Kendra Walther

Biography

Kendra Walther has been serving as Associate Director of Faculty Affairs in the Information Technology Program since 2021. She is an associate professor in the Information Technology Program. She began teaching Fall 2014 as a part-time lecturer and transitioned to full-time lecturer the following year. In 2022 she was promoted to Associate Professor of Information Technology.

Kendra has her bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Harvey Mudd College, and a master’s degree in Computer Science from University of Maryland, College Park. She has worked for the Aerospace Corporation and taught Computer Science at Cal State LA, St. Albans School, and Milwaukee School of Engineering. Kendra is passionate about teaching and is constantly trying to find more ways to help her students understand the principles of programming. 

Academic Interests

Kendra believes in lifelong learning, and  really enjoys learning about how people learn best. She is an active member of SIGCSE (the ACM special interest group for computer science education) and loves to bring new ideas and teaching methodologies into her classroom. Kendra is an enthusiastic and passionate teacher who cares for her students.

Kendra is a Center for Excellence in Teaching Faculty Fellow, and she was part of the FTLP (Faculty Teaching and Learning Program) inaugural cohort in academic year 2020-2021. For academic year 2021-2022 she served as an FTLP co-facilitator. In 2020, Kendra developed a Teaching CommuniTEA where educators gathered virtually to discuss teaching and learning. Future plans for CommuniTEA are still under development, but in the meantime, Kendra encourages USC STEM faculty to consider applying to be part of the FTLP cohort.

Kendra is also involved in Teach Access and Access Computing, which both promote inclusivity and diversity within computer science, with the idea that diversity includes disabilities. In the summer of 2019, Kendra participated as a faculty advisor in the Teach Access Study Away Program and hopes to further explore new ways to make technology even more accessible. From 2019-2021,  Kendra served as co-lead of the Teach Access Student Task Force and ran the first virtual Teach Access Study Away program for 80 students across the US. 

Finally Kendra recently launched a joint minor in Computing Education with colleagues from the Rossier School of Education. That endeavor inspired Kendra to apply to Rossier's EdD program in Educational Leadership which she started  in Fall 2021.