Faculty Profile for Dr. Vicki Almstrum

profile photo for Dr. Vicki Almstrum
Dr. Vicki Almstrum
Lecturer — Computer Science
CMAL 211
phone: (512) 245-3409
Scholarly/Creative Work
Awards
Grants
Service

Biography Section

Biography and Education

 Vicki Almstrum was born in Nebraska and grew up there and in Arizona. She earned two post-secondary degrees from Arizona State University (B.A. Math Education and M.A. Mathematics), then worked in industry for 8 years (Motorola in the Phoenix area then Philips Electronics in Järfälla, Sweden). After living in Sweden for four years, she moved back to the United States and earned two degrees at the University of Texas at Austin (M.S. in CS and Ph.D. in CS education). Since graduating, she has been on the faculty for two departments at The University of Texas at Austin (Computer Sciences and Electrical Engineering), the Department of Computer Systems at Uppsala University in Sweden, the Game Developer degree program for DeVry University in Austin, TX, and Strayer University in Austin, TX. Her professional interests include research into how people learn and teach topics in computing, methods for capturing the history of the computing field, and actions needed to attract and retain underrepresented groups in STEM areas.

Teaching Interests

 Software Engineering; Computer Ethics; Research Methods; Computer Science Education Research

Research Interests

 Research into learning and teaching computer science topics; methods of historical preservation and presentation

Selected Scholarly/Creative Work

  • Almstrum, V. L., Henderson, P. B., Harvey, V., Heeren, C., Marion, W., Riedesel, C., … Tew, A. E. (2006). Concept Inventories in Computer Science for the Topic Discrete Mathematics Working Group Report. In SIGCSE Bulletin (Vol. 38, pp. 132–145).
  • Almstrum, V. L. (2006). Men are from toys: women are from tools.
  • Almstrum, V. L., Barker, L. J., Owens, B. B., Adams, E., Aspray, W., Dale, N. B., … Schwartzman, L. (2005). Building a Sense of History: Narratives and Pathways of Women Computing Educators Working Group Report. In Inroads – SIGCSE Bulletin, 37, 173–189.
  • Almstrum, V. L. (2005). What attracts women to CS?
  • Almstrum, V. L. (2005). Challenges to Computer Science Education Research. In SIGCSE Bulletin inroads (Vol. 37, p. 191).

Selected Awards

  • Award / Honor Recipient: Outstanding Service Learning Faculty Award, The University of Texas Volunteer and Service Learning Center and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library. 2006
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Provost's Professional Development Award. 2006
  • Award / Honor Nominee: Service Award, College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin. 1999
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Teaching Excellence Award, College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin. 1999
  • Award / Honor Recipient: , ACM Student Programming Contest. 1980

Selected Grants

  • Almstrum, Vicki Lynn. ACM SIGCSE Special Project Grant — Computing Educators Oral History Project (CEOHP) Growth: Awardee Interviews and Website Update, $5000. (Funded: May 2017). Grant.
  • Almstrum, Vicki Lynn. The University of Texas at Austin UTOPIA Project, S2S UTOPIA Project, $10000. (Funded: 2004). Grant.
  • Almstrum, Vicki Lynn. Tivoli Center of Excellence Grant, $10000. (Funded: 2001). Grant.
  • Almstrum, Vicki Lynn. Tivoli Center of Excellence Grant, $10000. (Funded: 2000). Grant.
  • Almstrum, Vicki Lynn. FAST-TEX Grant (UT Austin ACITS Center for Instructional Technologies Multimedia Lab), $1000. (Funded: 2000). Grant.

Selected Service Activities

Member
ACM History Committee
December 2015-Present
Member
ACM Committee for the Karlstrom Award
January 1, 2024-December 31, 2028
Web Team leader
Electronic media strategist for SWEA (Swedish Women’s Educational Association)
2008-Present
Steering Committee member
Rosedale Neighborhood Association
1996-Present
Electronic Communications Coordinator
Rosedale Neighborhood Association
1996-Present