Should Your College Computer Science Program Partner with a Coding Boot Camp? (Abstract Only)

Abstract

The rise of so-called boot as an alternative training ground for software development is prominent in the popular press, and these camps have caught the attention of colleges and universities. Administrators and faculty considering whether and how to partner with coding boot camps may want to consider what skills and knowledge boot camps are providing to students as well as successful college/boot camp partnerships. This poster reports on data from a collaborative NSF EHR grant (#1561705/ #1561717) funding a qualitative study of how coding boot camps and university CS programs prepare students for careers as software developers. As part of early data collection for this study, we have learned not only details of boot camp student preparation for the workforce, but also ways that universities are currently partnering with boot camps. This poster will report on data gathered in focus groups and interviews with curriculum developers from both coding boot camps and university CS programs categorized into the themes of: classifications of boot camps, screening/admission criteria, student profiles, training (both independently and in partnership with colleges/universities), and job placement. We draw suggestions from this initial data as to where boot camps may be able to enhance traditional CS degrees for students and what CS educators may want to consider when evaluating the boot camp experience.