In this research theme, I investigate the effectiveness of innovative approaches used for educating computing professionals. With computing technologies being ingrained into people’s daily lives, computing education must reflect the wide-ranging relevance of the discipline. Teaching approaches used by computing educators should impart computing knowledge while reducing the academic-industry skills gap. Computing educators need to diversify the curriculum to impart students with the knowledge and techniques they need to be successful in the workforce. Thus, it is critical to assess the effectiveness of innovative approaches for preparing computing students to meet the demands of the workforce.