Papers
6
Total Citations
119
H-Index
5
About
Tiffany Barnes is a computer science education researcher whose work centers on broadening participation in computing, undergraduate research experiences, and accessible programming environments for novice learners. Her most influential contribution — "Improving Retention and Graduate Recruitment through Immersive Research Experiences for Undergraduates" (2008, 58 citations) — addresses the practical challenges faculty face when mentoring students with varying skill levels, offering strategies to make undergraduate research both scalable and impactful for student retention and graduate school pathways. Beyond higher education, Barnes has made significant contributions to K-12 outreach, particularly through her work on the SPARCS after-school program, which uses robotics and entertainment technologies to cultivate computational thinking among middle school students. Her more recent scholarship pushes the boundaries of block-based programming environments, advocating for tools that connect novices to real-world computing resources and advanced concepts without sacrificing accessibility — reflected in her 2021 and 2022 publications on visual programming and block-based abstractions. Her 2024 work engaging female high school students in computing frontiers underscores her long-standing commitment to equity and inclusion in STEM. Across her career, Barnes has shaped how educators think about making computer science welcoming, rigorous, and relevant for underrepresented learners at every level.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 4Removing the Walls Around Visual Educational Programming Environments10 citations · 2021
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- 6Engaging Female High School Students in the Frontiers of Computing4 citations · 2024