Tim Ransom

1. About me
- 1.1. Present
- 1.2. Background
2. Research Interests
3. Upcoming Talks
4. Awards and Grants
5. Publications
6. Conference Presentations
7. Teaching
- 7.1. Office Hours, Fall 2026
- 7.2. Courses Taught
8. Software Projects
9. Links
10. CV
11. Pictures
12. License

1. About me

1.1. Present

I am a Lecturer (Faculty of Instruction) in the Clemson University School of Computing, where I teach computing ethics, applied data science, and introductory computing, and advise undergraduate computing majors. I finished my PhD in computer science education in Clemson's Engineering and Science Education department in 2025.

1.2. Background

My PhD is in computer science education from the Clemson Engineering and Science Education department, I have a masters degree in computer science from Clemson University, and two bachelors from Appalachian State University in computer science and computational mathematics.

Before joining the faculty I worked as an education research methodologist with the University of Kentucky, a data analyst with the University of South Carolina, and a software engineering intern with the U.S. Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center.

2. Research Interests

My dissertation, Becoming A Computer Scientist (2025), investigated the experiences of computer science undergraduate students developing their professional identities. What does it mean to them to become computer scientists?

Current and "side" projects include:

AI in computing and engineering education
curriculum analytics with the MIDFIELD dataset
natural language processing of social media
ethics education in STEM
developing interdisciplinary communities of practice
interdisciplinary curriculum analysis
computational thinking development
technology in classrooms

3. Upcoming Talks

October 8, 2026: AI, Ethics, and You, public talk in the Explain It Like I'm Drinking series, Kite Hill Brewing, Clemson
October 29, 2026: Leveraging AI to Redesign Assignments, CECAS KEEN Bites & Insights workshop

4. Awards and Grants

2026: CECAS KEEN Accelerate Community of Practice Facilitator
2026: Co-PI, Clemson Media Forensics Hub Seed Grant (submitted)
2026: Co-PI, IMLS National Leadership Grant proposal, Project BRIDGE
2025: Clemson Libraries Open Educational Resources (OER) Award, for Applied Data Science
2024: IEEE Frontiers in Education New Faculty Fellow

5. Publications

Selected papers; the full list is in my CV.

2026: Ransom & Damas, WIP: Vectorized Interdisciplinary Overlap between STEM Domains using the MIDFIELD Dataset, ASEE Annual Conference
2026: Boyer et al., Expanding Implementation of an AI Conversational Agent to Support Troubleshooting in an Engineering Lab Environment, ASEE Annual Conference
2025: Anoop et al., Adapting Instructional Labs for Remote Delivery During the COVID-19 Pandemic, ASEE Computers in Education Journal
2025: Ismail et al., AI Chatbot for Enhancing Troubleshooting in Engineering Labs, ASEE Annual Conference
2024: Shakour, Ransom, et al., Learning from the COVID-19 pandemic: Improving academic continuity in workforce development programs, New Directions for Community Colleges
2024: Ransom, Damas & Boyer, WIP: Detecting Computing-Enabled Interdisciplinary Domains Using the MIDFIELD Data Set, Frontiers in Education
2024: Ransom, Boyer & Huff, WIP: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of Computer Science Undergraduate Student Professional Identity Development, Frontiers in Education
2024: Ransom et al., Exploring the Role of Self-Efficacy in Entrepreneurial Decision-Making: An Action Research Study, ASEE Annual Conference
2024: Ransom, Sims & Manning, Community Cultural Wealth from an Engineering and Science Education Department, ASEE Southeastern Section
2019: Davis, Hirst, Pardo & Ransom, Reverse mathematics and colorings of hypergraphs, Archive for Mathematical Logic

6. Conference Presentations

SSERC 2024: A Quantitative Ethnography of Computer Scientist Identity
XDBER 2023: Topic modeling communities of practice to identify learning barriers
SSERC 2023: A community of practice for STEM education graduate students: Lunch and Learn
SSERC 2022: Leveraging mathematics identity in pursuit of computing identity: a literature review

7. Teaching

I see teaching as bringing novice computer scientists into the wider computing community, so professional responsibility and ethics sit alongside technical skills in every course I teach. My classes lean on collaborative, community-oriented learning: frequent pair work with rotating partners, and regular anonymous check-ins so students can shape how the course runs. I reflect on my practice using Korthagen's ALACT model and design courses against the Quality Matters rubric.

"He always checked on everyone and was able to help every student. He also treated everyone with respect and made everyone feel heard." (student evaluation)

7.1. Office Hours, Fall 2026

Mondays 9:00–10:00 AM and Tuesdays 9:00–11:00 AM in McAdams Hall 129. No appointment needed; email me if neither time works.

7.2. Courses Taught

Computing, Ethics, and Global Society (CPSC 2920): Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Fall 2025, Fall 2026
Applied Data Science (CPSC 4300/6300): Spring 2025, Spring 2026
Applied Data Science, online M.S. (CPSC 6300): Spring 2025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026, Fall 2026
Computational Thinking (CPSC 1210): Fall 2023, Fall 2025
Introduction to Programming in Python (CPSC 1050): Spring 2026
Software Engineering (CPSC 3720): Spring 2027

8. Software Projects

org-canvas: Two-way sync between Canvas LMS courses and Org files, in Emacs
course-sequence-analysis: How course sequencing relates to graduation, using MIDFIELD data
litExplor: An R addon to aid in literature review search term narrowing