Gayithri Jayathirtha

Gayithri Jayathirtha is an Assistant Professor in the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, specializing in Curriculum & Instruction. Her research focuses on integrating social justice into K-12 computing education through electronic textiles and pedagogical frameworks. She holds a Ph.D. and Master's in Learning Sciences from the University of Pennsylvania, along with a B.S. in Computer Science Engineering from Bangalore University, India.

Research Interests: Jayathirtha explores how electronic textiles can bridge technical and societal dimensions in computing education. Her work emphasizes critical engagement, equity, and teacher roles in reshaping curricula to include sociopolitical implications of technology. Key areas include computational thinking assessment, collaborative debugging, and justice-centered learning.

Publications: Since 2017, she has published extensively in ACM and IEEE conferences, focusing on topics like teacher identity in social justice, student problem-solving with e-textiles, and portfolio assessments for computational thinking. Notable works include redesigning introductory computing programs to address colonialism and bias, as well as frameworks for politicized trust in classrooms.

Scientific Contributions: Jayathirtha has co-authored studies on bugs as catalysts for peer collaboration, the invisibility of everyday computing systems, and strategies for equitable K-12 computing education. Her research often involves partnerships with educators to develop and test innovative teaching methods.

Professional Impact: Through her publications and presentations at RESPECT, SIGCSE, and ICLS conferences, Jayathirtha advocates for expanding computing education beyond technical skills to include societal implications. Her work provides practical tools for teachers to integrate critical perspectives into curricula.