Angela Zavaleta Bernuy

Angela Zavaleta is an Assistant Professor at McMaster University and a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto. Her research is at the intersection of computing education and human-computer interaction, with a focus on intelligent educational technologies. She explores behavioural interventions, ethical experimentation, and interactive tools to better understand and support student learning in computing.

Papers

2026

54.Rita Garcia, Brian Harrington, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy."'If You Don't Know, Just Ask': How New Graduates Demonstrate Non-Technical Skills and Behaviours in the Workplace" Proceedings of the 31st ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 1. (2026).[doi][]
53.Muniya Fallah, Nicholas Ching, Jessica Wen, Naaz Sibia, Andrew Petersen, Michael Liut, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy."Exploring Language-Based Differences in Student Reflection" Proceedings of the 31st ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 2. (2026).[doi][]
52.Valeria Ramirez Osorio, Ido Ben Haim, Ahmed Ashraf, Mohammad Mahmoud, Peter Dixon, Bogdan Simion, Michael Liut, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy."Investigating the Impact of Student Usage of Generative AI Tools in Computing Courses" Proceedings of the 31st ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 1. (2026).[doi][]
51.Naaz Sibia, Jessica Wen, Bogdan Simion, Andrew Petersen, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Michael Liut."Non-Native English Speakers in CS1: Expectancy, Value, and Belonging" Proceedings of the 31st ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 1. (2026).[doi][]
50.Naaz Sibia, Jessica Wen, Zeling Zhang, Runlong Ye, Joshua D. A. Jung, Ilya Musabirov, Bogdan Simion, C. Suárez, Paul Vrbik, Andrew Petersen, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Michael Liut."SQL Beyond Querying: Enhancing SQL Learning with Schema and Data Management" Proceedings of the 31st ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 1. (2026).[doi][]
49.Brian Harrington, Katherine Lambert, Leon Lee, Rohita Nalluri, Seyed Sadra Setarehdan, Anagha Vadarevu, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy."Student Perceptions of Alternative Evaluation in an Introductory Programming Course" Proceedings of the 31st ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 1. (2026).[doi][]
48.Rita Garcia, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Dennis J. Bouvier, Sarah Heckman, B. Kern, Sophia Krause-Levy, Michael Liut, U. Nasir, Yuhan Pan, Juliane Sperling."Towards a Comprehensive Understanding of Replication in Computing Education" Proceedings of the 31st ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 2. (2026).[doi][]
47.Naaz Sibia, Jessica Wen, Amber Richardson, Yashika Jain, Khushi Malik, Bogdan Simion, Carolina Nobre, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Andrew Petersen, Michael Liut."Code as Anchor, Memory and Metaphor as Support: Learner Experiences with Multi-View Visualizations" (2026).[doi][]
46.Runlong Ye, Naaz Sibia, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Tingting Zhu, Carolina Nobre, Viktoria Pammer-Schindler, Michael Liut."From Toil to Thought: Designing for Strategic Exploration and Responsible AI in Systematic Literature Reviews" Proceedings of the 31st International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces. (2026).[doi][]

