Designing Sustainable and Scalable Models for Community-Based Computing Engagement: A Human-Centred Approach

About the Project

These projects are open to students worldwide, but have no funding attached. Therefore, the successful applicant will be expected to fund tuition fees at the relevant level (home or international) and any applicable additional research costs. Please consider this before applying.

Despite growing investment in computing education, widening participation in computing and STEM remains a persistent challenge. Many young people, particularly those from underrepresented or disadvantaged backgrounds, still lack equitable access to meaningful, creative, and sustained opportunities to engage with computing. While interventions such as the BBCmicrobit, LEGO Education, and Code Club have demonstrated the potential of hands-on, tangible learning to spark curiosity and develop computational thinking, these projects often rely on short-term funding or isolated champions. As a result, there remains a pressing need to understand how such initiatives can be designed and embedded sustainably within communities and educational ecosystems.

This PhD project builds directly on The Library of Inspiration (LOI), a widening-participation initiative funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Diversity Impact Programme. The LOI provides a collection of take-home ‘inspiration kits’ designed to foster enthusiasm for STEM through playful, creative, and inclusive experiences. Each kit contains activities, instructions, and profiles of diverse role models, including women in technology and engineering, inspire learners and challenge stereotypes. Initial findings have shown that these kits successfully engage pupils, particularly those in S1–S3, by extending learning beyond the classroom and empowering them to explore technology at their own pace.

The proposed doctoral research will investigate how community-based computing initiatives like LOI can move from isolated outreach projects toward sustainable, scalable models of engagement that link schools, libraries, colleges, and universities.

The aim is to identify the conditions under which these initiatives can thrive, evolve, and reach learners most likely to be excluded from traditional computing pathways.

Guided by Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Computing Education Research frameworks, the project will adopt a human-centred, participatory design approach to co-create new models for sustainable engagement. The study will explore three core research questions:

1. What social, organisational, and technological factors enable the sustainability and scalability of informal computing engagement initiatives such as the Library of Inspiration, micro:bit, and LEGO Education?
2. How can participatory and co-design methods involving pupils, teachers, librarians, and university partners foster inclusive, community-driven learning ecosystems?
3. What role can digital tools, platforms, and data visualisation play in supporting collaboration, sharing, and
4. evaluation across diverse institutions?

Methodologically, the PhD will employ design-based research and participatory action research, working with multiple community partners to iteratively design, test, and refine engagement models. Longitudinal case studies across schools and libraries will provide insight into contextual factors affecting sustainability, teacher engagement and learner outcomes.

Expected outputs include a framework of design principles for sustainable community-based computing education, practical tools to support resource sharing, and policy recommendations for scaling regional or national outreach programmes.

Decisions will be based on academic merit. The successful applicant should have, or expect to obtain, a UK Honours Degree at 2.1 (or equivalent) in Computing Science. We encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities, and are committed to having a diverse, inclusive team.

Informal enquiries can be made by contacting Dr Meharg (debbie.meharg@abdn.ac.uk)

Application Procedure:

Formal applications can be completed online: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/pgap/login.php.

You should apply for Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Computing Science to ensure your application is passed to the correct team for processing.

Please clearly note the name of the lead supervisor and project title on the application form. If you do not include these details, it may not be considered for the project.

Your application must include: A personal statement, an up-to-date copy of your academic CV, and clear copies of your educational certificates and transcripts.

Please note: you do not need to provide a research proposal with this application.

If you require any additional assistance in submitting your application or have any queries about the application process, please don't hesitate to contact us at researchadmissions@abdn.ac.uk

Funding Notes

This is a self-funding project open to students worldwide. Our typical start dates for this programme are February or October.

Fees for this programme can be found here Finance and Funding | Study Here | The University of Aberdeen