Guest talk: Angela Zavaleta Bernuy "Supporting Computing Students Readiness for Entry-Level Roles"

Supporting Computing Students Readiness for Entry-Level Roles

Angela Zavaleta Bernuy
McMaster University

Abstract: The academic community recognises the challenges recent graduates have acquiring an entry-level position in today’s competitive market. This presentation will include recent studies that Angela has conducted with tech professionals, getting their insights on important non-technical skills recent graduates should have before entering the workforce. The empirical findings from these studies will provide a practical discussion for educators in supporting their students better prepare for the workforce. Angela will also present her recent work on ReQuest, an educational chatbot tool designed to help students practice requirements elicitation and communication in industry-based scenarios. This work addresses a key gap between classroom learning and workplace expectations by giving students structured opportunities to ask questions, clarify goals, and uncover hidden needs in simulated professional contexts such as stakeholder communication. This presentation will highlight practical ways computing educators can support students’ development of both technical confidence and the communication skills needed for entry-level success.

Bio: Dr. Angela Zavaleta Bernuy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computing and Software at McMaster University. She recently completed her Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Toronto, supervised by Honorary Finn Professor Andrew Petersen. Her research integrates perspectives from human-computer interaction and educational psychology into computing education research, with particular interests in supporting student learning, communication, and readiness for professional computing roles. Her work emphasizes practical experiments and cross-disciplinary partnerships, including behavioural interventions and educational software designed to improve students’ learning experiences. She serves on the executive committee of ACM Women (ACM-W) North America. Her ongoing research aims to strengthen computing education by developing evidence-based tools and interventions that help students build the technical, professional, and communication skills needed to succeed in the workforce.

This guest talk is hosted by Assistant Professor Juho Leinonen, Department of Computer Science.