2025

45.Naaz Sibia, Jessica Wen, Amber Richardson, Yashika Jain, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Bogdan Simion, Andrew Petersen, Carolina Nobre, Michael Liut."From State to Structure: Towards Abstraction Support in CS2" Proceedings of the 25th Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research. (2025).[doi][]
44.Caroline Pechenik, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Selina Marianna Shah, Shirley de Wit, Dr. Emmanuel Kolog Awuni, Oscar Karnalim, M. Farghally, C. Suárez, Jack Parkinson, Leo Porter, Rodrigo Duran, Paul Vrbik, Brian Harrington, Lisa Zhang, Michael Liut, Andrew Petersen."The Impostor Phenomenon in the Global Computing Graduate Student Population" Proceedings of the ACM Global on Computing Education Conference 2025 Vol 1. (2025).[doi][]
43.Naaz Sibia, Valeria Ramirez Osorio, Jessica Wen, Rutwa Engineer, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Andrew Petersen, Michael Liut, Carolina Nobre."From Code to Concept: Evaluating Multiple Coordinated Views in Introductory Programming" ArXiv. (2025).[doi][]
42.Brian Harrington, K. Lambert, Leon Lee, Rohita Nalluri, Seyed Sadra Setarehdan, Anagha Vadarevu, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy."Skills-Based Evaluation in an Introductory Data Management Programming Course for Non Computing Majors" Proceedings of the 4th International Workshop on Data Systems Education: Bridging Education Practice with Education Research. (2025).[doi][]
41.Inaas Asad, Naaz Sibia, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Michael Liut, Thomas W. Price, Andrew Petersen."A Comparison of On-Demand Hints and Progress Bar Feedback on Programming Exercises" Proceedings of the 30th ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 2. (2025).[doi][]
40.Jessica Wen, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Naaz Sibia, Andrew Petersen, Michael Liut."Enhancing Self-Explanation in Student Learning Through Large Language Models" Proceedings of the 30th ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 2. (2025).[doi][]
39.Jessica Wen, Bianca Arteaga Alvarez, Jorge Moreno Velasco, Naaz Sibia, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Carlos Suarez Hernandez, Andrew Petersen, Michael Liut."Self-Explanations: Does Timing Matter?" Proceedings of the 30th ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 2. (2025).[doi][]
38.Oluwaseun Owojaiye, Ahila Ramesh Rajamani, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, C. Anand."ShapeCreator Mobile: Practicing Coding at Home in Low-Resource Environments" Proceedings of the 30th ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 2. (2025).[doi][]
37.Naaz Sibia, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Amber Richardson, Khushi Malik, Prajna Pendharkar, Carolina Nobre, Michael Liut, Andrew Petersen."Reducing Isolation through Peer-Modeled Posts" Proceedings of the 56th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 2. (2025).[doi][]
36.Brian Harrington, Aditya Kulkarni, Rohita Nalluri, Anagha Vadarevu, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy."Literature Mapping: A Scaffolded, Scalable, Low-Overhead Undergraduate Research Experience" Proceedings of the 56th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 1. (2025).[doi][]
35.Valeria Ramirez Osorio, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Bogdan Simion, Michael Liut."Understanding the Impact of Using Generative AI Tools in a Database Course" Proceedings of the 56th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 1. (2025).[doi][]
34.Rita Garcia, A. Csizmadia, Janice L. Pearce, B. Alshaigy, Olga Glebova, Brian Harrington, Konstantinos Liaskos, S. Lunn, Bonnie K. Mackellar, U. Nasir, Raymond Pettit, Sandra Schulz, Craig Stewart, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy."An International Examination of Non-Technical Skills and Professional Dispositions in Computing -- Identifying the Present Day Academia-Industry Gap" 2024 Working Group Reports on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education. (2025).[doi][]

