Biography

Dr. Bita Akram is a teaching assistant professor with the Department of Computer Science. She has received her Ph.D. from NC State in 2019. Her research lies at the intersection of artifial intelligence and advanced learning technologies with its application on improving access and quality of CS Education. Dr. Akram has obtained her M.Sc. in computer science from University of Calgary where her research was focused on devising algorithms for conducting accurate and efficient scientific data visualization. She has earned her B.Sc. in Computer Engineering from Sharif University of Technology.

Research Areas

  • Advanced Learning Technologies
  • Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Agents
  • Data Sciences and Analytics

Education

Ph.D., Computer Science, North  Carolina State University, 2019

M.S., Computer Science, University of Calgary, 2015

B.S., Computer Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, 2013

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Publications in Conference Proceedings 

  1. Boulden, D., Houchins, J., Akram, B., Wiebe, E., Catet, V., Dong, Y., Lytle, N., Milliken, A., Barnes, T., Lester, J., Mott, B., and Boyer, K. (2019). Designing a Computational Modeling Unit for Middle Grades Science Classrooms: Grounding Decisions in Practice. To appear in the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST), Toronto, Canada.
  2. Akram, B., Min, W., Wiebe, E., Mott, B., Boyer, K., and Lester. J. (2018). “Improving Stealth Assessment in Game-based Learning with LSTM-based Analytics”. In Proceedings of the Eleventh International Conference on Educational Data Mining, pp. 208-218, Buffalo, USA. (Acceptance rate: 16%.)
  3. Akram, B., Smith, A., Smith, C., Aksit, O., Wiebe, E., and Lester. J. (2017). Computationally- Enabled Modeling Environments: Simulating Epidemic Diseases in Science Classrooms using Block-based Programming. In the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST), San Antonio, USA.
  4. Akram, B., Alim, U., and Samavati, F. (2015). CINAPACT-splines: A family of infinitely smooth, accurate and compactly supported splines. In Proceedings of the tenth International Symposium on Visual Computing, pp. 819-829, Las Vegas, USA.

     Peer-Reviewed Publications in Journals

  1. Boulden, D., Wiebe, E., Akram, B., Buffum, P., Aksit, O., Mott, B., Boyer, K., and Lester. J. (2018). Computational Thinking Integration into Middle Grades Science Classrooms: Strategies for Meeting the Challenges. Middle Grades Review: Vol. 4: Iss. 3, Article 5.

     Peer-Reviewed Publications in Workshops

  1. Catet, V., Lytle, N., Dong, Y., Boulden, D., Akram, B., Houchins, J., Barnes, T., Wiebe, E., Lester, J., Mott, B., Boyer, K. (2018). Infusing Computational Thinking into Middle Grade Science Classrooms: Lessons Learned. In Proceedings of the 13th Workshop in Primary and Secondary Computing Education, p. 21, Potsdam, Germany.

     Posters in Conference Proceedings

  1. Akram, B., Min, W., Wiebe, E., Mott, B., Boyer, K., and Lester. J. (2019). Assessing Middle School Students’ Computational Thinking Through Programming Trajectory Analysis. In the 50th ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), Minneapolis, USA, Poster Presentation

     Thesis

  1. Akram, B., (2019). Assessment of Students' Computer Science Focal Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities in Game-Based Learning Environments. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
  2. Akram, B., (2015). CINAPACT-splines: A Family of Infinitely Smooth, Accurate and Compactly Supported Splines. University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.