Entry to expertise: how students’ perceptions of computing competence evolve

There is increasing recognition of non-technical skills and professional dispositions in computing education, and international curricula guidelines promote competence-based learning integrating knowledge, skills, and dispositions. This study examines cohort-level differences in computing students’ perceptions and conceptualisations of professional competence. Using the Competency Learning Framework (CoLeaF) and the Educational Value Model (EVM), reflective texts from Information Technology Engineering students at Uppsala University collected at programme entry (n = 51) and towards the end of the second year (n = 49) were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results show students consistently discuss knowledge and skills, while their descriptions are more differentiated in the second dataset. Dispositions and societal aspects are less frequently articulated. The findings suggest an increasingly differentiated, but potentially narrower, articulation of computing competence. The study contributes a method for analysing competence elements in students’ reflections and highlights the importance of making dispositions and societal perspectives visible throughout computing education.