2024

33.Naaz Sibia, Valeria Ramirez Osorio, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Efthimia Aivaloglou, Rutwa Engineer, Andrew Petersen, Michael Liut, Carolina Nobre."Exploring the Impact of Multiple Representations in Introductory Programming: A Pilot Study" Proceedings of the 24th Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research. (2024).[doi][]
32.Naaz Sibia, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Tiana V. Simovic, Chloe Huang, Yinyue Tan, Eun-Kyung Seong, Carolina Nobre, Daniel Zingaro, Michael Liut, Andrew Petersen."Exploring the Effects of Grouping by Programming Experience in Q&A Forums" Proceedings of the 2024 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research - Volume 1. (2024).[doi][]
31.Rita Garcia, A. Csizmadia, Janice L. Pearce, B. Alshaigy, Olga Glebova, Brian Harrington, Konstantinos Liaskos, S. Lunn, Bonnie K. Mackellar, U. Nasir, Raymond Pettit, T. Prickett, Sandra Schulz, Craig Stewart, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy."All for One and One for All - Collaboration in Computing Education: Policy, Practice, and Professional Dispositions" Proceedings of the 2024 on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 2. (2024).[doi][]
30.Harsh Kumar, Suhyeon Yoo, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Jiakai Shi, Huayin Luo, J. J. Williams, A. Kuzminykh, Ashton Anderson, Rachel Kornfield."Large Language Model Agents for Improving Engagement with Behavior Change Interventions: Application to Digital Mindfulness" Proceedings of the ACM on human-computer interaction. (2024).[doi][]
29.Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Naaz Sibia, Pan Chen, Jessica Jia-Ni Xu, Elexandra Tran, Runlong Ye, Viktoria Pammer-Schindler, Andrew Petersen, J. Williams, Michael Liut."Does the Medium Matter? An Exploration of Voice-Interaction for Self-Explanations" Proceedings of the 2024 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference. (2024).[doi][]
28.Naaz Sibia, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Elexandra Tran, Jessica Jia-Ni Xu, J. Williams, Andrew Petersen, Michael Liut."Exploring Self-Explanations in a Flipped Database Course" Proceedings of the 3rd International Workshop on Data Systems Education: Bridging education practice with education research. (2024).[doi][]
27.Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Andrew Chung, A. Hodge, Ayesha Tayyiba, Michael Liut, Andrew Petersen."Student Transitions Through an Entire Computing Program" Proceedings of the 26th Western Canadian Conference on Computing Education. (2024).[doi][]
26.Giang Bui, Nicholas Susanto, Naaz Sibia, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Michael Liut, Andrew Petersen."Do Hints Enhance Learning in Programming Exercises? Exploring Students' Problem-Solving and Interactions" Proceedings of the 55th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 2. (2024).[doi][]
25.Naaz Sibia, Giang Bui, Bingcheng Wang, Yinyue Tan, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, C. Bauer, J. Williams, Michael Liut, Andrew Petersen."Examining Intention to Major in Computer Science: Perceived Potential and Challenges" Proceedings of the 55th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 1. (2024).[doi][]
24.Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Runlong Ye, Naaz Sibia, Rohita Nalluri, J. Williams, Andrew Petersen, Erick Smith, Bogdan Simion, Michael Liut."Student Interaction with Instructor Emails in Introductory and Upper-Year Computing Courses" Proceedings of the 55th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 1. (2024).[doi][]

2023

23.B. Ericson, Janice L. Pearce, Susan H. Rodger, A. Csizmadia, Rita Garcia, Francisco J. Gutierrez, Konstantinos Liaskos, Aadarsh Padiyath, M. Scott, David H. Smith, J. Warriem, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy."Multi-Institutional Multi-National Studies of Parsons Problems" Proceedings of the 2023 Working Group Reports on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education. (2023).[doi][]
22.Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Runlong Ye, Elexandra Tran, Naaz Sibia, Abhijoy Mandal, Hammad Shaikh, Bogdan Simion, Michael Liut, Andrew Petersen, J. Williams."Do Students Read Instructor Emails? A Case Study of Intervention Email Open Rates" Proceedings of the 23rd Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research. (2023).[doi][]
21.Ilya Musabirov, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Pan Chen, Michael Liut, J. Williams."Opportunities for Adaptive Experiments to Enable Continuous Improvement in Computer Science Education" Proceedings of the 26th Western Canadian Conference on Computing Education. (2023).[doi][]
20.Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Anna Ly, Brian Harrington, Michael Liut, Sadia Sharmin, Lisa Zhang, Andrew Petersen.""I Am Not Enough": Impostor Phenomenon Experiences of University Students" Proceedings of the 2023 Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 1. (2023).[doi][]
19.Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Jessica Jia-Ni Xu, Naaz Sibia, J. Williams, Andrew Petersen, Michael Liut."Self-Explanation Modality: Effects on Student Performance?" Proceedings of the 2023 Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 2. (2023).[doi][]
18.Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Naaz Sibia, Pan Chen, Chloe Huang, Andrew Petersen, J. Williams, Michael Liut."VoiceEx: Voice Submission System for Interventions in Education" Proceedings of the 2023 Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 2. (2023).[doi][]
17.Naaz Sibia, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, J. Williams, Michael Liut, Andrew Petersen."Student Usage of Q&A Forums: Signs of Discomfort?" Proceedings of the 2023 Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 1. (2023).[doi][]
16.Mustafa Hafeez, Anand Karki, Yara Radwan, A. Saha, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy."Evaluating the Efficacy and Impacts of Remote Pair Programming for Introductory Computer Science Students" Proceedings of the 25th Western Canadian Conference on Computing Education. (2023).[doi][]
15.Mohi Reza, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, E. Liu, Tong Li, Zhongyuan Liang, Calista K Barber, J. Williams."Exam Eustress: Designing Brief Online Interventions for Helping Students Identify Positive Aspects of Stress" Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. (2023).[doi][]
14.Giang Bui, Naaz Sibia, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Michael Liut, Andrew Petersen."Prior Programming Experience: A Persistent Performance Gap in CS1 and CS2" Proceedings of the 54th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 1. (2023).[doi][]
13.Ilya Musabirov, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Pan Chen, Michael Liut, J. Williams."Opportunities for Adaptive Experiments to Enable Continuous Improvement that Trades-off Instructor and Researcher Incentives" ArXiv. (2023).[doi][]

