GuleFatima Kiani

I am a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in Computing Education at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where I am part of the BRIDGE Lab in the College of Information Science & Technology. My dissertation explores how students transfer programming concepts from their first to a second programming language. I am especially interested in understanding the strategies that distinguish successful and less successful students, drawing on theories of self-regulated learning to explain how learners approach this process. My research combines experiments, focus groups, and interviews in a mixed-methods design. This work is guided by a larger goal: improving computer science pedagogy by linking learning outcomes to the psychological strategies students use. I want to help learners not only succeed in making the transfer from one language to another but also develop the habits of mind that allow them to thrive as programmers beyond the classroom. Before beginning my Ph.D., I taught computer science and software engineering courses in my home country. That experience continues to shape how I think about teaching and motivates me to design interventions that make programming more approachable and equitable for students at different stages of their education.
Beyond academia, I enjoy cooking, music, digital illustration, anything artsy, long walks, and spending time with family and friends.