Hiring CS Graduates: What We Learned from Employers

Computer science ( CS ) majors are in high demand and account for a large part of national computer and information technology job market applicants. Employment in this sector is projected to grow 12% between 2018 and 2028, which is faster than the average of all other occupations. Published data are available on traditional non-computer science-specific hiring processes. However, the hiring process for CS majors may be different. It is critical to have up-to-date information on questions such as “what positions are in high demand for CS majors?,” “what is a typical hiring process?,” and “what do employers say they look for when hiring CS graduates?” This article discusses the analysis of a survey of 218 recruiters hiring CS graduates in the United States. We used Atlas.ti to analyze qualitative survey data and report the results on what positions are in the highest demand, the hiring process, and the resume review process. Our study revealed that a software developer was the most common job the recruiters were looking to fill. We found that the hiring process steps for CS graduates are generally aligned with traditional hiring steps, with an additional emphasis on technical and coding tests. Recruiters reported that their hiring choices were based on reviewing resume’s experience, GPA, and projects sections. The results provide insights into the hiring process, decision making, resume analysis, and some discrepancies between current undergraduate CS program outcomes and employers’ expectations.

Family Self-Sufficiency Program Outcomes for Participants Enrolling During and After the Great Recession

Utilizing administrative data from the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program operated by the Denver Housing Authority, four program outcomes, (a) savings and escrow growth, (b) credit and debt reduction, (c) employment and earnings, and (d) positive exits from subsidized housing, are examined to assess if any differences exist between participants ( n = 424) who enrolled during or after the Great Recession. Propensity score matching with replacement was employed to match FSS enrollees. Compared to post-Great Recession enrollees, results suggest that enrollees entering the program during the Great Recession were more likely to reduce their monthly contractual debt and derogatory debt, increase monthly earned income, and remain in the FSS Program longer. Findings suggest that attaining participant financial capability goals is possible during severe economic shocks and may provide vulnerable families with additional capacity to weather such shocks.

Music Education and Postgraduate Study: The Case of Dokuz Eylül University

The purposes of this study are to shed light on postgraduate education in Music Teaching and draw inferences about the future by evaluating the Music Teaching Postgraduate Program in Dokuz Eylul University Institute of Educational Sciences. The research is a qualitative study modelled with a single-case embedded study. In accordance with the interlocking single case pattern, the Music Education graduate program was examined by focusing on student, graduate, faculty member, theses. The opinions of 10 students, 23 graduates and 6 faculty members were taken to evaluate the program, and 57 master’s and 20 doctoral theses were examined. As a result of the content analysis,opinions were collected under four main categories. These categories are defined as “institutional goals”, “content”, “program outputs” and “updates”. In the category of program outcomes, the theses were evaluated according to various categories and the professional orientations of the graduates were statistically shared. According to the results of the research, the following conclusions were made: students should be informed at the beginning of the program in order to understand the vision and mission of the institution and to make the process they spent in the education process meaningful; A “scientific research in music education” course should be added to the program in order to conduct qualified research in the field of music education; subjects and research groups in theses should be diversified; faculty members should be role models in preparing thesis and academic studies for their advisors; graduate programs should be updated according to the needs of the time and society.

Process-Outcome Relationships and Solution-Based Goal-Setting Interventions With Grandparent Caregivers

The present study examines the impact of change processes on outcomes in a solution-based thinking and goal-setting intervention for grandparents raising their grandchildren. We found that across the 6 program sessions there was stability and/or increases in the salience of hypothesized change processes, i.e., hopefulness about the future, solution-based thinking, positive thoughts about one's grandchild, multiple indicators of decisional personal goal-setting regarding one's own well-being and grandchild relationship quality. Indicators of change processes were for the most part, related to both post-program outcomes as well as to pre-post program outcome difference scores. Regression analyses suggested that change processes in many cases partially mediated pre-post primary program outcome scores. These data suggest that how grandmother caregivers think about themselves and their grandchildren and their approach to setting personal goals are key change processes explaining the impact of a solution-based, goal-setting intervention on them.

