Supporting Student Success and Increasing Diversity in Computer Science

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With funding from the NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program, this project will support high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at university of Texas San Antonio (UTSA). Throughout its five years, this project will fund 62 scholarships for students who are first-year and upper division students majoring in computer science. Increasing the diversity of perspectives in the nation's pool of computer science graduates is strategically important to the nation's prosperity and welfare. Engagement of underrepresented female and minority students in the computer science workforce is needed to help eliminate implicit bias in the systems developed. A lack of role models and mentors, failure to connect with other students and faculty, and low use of campus resources pose challenges for students who are the first in their families to pursue higher education. Difficulty with the transition to large, impersonal, rigorous courses and financial stress pose added challenges. UTSA is the largest minority-serving institution in South Texas and has a large first-generation enrollment. The project will investigate the integration of evidence-based and experience-based activities over multiple years, taking into account the needs of the individual participants. The goal of this S-STEM Track 2 project is to increase the number of high-achieving, low-income students majoring in computer science at the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA) who join the workforce or pursue advanced studies in computer science. The project objectives include (a) developing new methods and surveys to better identify the academic needs of individual students, (b) monitoring the academic progress of each participant, and (c) integrating multiple activities based upon the learning needs and progress of individual participants. Through research-based and experience-based, student-centered educational activities, UTSA aims to increase the retention of students majoring in computer science from 70% to 90%. It also aims to improve the student graduation rate from 60% to 80%. Personalized faculty and peer mentoring, individual tutoring, a week-long orientation "jump start" program, biweekly group meetings, conference attendance, and involvement in research projects will complement other high-impact practices to support student engagement and success. The progress of each student will be tracked. Individualized, early interventions will be initiated to keep all scholars on track to complete their degrees and proceed to the technical workforce or pursue advanced studies in computer science. Scholars will be encouraged to participate in recruiting and outreach events to share their own stories and provide role models for others. This combination of activities has the potential to significantly improve the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students, and provide sustainable solutions to advancing STEM education.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.