Aakash Gautam

Aakash Gautam

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

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Posts

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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

A Case For Supporting Translanguaging in Technology

Published in Designing Interactive Systems Conference Companion (DIS Companion '23), 2023

Monolingual ideology prevails in technology. It is further dominated by the English language. The problem arising from monolingual ideology in technology is pronounced for individuals with limited digital literacy and English familiarity. We present a case study of two pairs of first-generation migrants and their children who completed a series of web and mobile-based tasks in their home language, English, and a different language. We highlight the various roles the children played in helping their parents use technology and the ways in which the pairs moved between languages to seek and provide help. We make a case to move away from monolingual ideologies in technology towards translanguaging, taking into account the rich language repository available to bilingual and multilingual users. We conclude by drawing three design considerations to nurture translanguaging practices.

Recommended citation: Han, M. and Gautam, A. (2023). A Case For Supporting Translanguaging in Technology. In Designing Interactive Systems Conference Companion (DIS Companion '23).

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).

Reconfiguring Participatory Design to Resist AI Realism

Published in Participatory Design Conference (PDC '24 Vol. 2), 2024

The growing trend of artificial intelligence (AI) as a solution to social and technical problems reinforces AI Realism—the belief that AI is an inevitable and natural order. In response, this paper argues that participatory design (PD), with its focus on democratic values and processes, can play a role in questioning and resisting AI Realism. I examine three concerning aspects of AI Realism: the facade of democratization that lacks true empowerment, demands for human adaptability in contrast to AI systems’ inflexibility, and the obfuscation of essential human labor enabling the AI system. I propose resisting AI Realism by reconfiguring PD to continue engaging with value-centered visions, increasing its exploration of non-AI alternatives, and making the essential human labor underpinning AI systems visible. I position PD as a means to generate friction against AI Realism and open space for alternative futures centered on human needs and values.

Recommended citation: Gautam, A. (2024). Reconfiguring Participatory Design to Resist AI Realism. In Participatory Design Conference 2024 (PDC '24 Vol. 2).

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).

Reflecting on Practices to Integrate Socially Responsible Computing in Introductory Computer Science Courses

Published in ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE TS '25), 2025

Socially Responsible Computing (SRC) education entails the infusion of Computer Science (CS) education with interwoven attention to ethical, social, and political issues to position students to reflect and take action individually and collaboratively to create a more just world. Our approach to SRC supports students to explore computing design/development in early CS courses with a communal goal orientation (in contrast to agentic/individualized), shown to improve achievement and retention for students with identities that are minoritized in CS. Grounded in our own experiences as co-developers and implementers of this pedagogical transformation and as co-facilitators of a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) across six minority-serving institutions in California, we share how we use an iterative design and implementation process modeled from social design experimentation as research and development method. Initial results are presented as a set of promising practices for incorporating SRC into introductory CS courses.

Recommended citation: Wortman, K. A., Gautam, A., Hug, S., Inventado, P. S., Kazerouni, A. M., Lehr, J., Sood, K., and Wood, Z. (2025). Reflecting on Practices to Integrate Socially Responsible Computing in Introductory Computer Science Courses. In Proceedings of the 56th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 1.

The Benefits of Socially Responsible Computing in Early Computing Courses: A Multi-Institutional Study at Primarily Undergraduate Hispanic-Serving Institutions

Published in ACM Transactions on Computing Education, Vol. 25, No. 2, Article 19, 2025

Background and Context. Computing is considered a fundamental skill for civic engagement, self-expression, and employment opportunity. Despite this, there exist significant equity gaps in post-secondary computing enrollment and retention. Specifically, in the California State University (CSU) system, which serves close to half a million undergraduate students, students identifying as Hispanic/Latino make up a smaller percentage of CS majors than expected from the state’s overall population; and, once enrolled, tend to leave the CS major at higher rates than other students. Purpose. We report on the impacts of a curricular intervention aimed at strengthening the sense of belonging of Hispanic/Latino students in computing, with the eventual goal of improving retention in computing majors for those students. Methods. Working in an alliance of six universities within the CSU (five of which are designated as Hispanic-Serving Institutions), we have incorporated socially responsible computing across early CS courses. We aim for alignment between our curriculum and students’ communal goal orientations, and for coursework that attends to students’ interests, values, and cultural assets. Over a two-year-long study, we collected survey data to learn about the impact of our curricular intervention on students’ sense of belonging and perceived learning and agency. Findings. We found that students generally reported high communal goal orientations and, at the campuses without competitive enrollment policies, our intervention had a significant positive impact on students’ senses of belonging. Implications. Our data suggest positive outcomes for integrating socially responsible computing into early CS courses, especially for Hispanic/Latino students at certain Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs).

