Ruijia Cheng
Empowering the public to learn about and work with data and AI
Research Abstract:
In today's digital age, programming has become an increasingly valuable skill, yet access to formal educational resources is still limited. Online communities and emerging AI technologies offer potential for informal learning contexts in programming skills; however, the effectiveness of such learning remains unclear. Additionally, understanding how programmers learn and work with AI tools is an ongoing challenge. In my doctoral research, I have conducted a series of empirical and design-based research studies that focus on community-powered and AI-assisted programming support. The insights from my research provide a range of implications for designing platform features and regulatory mechanisms that facilitate programming learning.
Bio:
Ruijia “Regina” Cheng is an AIML resident in Apple Human Centered Machine Learning. She recently defended her Ph.D. dissertation in the department of Human Centered Design and Engineering (HCDE) at University of Washington (UW). As a scholar in human-computer interaction, she works at the intersection of human-AI collaboration, social computing, and education technology. Her research has been published and recognized in prestigious HCI and AI academic communities such as CHI, CSCW, NAACL, and IDC. She holds a M.S. degree in Human-centered Design and Engineering from UW, as well as dual B.S. degrees in Cognitive Science and Mathematics from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).