ISEDJ

Abstract: For the past several years, there has been an increase in the number of job opportunities in the computing field. As a result, many schools and universities are facing a significant increase in the number of students seeking to major in one of several computing disciplines. This increase in the numbers and variety of majors in the computing field poses challenges for higher education institutions in the areas of advising, retention, scheduling, and enrollment management. This paper builds upon prior research documenting the association of personality type and affinity for a computing career, and proposes using personality testing early in a student’s university experience by including it as one factor in the advising process. This study employs the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) as a tool to help students select an appropriate computing major better suited for their given personality. This initial exploratory study shows that there is a significant difference in personalities among computing majors, specifically in the area of introversion versus extroversion, and intuition versus sensing. Testing students early, before starting a specific major, allows institutions to provide better advising to students as they choose their major, with the goal of increasing retention, degree satisfaction and completion of the degree.

Keywords: Advising, Computing, Enrollments, MBTI, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, retention

Download this article: ISEDJ - V15 N4 Page 69.pdf

Recommended Citation: Reynolds, J., Adams, R., Ferguson, R., Leidig, P. (2017). The Personality of a Computing Major: It Makes a Difference. Information Systems Education Journal, 15(4) pp 69-74. http://isedj.org/2017-15/ ISSN: 1545-679X. (A preliminary version appears in The Proceedings of EDSIG 2016)