvo, B. (2021). Reflections on Assets-Based Design: A Journey Towards A Collective of Assets-Based Thinkers. In Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 5 (Article 401). http://aakash.xyz/files/cscw2021.pdf

Empowering Participation Within Structures of Dependency

Published in Participatory Design Conference (PDC), 2022

We seek to answer, “How can PD engagements push back on prevailing deficit perspectives and support vulnerable groups to gain power and control within the existing structure of dependency?”

Recommended citation: Gautam, A. & Tatar, D. (2022). Empowering Participation Within Structures of Dependency. In Participatory Design Conference 2022: Volume 1. (pp. 75-86) http://aakash.xyz/files/pdc2022.pdf

Critical Perspectives on ABCD: A Conversation with Akwugo Emejulu

Published in Interactions, 29(5), 34-38, 2022

A conversation on critical perspectives on asset-based community development.

Recommended citation: Emejulu, A., Pei, L., & Gautam, A. (2022). Critical Perspectives on ABCD: A Conversation with Akwugo Emejulu. Interactions, 29(5), 34-38.

Intimate Narratives: An Assets-Based Approach To Develop Holistic Perspectives of Student Mothers’ Lives and Their Use of Technology in Parenting

Published in ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW '22), 2022

An assets-based approach to understanding student mothers’ technology use.

Recommended citation: Bhatti, N., Mbakwe, A. B., Nnadi, S., Clarke, G. S., McCrickard, D. S., Kelliher, A., & Gautam, A. (2022). Intimate Narratives: An Assets-Based Approach To Develop Holistic Perspectives of Student Mothers' Lives and Their Use of Technology in Parenting. In ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW '22). https://doi.org/10.1145/3555635 https://doi.org/10.1145/3555635

Socially Responsible Computing in an Introductory Course

Published in ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE '24), 2024

Integrating socially responsible computing into an introductory CS course.

Recommended citation: Gautam, A., Kulkarni, A., Hug, S., Lehr, J., & Yoon, I. (2024). Socially Responsible Computing in an Introductory Course. In ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE '24). https://doi.org/10.1145/3626252.3630926 https://doi.org/10.1145/3626252.3630926

Computing, Education, and Capitalism

Published in ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE '24), 2024

Examines the relationship between computing education, capitalism, and social structures.

Recommended citation: Ko, A. J., Castro, F., Gautam, A., Hu, A. D., Kingsley, S., Lachney, M., & Yadav, A. (2024). Computing, Education, and Capitalism. In ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE '24).

Surfacing Conflicts in Participatory Design: Methodological Considerations

Published in Participatory Design Conference (PDC '24), 2024

Methodological considerations for surfacing and addressing conflicts in participatory design.

Recommended citation: Gautam, A., Tatar, D., Matheis, C., & Kannabiran, G. (2024). Surfacing Conflicts in Participatory Design: Methodological Considerations. In Participatory Design Conference (PDC '24).

talks

teaching

Introduction to Programming in C++

Undergraduate course, Virginia Tech, Computer Science Department, 2018

I designed this course to cover basic structured programming using the C++ language. It was not a course about C++. It was intended for those with little or no programming background. Although prior programming experiences may make it easier, it was intended as a gentle introduction to think like a computer scientist.

CSC 642: Human-Computer Interaction

Senior/Graduate cross-listed course, San Francisco State University, Department of Computer Science, 2022

An introductory HCI course cross-listed for senior undergraduates and graduate students. Covered core HCI methods, user-centered design, and evaluation, with attention to the social and political dimensions of designing interactive systems.

CSC 210: Introduction to Computer Programming

Undergraduate course, San Francisco State University, Department of Computer Science, 2022

An introductory programming course covering fundamental concepts of object-oriented programming, data structures, and algorithmic thinking.

LIS 2030: Data and Information in Systems

Graduate course, University of Pittsburgh, ICDS, 2026

Spring 2025, Spring 2026. Builds practical and conceptual foundations for working with data in library and information settings using Python. Covers data types, file formats, metadata, database modeling, and how analytic choices shape conclusions.