Coding for Community: Innovation and Engagement in Computer Science Education

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Related Links

L.I.F.T Lab (Learning Innovations and Future Technologies Lab) Instagram @ourliftlab
The Alliance for Interdisciplinary Innovation in Computing Education (AiiCE)
Duke Centennial Trailblazer: Shaundra Daily
In Their Own Words: Creating Inclusive STEM Spaces
2025 Graduate: Reagan Razon

Full Transcript

Welcome to season two of Duets, a Duke Trinity podcast that explores research collaborations between faculty, students and community partners across Durham and North Carolina.

Today we're joined by Professor Shaundra Daily and Trinity ’25 alumna Reagan Razon, whose collaborative research is rooted at the intersection of computer science, education, access, and innovation. Their community-engaged programs include the student-led nonprofit CS Sidekicks, which brings CS education and mentorship directly to Durham Public Schools, and the L.I.F.T. Lab, where students explore engineering concepts through the light of their personal experiences. These programs aren’t just teaching technical skills — they are rewriting the code on how research can spark lasting change.

Shani: I am Shani Daily. I am a professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science. My interests are in broadening participation in computing, as well as affective computing, which is sensors and technologies that sense and respond to human emotion.

Reagan: My name is Reagan Razon. I'm a senior at Duke, studying Computer Science and pursuing the Child Policy Research Certificate. I'm interested in education research from K through 12 computer science education to undergraduate computer science education and school discipline and surveillance. 

Shani: So, is there a way that being a student at Duke is different from how you imagined it would be?

Reagan: Yeah, this is a great question. I would say yes, but in a good way, I didn't imagine that I would be as involved with research at this capacity. When I first came in as a freshman CS student, I was very much in the mindset of, “I need to recruit, I need to get an internship,” and kind of really be on that path, but I've been really grateful for the spaces at Duke such as the ones that you kind of foster, that allow students to be engaged with, like, this type of impactful research. And, in looking back at my experience, you know, I've been reflecting a lot being a senior, some of those things have been my favorite memories at Duke. So, like the class I took with you and Dr. McCoy, I tell people that that's my favorite class I've taken at Duke, and I really pub it. I'm like, “please take it, register for it next year.” And you know, I didn't think coming to Duke that there would be classes like that and experiences like that. So, I'm grateful that it turned out to be that way.

Shani: So, how would you see collaboration as important for the kind of stuff that we do?

Reagan: So, I think definitely collaboration is the main part of community-engaged research. I've worked with teachers in Durham public schools to create ethics-centered computer science curriculum, and if we did not center collaboration, it would kind of be like as an undergraduate student, I would come in, make the curriculum, give it to them. But instead, we co-created the curriculum that would fit for her students. So, her students were really interested in sports, so we created a lesson that talked about, like, ethics of AI in relation to sports, things like that. And I think that just leads to a product at the end that centers everyone's voice, and I think that's very important in education research, more specifically in CS education research, there's a lot of conversations around how to implement AI in the classrooms, but it's important that we talk to teachers and talk to students about what they actually need, rather than kind of coming to it as if we are the experts in everything. And so I think that's just very important for STEM researchers to think about, especially if you don't necessarily have a background in education or pedagogy.

Shani: That's such a great point, because what I rarely hear is what the teachers are saying about what they want and how they envision AI — or don't envision AI — in the classroom, and what it will look like. And I hope that a lot more computer science and engineering departments will, like, say, "Hey, at the end of the day, humans, you know, are impacted by what we do. And how do we make sure that discussions of humans and collaboration with humans are a part of what we do from the get-go?,” rather than the kind of techno-centric view where it's like, "oh, I built something, let's see what I can do with it.” So, I love to hear you talk about that. 

Reagan: And so, kind of going off of that, I'm interested, you know, as we know that technology engineering is rapidly advancing, what would you say are some unique challenges that you might be facing right now, as you're working on things related to education, STEM and that intersection?

Shani: Yeah, you know, I'm going to start with, like public perception, because as AI becomes more ubiquitous and embedded in our day-to-day, like, what is that going to look like, right? Like, are you trying to build this AI because you want to replace me? In the end, is that going to lead to a situation where it's trying to take over for all of us? So, what's going to happen with the jobs? What's going to happen with how this AI evolves? That's a really big challenge right now. So, having those discussions, which have policy implications, which have relevant implications for how people feel and how people are thinking about how they're going to move forward, like those are really challenging discussions to have because, at the end of the day, like, it's a moving target to say what's going to happen and where this is going to lead. And so, that public perception piece is a huge, huge challenge. 