2022

12.Runlong Ye, Pan Chen, Yini Mao, Angela Wang-Lin, Hammad Shaikh, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, J. Williams."Behavioral Consequences of Reminder Emails on Students’ Academic Performance: a Real-world Deployment" Proceedings of the 23rd Annual Conference on Information Technology Education. (2022).[doi][]
11.Fernando J. Yanez, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Ziwen Han, Michael Liut, Anna N. Rafferty, J. Williams."Increasing Students' Engagement to Reminder Emails Through Multi-Armed Bandits" ArXiv. (2022).[doi][]
10.Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Q. Zheng, Hammad Shaikh, Jacob Nogas, Anna N. Rafferty, Andrew Petersen, J. Williams."Using Adaptive Experiments to Rapidly Help Students" ArXiv. (2022).[doi][]
9.Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Ziwen Han, Hammad Shaikh, Qiming Zheng, Lisa-Angelique Lim, Anna N. Rafferty, Andrew Petersen, J. Williams."How can Email Interventions Increase Students’ Completion of Online Homework? A Case Study Using A/B Comparisons" LAK22: 12th International Learning Analytics and Knowledge Conference. (2022).[doi][]
8.Pan Chen, Naaz Sibia, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Michael Liut, J. Williams."Investigating the Impact of Voice Response Options in Surveys" Proceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 2. (2022).[doi][]
7.Ilya Musabirov, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Michael Liut, J. Williams."A Case Study in Opportunities for Adaptive Experiments to Enable Rapid Continuous Improvement" Proceedings of the 54th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 2. (2022).[doi][]
6.J. Williams, Nathan Laundry, Ilya Musabirov, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Michael Liut."Designing, Deploying, and Analyzing Adaptive Educational Field Experiments" Proceedings of the 54th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 2. (2022).[doi][]
5.Giang Bui, Bingcheng Wang, Naaz Sibia, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Andrew Petersen."Differences in Intention to Major in Computing Across CS1" Proceedings of the 54th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 2. (2022).[doi][]
4.Mustafa Hafeez, Anand Karki, Yara Radwan, A. Saha, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Brian Harrington."Evaluating Solo vs Pair Programming in an Online Setting for Introductory Programming Students" Proceedings of the 54th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 2. (2022).[doi][]
3.Elexandra Tran, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Bogdan Simion, Michael Liut, Andrew Petersen, J. Williams."Investigating Subject Lines Length on Students' Email Open Rates" Proceedings of the 54th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 2. (2022).[doi][]
2.Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Anna Ly, Brian Harrington, Michael Liut, Andrew Petersen, Sadia Sharmin, Lisa Zhang."Additional Evidence for the Prevalence of the Impostor Phenomenon in Computing" Proceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education - Volume 1. (2022).[doi][]

2021

1.Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Q. Zheng, Hammad Shaikh, Andrew Petersen, J. Williams."Investigating the Impact of Online Homework Reminders Using Randomized A/B Comparisons" Proceedings of the 52nd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education. (2021).[doi][]

Posters

2025

2.Jessica Wen, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Naaz Sibia, Andrew Petersen, Michael Liut."Enhancing Self-Explanation in Student Learning Through Large Language Models" Proceedings of the 30th ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 2. (2025).[doi][]
1.Jessica Wen, Bianca Arteaga Alvarez, Jorge Moreno Velasco, Naaz Sibia, Angela Zavaleta Bernuy, Carlos Suarez Hernandez, Andrew Petersen, Michael Liut."Self-Explanations: Does Timing Matter?" Proceedings of the 30th ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 2. (2025).[doi][]