Recommended citation: Kazerouni, A. M., Lee, M., Hubbard Cheuoua, A., Gautam, A., Hooshmand, S., Inventado, P. S., Kang, E.-Y., Lehr, J., Sun, Y., Wortman, K. A., Yoon, I., and Wood, Z. (2025). The Benefits of Socially Responsible Computing in Early Computing Courses: A Multi-Institutional Study at Primarily Undergraduate Hispanic-Serving Institutions. ACM Transactions on Computing Education, 25(2), Article 19.

A Tale of Many Futures: Children in Finland and India Envision the Future of Education

Published in ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26), 2026

While conversations around the future of education focus on AI, robots, and VR, they often overlook how children imagine futures within their own educational worlds. We conducted participatory speculative design workshops with 92 students (ages 12–14) in two contrasting settings: an autonomy-oriented international school in Finland and an exam-driven, high-stakes public school in India. Reflexive thematic analysis revealed that pedagogical ecologies, rather than national cultures, shaped children’s technological imaginaries and future orientations. Students in Finland envisioned pragmatic, technologically advanced, yet human-centered classrooms, whereas students in India prioritized curricular choice, emotional safety, and systemic fairness. In the workshops in India, we observed that speculative possibilities expanded with careful scaffolding but remained tethered to current realities when scaffolding was disrupted. We argue for “plural design futuring” grounded in children’s lived experiences and contribute methodological insights into scaffolding as a critical condition for participatory future-making.

Recommended citation: Sebastian, P., Sharma, S., Iivari, N., Kinnula, M., Gautam, A., Pitkänen, S., and Monga, C. (2026). A Tale of Many Futures: Children in Finland and India Envision the Future of Education. In Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.

Following Primates: Approaching Conflict in Contested Regions

Published in ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26), 2026

When conducting research in community-based settings, it is natural for conflict to arise as the practices, motivations, and imaginaries of researchers and local stakeholders converge. As designers, the question, then, is: “In what ways can we engage with conflict to arrive at constructive outcomes?” In this paper, we employ ethnography and a mapping workshop with an environmental research group facing conflicts at a contested ecological site. We unpack some of the ways in which local conflicts over data, mapping, and technologies around community-managed forests are intertwined with broader socio-political, historical, and value-based contestations. We find that conflict serves as a critical site for negotiating community engagement and configuring collaboration. Accordingly, we provide strategies for surfacing, navigating, and staying with conflict in contested settings. For community-based researchers, this requires resisting the natural tendency to seek an immediate resolution to the conflict, thereby creating room to deepen attachments to matters of concern.

Recommended citation: Chauhan, A., Mathur, V., Gautam, A., and Soden, R. (2026). Following Primates: Approaching Conflict in Contested Regions. In Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.

Towards Designing for Resilience: Community-Centered Deployment of an AI Business Planning Tool in a Pittsburgh Small Business Center

Published in ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26), 2026

Entrepreneurs in resource-constrained communities often lack time and support to translate ideas into actionable business plans. While generative AI promises assistance, most systems assume high digital literacy and overlook community infrastructures that shape adoption. We report on the community-centered design and deployment of BizChat, an AI-powered business planning tool, introduced across four workshops at a feminist makerspace in Pittsburgh. Through log data (N=30) and interviews (N=10), we examine how entrepreneurs build resilience through collective AI literacy development—encompassing adoption, adaptation, and refusal of AI. Our findings reveal that while BizChat lowered barriers to accessing capital by translating ideas into “business language,” this ease raised questions about whether instant AI outputs undermine sensemaking essential to planning. We show how peer support and community-centered deployment shape resilient AI literacies in entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Recommended citation: Romero Lauro, Q., Gautam, A., and Kotturi, Y. (2026). Towards Designing for Resilience: Community-Centered Deployment of an AI Business Planning Tool in a Pittsburgh Small Business Center. In Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.

Not Just Duolingo: Supporting Immigrant Language Preservation Through Family-Based Play

Published in ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26), 2026

For immigrants, language preservation is crucial to maintain their identity, but the process of immigration can put a strain on a community’s ability to do so. We interviewed eight Nepali immigrants to understand barriers to language preservation across sociopolitical contexts in Nepal and immigrant life in the United States. Participants described strong motivation but limited institutional support, time and resource constraints, and English-dominant environments that widen parent-child language gaps. They envisioned technology that supports interactive, family centered learning. In response, we are developing an audio-first, point-and-click language learning game based on the theory of comprehensible input, designed for parent-child co-playing. An early evaluation with four design experts reveals promising gameplay, and the need to simplify symbol-heavy UI. We conclude with implications for designing language technologies that support preservation through relations while acknowledging the limits of design.

Recommended citation: Ciuba, A., Li, Z. Y., and Gautam, A. (2026). Not Just Duolingo: Supporting Immigrant Language Preservation Through Family-Based Play. In Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.

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.