I'd say the other piece is really around people's understanding of what it means to think about identity intersectionally. Some people think that if you start having conversations about identity, you mean to leave people out. But when we're doing that and when we're talking about it, we're talking about how to draw everybody in. We want everybody to feel included and that they belong. So, we use social sciences and we use humanities to make sure that we understand who's in the room before we design for who's in the room. And I think that goes hand-in-hand with the collaboration piece, where it's like, "okay, you know, I know who's potentially, as much as I can, who's in the room.” I design with those people who might be in the room, and then I implement something that's meaningful, that can really have impact for everybody who's in our spaces. 

Reagan: Can you share a time when your research made you feel hopeful?

Shani: I've been doing this for a long time. I've been integrating undergraduates into research for a very long time, but seeing y'all interact with the girls in the program — and the mothers — but the girls, and just watching them watch you, right? And then, hearing their reflections afterwards, of like, "man, I see them, and I just feel like I can do that too.” It's something that we know, right? It's well researched that role models, like, are helpful with self-efficacy — you know, this idea that you have confidence, as well as interest in moving in that direction — but to see it on their faces was just different, because they were just in awe of y'all. And I'm like, “man, we put together this ridiculously talented team of ladies who are in front of these young girls, and they feel like they can conquer the world watching them.” And that just, I had to leave the room one day because, you know, I'm sniffing and getting in my feelings about it. But it just it felt really hopeful in the sense that y'all were excited, they were excited, we were excited. Everyone felt like, “I have a place. I can speak up, I can do these things, like, I'm capable.” And it just, it just felt amazing. 

Reagan: Yes, I would say that definitely keeps me motivated, especially with InventHers, for example, like you said, when we were on the last day of the program, I know I was definitely tearing up. I can be very emotional, but just seeing the moms and the daughters just burst with joy and excitement with how the program had went, something like that just keeps me motivated, knowing that we were able to do something that exposed the families to a new field of research. I remember talking to some of the moms, having them discuss that now they see engineering in a new light, and I think something like that is just very special, being able to strengthen the access to these types of engineering activities that have been historically inaccessible for communities of color — specifically, in women. And, so again, all of that just keeps me hopeful for what the future of InventHers looks like. And then, also just the future of our research in computer science education and engineering education, specifically in Durham, but then outside of Durham as well. 

So, I know you've been at Duke for some time now, what is something that you find really special about this place? Whether it's with your work with other undergraduate students or with your faculty peers?

Shani: Oh, I mean, that's easy: the students. Y’all are so special. You are engaged, you are brilliant. A lot of y'all are funny, and a lot of y'all just really care about the impact you're going to have on the world, and I find that so special because there's this theme around people and hanging out with people and doing good for people. There is always that thread in communication that I have with Duke students, and you stand a chance to really do something different in the world, and I find that lovely. 

Reagan: So, we've talked, you know about your time at Duke, your time before Duke. But if you could be remembered for one thing, what would you want it to be?

Shani: Actually, my one thing I want to be remembered for has nothing to do with research or Duke. I want to be remembered as a good mother to my current teenagers, that I did everything that I could to be a good mom to them. So, not trying to skirt the question, but that's my honest answer. 

What's next? Where are you headed next? What are you doing? You have done all of these amazing things, and I still don't know how you keep up with all of it. But like, for now, not forever, but for now. Like, what's next?

Reagan: That’s a question that I ask myself a lot right now. Again, as I'm graduating soon, I'll be moving to a new city, going to take on new endeavors in computer science. And then in the future, I really hope to keep pursuing education research through higher education, and I would love to one day be a teacher, and then one day also influence education policy. So, lots of different things here and there that I want to do, but at the core of it is centering my interest in learning about education inequities. And then looking at how these things are affecting our students and what we can do to improve the lives of the students that go through our schools.

Shani: So, to find out more about our research with L.I.F.T. Lab, you can find us on Instagram at Duke LIFT Lab. For the Alliance for Interdisciplinary Innovation in Computing Education, you can find us on Instagram, Youtube and LinkedIn — and it's AiiCE Innovates, so A, I, I, C, E innovates. 

Reagan: To find out more about what I've worked on and what I'll be working on in the future, you can find me on LinkedIn. And to find more information about the thesis we discussed on CS Sidekicks, you can find it in the Duke Thesis Database, and it's about broadening participation in computer science.

Duets is produced by Trinity College of Arts and Sciences at Duke University.

Senior Editor and Producer: Cara August, Trinity Communications
Audio Editor and Mixer: Marc Maximov
Music Composition: André Mego, T’20 | MMS ‘21
Production Sponsor: Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, Duke University
Recording Date and Location: April 2025, Bryan Center Studios