A Transitional Care Model for Veterans With Complex Needs During COVID: The Behavioral Recovery Outreach (BRO) Team

The Veterans Health Administration’s Care for Patients with Complex Problems (CP)2 Program developed a national infrastructure to disseminate promising practice models to improve care for Veterans with complex medical, mental health, and/or neurocognitive conditions, who may also have behaviors disruptive to care. A strategic priority is improving safe and effective transitions to community care for Veterans with complex care needs, many of whom have historically been limited to VA settings as a result of behavioral concerns. The Behavioral Recovery Outreach (BRO) Team was the first model identified for national dissemination and evaluation at partner sites. Developed at VA Central Iowa, BRO is an interdisciplinary team model that identifies Veterans in long-term VA care settings with complex care needs to engage in individualized behavioral programing to manage/stabilize behaviors and safely transition them to more appropriate and less costly community settings. This symposium will describe the BRO team model, highlight the facilitators and barriers to nationally disseminating the BRO model with VA partner facilities, discuss adaptations in continuing community transitions following the COVID-19 pandemic, and describe program outcomes. The first speaker will discuss development of the BRO model and outcomes of a regional dissemination. The second speaker will present results from the program evaluation of the national dissemination. The final speaker will describe BRO Team expansion and lessons learned from the perspective of a VA partner facility. The (CP)2 Program Director will integrate findings and highlight implications for scaling and evaluating promising models for national dissemination for policy, practice, and future research.

The impact of the Caring Callers Program on Senior Companion Volunteers and Clients During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the Caring Callers Program on older adults and volunteers. Our research team piloted this telephone reassurance program during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Caring Callers Program, socially isolated older adults were paired with older adult volunteers from the Senior Companion Program (20 pairs). Methods In the Caring Callers Program, Senior Companion volunteers provided the clients with emotional support through a weekly phone call over the 12 weeks period (May through July 2020). Prior to the intervention implementation, the volunteers received a two-hour group-based training through a teleconference platform. Program outcomes were measured through quantitative and qualitative approaches. Results The clients (mean age=73.5) showed significantly increased overall self-rated health at post-test, compared to pre-test and they discussed social and emotional benefits. The clients were very satisfied with the program and indicated that the program met their expectations. Our individual, in-depth interviews with the volunteers (mean age=73.2) also revealed that the volunteers were able to develop their skills that are helpful for their Senior Companion volunteer activities and experience mutual benefits by spending their time more purposefully. Overall, our participants shared that they wanted to continue participating in the Caring Callers Program. Discussion We learned the importance of training not only for the volunteers but also for the clients, prior information on their pair, making sure of the volunteer-client fit, and benefits of using telephone particularly in this group of vulnerable older adults.

Outcome Priorities Among Evidence-Based Dementia Caregiving Programs: A Closer Look

Currently, the Best Practice Caregiving website provides information on 231 published studies from 44 dementia caregiving evidence-based programs that have demonstrated beneficial outcomes for dementia caregivers within health care and community-based settings. Across all programs, a total of 34 biopsychosocial outcomes were identified. Supported by the commonly used stress-related frameworks (e.g., Stress-Health Process, Cognitive Behavioral Theory) for which the programs were developed, the most frequently utilized program outcomes included: 1) Caregiver stress, strain, and/or burden (84.1%); 2) Caregiver depressive symptomology (79.5%); and 3) Caregiving efficacy, skills, and/or confidence (63.6%). The least common programmatic outcomes included: 1) Access to support information/Community service use (9.1%); 2) Unmet needs (6.8%); and 3) Respite/break from care (2.3%). The lesser utilized outcomes provide critical insight into current evidence-based programmatic priorities and ways in which professionals can seek to fill gaps in dementia caregiving interventions. Discussion will also focus on future directions of caregiver-related outcome assessments.

Connecticut’s Veterans-Directed Care Program Outcomes Compared to HCBS Waiver Participants: HCBS CAHPS Results

Connecticut (CT) Veterans Directed Home and Community Based Services Program (VDC) is an innovative Veterans Administration (VA) services option providing veterans at risk of institutionalization with person-centered consumer-directed long-term services and supports at home. Funded by an Administration for Community Living grant, the CT Department of Aging and Disability Services partnered with the VA, the five CT Area Agencies on Aging, and UConn Health Center on Aging (UConn). UConn researchers conducted the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems in Home and Community Based Services (HCBS CAHPS) survey with VDC participants (n=36) from October 2019 through March 2020. The standardized, validated HCBS CAHPS survey, which Connecticut administers to individuals in most CT Medicaid HCBS programs, is a universal, cross-disability tool to assess/improve the quality of HCBS programs. Analyses compared VDC participants’ program experiences to survey results from individuals in the Connecticut Home Care Program (CHCP) (for older adults) (n=629), Personal Care Assistance (PCA) (n=282), and Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) (n=327) waiver programs. Notably, more VDC participants (91%) knew who their support broker was, compared to CHCP, ABI, and PCA (82%, 79%, and 72%, respectively) who knew their case manager; 91% of VDC participants gave their support broker the highest rating, compared to 66% to 74% of participants in other programs who rated their case manager. This study provides strong evidence that the CT VDC program is positively impacting veterans and that the AAAs and support brokers are effectively helping them receive the HCBS they need in a consumer-directed way.