Developing a Computer Science Education Community of Practice for Early-Career Academics in the UK

Abstract

The early career of a computer science (CS) academic in the UK is increasingly challenging in terms of balancing research aspirations, learning and teaching responsibilities, wider academic service commitments, alongside their own professional development. The development of an early-career CS academic is mediated in part by the strength of the community of practice with which they are able to access and engage. And not just ones that operate within their department or institution; but also communities of practice that exist at a national and international level, often through professional bodies, learned societies and research networks. This poster presents the emerging work-in-progress to address some of these social, cultural and structural challenges in developing a CS education community of practice in the UK. Building on recent work, we identify a number of specific actions and recommendations to supplement the current formal institutional requirements with enhanced national-level academic practice support and professional development, alongside local and regional professional mentoring.