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My Research Agenda

My research focuses on how we assess and foster non-observable competencies (such as dispositions and character traits). Drawing on my background in both assessment and learning design, I study how these competencies are measured, how instruction can be designed to develop them, and how emerging technologies like generative AI are reshaping what competencies students need. 

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Assessment and Measurement of Dispositions

Instructional Design for Character Development

AI in Education

I investigate how dispositions and related competencies are currently defined, measured, and valued in higher education. Through systematic reviews, surveys of computing professionals and faculty, and a cross-institutional Delphi study, I work to identify what assessment approaches exist, where the gaps are, and how we can build more rigorous tools. My psychometric training, including my master's thesis on classification accuracy under item response theory, provides the methodological foundation for this work.

As part of the Engineering Character Initiative (ECI) Project at Purdue, I design and study learning experiences that aim to develop students' character development. This includes a design-based research study on interactive case studies in engineering capstone courses and an investigation into how students reason through professional dilemmas--what they prioritize, how they justify their choices, and how character traits show up in their decision-making. I also apply this work in practice through my instructional design role with FIRST Robotics mentors, creating inclusive training resources.

Generative AI is raising urgent questions about responsible use, professional judgment, and ethical decision-making. I explore this space through a meta-analysis of GenAI as instructional material, a study on how pre-service teachers engage with AI tools, and research on how computing professionals use GenAI in their work. This line connects directly to my core interest: AI is both changing the competencies students need and offering new ways to support learning.

Professional Experiences​

2026 - Ongoing

Instructional Design Intern - The Wabi Center for Youth Development, Westside Robotics, US 

  • Conducting needs assessments via interviews, surveys, and program observations to identify essential skills, effective practices, and knowledge gaps.

  • Designing and developing inclusive training modules for FIRST Robotics mentors, focusing on neurodiverse learners and equitable team practices.

  • Collaborating with leadership to plan and structure professional development workshops for volunteer mentors.

  • Translating educational research into practical mentor-facing resources on inclusion, behavioral strategies, and communication.

  • Supporting evaluation planning and implementation for mentor training initiatives.

 

2024 - Ongoing

Graduate Research Assistant and Instructional Designer - Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Purdue University, US 

  • Collaborating on the Engineering Character Initiative (ECI), a multi-institutional project focused on integrating character development into undergraduate engineering and computing courses.

  • Lead weekly design consultations with computing faculty to align learning outcomes, assessment strategies, and character-focused instructional interventions.

  • Designed and implemented three interactive case studies using H5P in engineering capstone courses; conducting a design-based research (DBR) study to evaluate their impact on students' ethical reasoning and professional decision-making.

  • Participate in a cross-institutional Delphi study.

  • Developing Open Educational Resources (OER).

  • Assisting in the redesign of technical coursework to integrate character-building elements and promote lifelong learning in professional contexts.

  • Contributing to the dissemination of project findings through academic presentations and professional publications.

  • Mentor graduate students on instructional design practices and research development.

 

2023 - 2024

Graduate Research Assistant - Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) at Purdue University, US

  • Contributed to projects such as Competency-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) and the development of Learning Contracts to enhance mentor-mentee relationships.

  • Mentored undergraduate research interns, providing guidance on research methodologies and fostering their professional growth.

  • Led qualitative data coding and analysis efforts in collaboration with undergraduate interns, identifying key themes to inform program improvements.

 

2022 - 2024

Graduate Research Assistant - Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Purdue University, US 

  • Volunteered to contributed to the NSF-funded project DEAP (DEAPening Employer-Academic Partnerships), a 3 million dollars, multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional initiative aimed at advancing competency-based education in computing.

  • Collaborated with the Purdue Competency Research Team along with faculty members and researchers from 8 universities.

  • Developed Open Educational Resources (OER) to support educators.

  • Designed a survey instrument to collect data, contributing to the project's research on improving computing curricula.

  • Conducted pilot tests for the survey instrument to ensure clarity, reliability, and validity before full deployment.​​

Peer Reviewed Publications​​

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  • Exter, M., Yakut, N., Tagare, D., & Sabin, M. (2025). WIP: How do computing professionals and faculty rank the importance of dispositions and cross-disciplinary skills? 2025 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1109/fie63693.2025.11328210

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  • Yakut, N. (2025). Work-in-progress: Systematic review of competency assessment methods in computing education. Proceedings of the 56th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, 1764–1764. https://doi.org/10.1145/3641555.3705060

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  • Yakut, N. & Önen, E. (2025). Comparison of classification accuracy and consistency indices under the item response theory. International Journal of Educational Studies and Policy, 6(1), 90–105. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15075438

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  • Exter, M., Yakut, N., Sabin, M., Tagare, D., & Ashby, I. (2024). Work in progress: Importance of dispositions on the job: Survey of computing professionals. 2024 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1109/fie61694.2024.10893432

Conference Presentations​​

  • Roodi, F., Yakut, N., Watson, W. R. (Accepted). GenAI use in computer science: Insider perspectives to inform practice [Poster Presentation]. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting (AERA), Los Angeles, CA, United States.

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  • Yakut, N., Yilmaz Yenioglu, B., Yenioglu, S., Aktan, S. (2025). Examining pre-service teachers' engagement with AI tools: Patterns, perceptions, and ethical considerations [Concurrent Session]. Association for Educational Communications and Technology Annual Meeting (AECT), Las Vegas, NV, United States.

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  • Yenioglu, S., Yilmaz Yenioglu, B., Yakut, N. (2025). AI-Driven interventions for students with learning disabilities: A future perspective [Presidential Session]. Association for Educational Communications and Technology Annual Meeting (AECT), Las Vegas, NV, United States.

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  • Yakut, N. (2025). Systematic review of disposition assessment methods in higher education [Roundtable Presentation]. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting (AERA), Denver, CO, United States.

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  • Yakut, N. (2025). Work-in-Progress: systematic review of competency assessment methods in computing education [Student Research Competition]. The Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE TS), Pittsburgh, PA, United States.

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  • Yakut, N. & Zywicki, C. (2024). Agreements, contracts, or compacts: Uncovering the expected learning in mentor-mentee relationships [Live Oral Presentation]. ConnectUR 2024 Annual Conference, virtual.

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  • Yakut, N. & Childress, A. (2024). Bridging theory and practice: Enhancing career readiness through undergraduate research [Share and Solve]. ConnectUR 2024 Annual Conference, virtual.

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  • Yakut, N. (2023). The effects of intelligent tutoring systems on students' motivation in mathematics education: A systematic literature review [Poster Presentation]. Annual Graduate Student Education Research Symposium (AGSERS), West Lafayette, IN, United States.

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  • Yakut, N. & Onen, E. (2022). The comparison of classification accuracy indices within the scope of item response theory [Paper Presentation]. International Young Researchers Congress-II (GUGAK-2022), virtual.​​​​​​​​​

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©2026 BY NURSAH YAKUT

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