Collaborative Research: Broadening Participation in Computing through Authentic, Collaborative Engagement with Computing for the Greater Good

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Increasing the number of computer science graduates is a national priority for continued economic growth in the United States. Accomplishing this goal is challenging, as millions of available computer science jobs go unfilled each year due to the lack of skilled applicants. A critical step in increasing the computing workforce is to increase and broaden participation in undergraduate computer science. One proven approach to do so is connecting computing to societal benefits, and such connection is also known to attract students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in computing. Through a collaboration between Drexel University, Nassau Community College, Western New England University, Worcester State College, and Dickinson College, this project will make the connection between society and computing through the NSF-supported Humanitarian Free and Open Source Software (HFOSS) approach. HFOSS is like the Habitat for Humanity project, but instead of helping communities build houses, HFOSS supports the development of free software that benefits communities. Examples of HFOSS projects include free, open software for disaster management, education, economic development, and public health. This project will enable students at the five partnering institutions to engage with a complex, authentic software development environment that supports collaborative, active learning with genuine tasks that make a difference in communities. Students will learn contemporary software engineering and develop professional skills while gaining first-hand experience with the positive impact that computing can have on society. This project has the potential to transform computing education by using computing for the greater good as the framework to improve student engagement, learning, and diversity in computer science.In addition to instructor-led HFOSS development projects, this project will provide students with an extended range of HFOSS educational opportunities, including authentic but controlled practice environments within computing classrooms (HFOSS kits) as well as community-based Client Oriented-FOSS projects that pair an instructor with students and a local non-profit organization on a small software product to benefit the non-profit. The computing courses implementing HFOSS will use Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning to scaffold students' computer science learning and early professional skill development. Research conducted by the project team is designed to advance knowledge about constructivist approaches to computing education including guided inquiry learning and communities of practice. This research includes innovative studies of the changes in role and identity of instructor and student that accompany a shift to active learning, together with studies of student engagement, retention, and diversity. The evidence-based learning approaches and engagement with authentic contexts implemented and researched by this project have potential applications across STEM education. This project is supported by the NSF IUSE: EHR Program, which supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools. It is also supported by the IUSE:CUE program, which seeks to re-envision the role of computing in undergraduate education while continuing to emphasize the need for more diverse student populations for careers in both computing and non-computing fields.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.