Experiences that Shape Undergraduate Computing Trajectories: A Equity-Focused Longitudinal Study at Center for Inclusive Computing Institutions

塑造本科生计算轨迹的经验：包容性计算机构中心以公平为中心的纵向研究

• 批准号: 2039800
• 负责人: Linda Sax
• 金额: $ 164.04万
• 依托单位: University of California-Los Angeles
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-10-01 至 2024-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2039800&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Experiences; Shape; Undergraduate; Computing; Trajectories

The Momentum: Accelerating Equity in Computing and Technology research program at the University of California, Los Angeles will conduct a study to produce knowledge that can guide departments’ decisions about recruitment and retention in computing, especially with regard to ensuring equitable structures and opportunities for students who have been historically minoritized. While responding to workforce demands for trained computer scientists, undergraduate computing programs are also increasing their focus on cultivating opportunities for participation among women and students of color (specifically, students who identify as Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, Native American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander). The urgent need to address equity issues in undergraduate computing departments is more salient now than ever before, as U.S. colleges and universities currently face a turbulent road to navigate operations amid and after the coronavirus pandemic. This study will provide timely data that can inform undergraduate computing’s recruitment and retention efforts in the current contexts. In collaboration with Northeastern University’s Center for Inclusive Computing (CIC), the Momentum team will survey first- and second-year students who enroll in computing courses at approximately 20 colleges and universities in the spring of 2021. This survey will ask a variety of questions ranging from students’ backgrounds and precollege experiences to their computing experiences in the 2020-21 academic year. Then, they will survey these students again in the spring of 2023 to assess how their experiences with computing have changed and the role these experiences play in shaping their future plans. The project team will analyze these data to understand the specific experiences that shape students’ trajectories in computing, especially the pathways of women and students from historically minoritized groups. The findings from this study will be disseminated widely within the computing and higher education community to inform best practices to recruit and retain students in computing majors and ultimately into computing careers.The Momentum research program at the University of California, Los Angeles will conduct a longitudinal study of first- and second-year students who enroll in computing courses at institutions involved in Northeastern University’s Center for Inclusive Computing (CIC). The research represents a partnership between Momentum and CIC to engage in research on collegiate experiences that promote recruitment and retention in computing, particularly for marginalized students in computing such as women of color. Leveraging Momentum staff expertise and survey instruments to address key gaps in our knowledge, the project team will first administer a baseline survey to first- and second-year students enrolled in computing courses at CIC institutions. This survey (administered in spring 2021) will focus on a variety of factors, ranging from students’ background characteristics and pre-college experiences to their transition to college and their first-year experiences in computing. Then, two years later, in students’ third or fourth year in college, the project team will administer a follow-up survey. The follow-up survey will focus on the specific experiences known to shape students’ trajectories in computing, including course experiences, interactions with instructors/faculty, and extracurricular computing experiences (e.g., involvement in computing organizations, undergraduate research, computing-related internships). This survey will also focus on students’ longer-term plans, such as pursuing graduate school or careers in computing. This study will contribute to knowledge about broadening participation in computing in several ways. First, it will provide insights to scholars, administrators, and policymakers about how students who take computing courses in the first- and second- year of college may engage with the computing department and how this engagement may differentially shape the trajectories of students from various gender and/or racial/ethnic groups. Additionally, following up with these students longitudinally will enable us to learn how these students’ experiences and perceptions change over-time, as well as to study the longer-term role played by a variety of computing environments and outcomes. Overall, this study aims to build on existing literature about what works to promote desirable outcomes for computing students and provide more data on how and why certain experiences work (or do not work), thereby providing actionable findings to stakeholders designing interventions to promote broadening participation efforts in computing.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.

动量：加速公平计算和技术研究计划在加州大学，洛杉矶将进行一项研究，以产生知识，可以指导部门的决定有关招聘和保留计算，特别是在确保公平的结构和机会，为学生谁一直是历史上少数民族。在满足训练有素的计算机科学家的劳动力需求的同时，本科计算机课程也越来越重视培养女性和有色人种学生（特别是黑人或非裔美国人，西班牙裔或拉丁裔，美洲原住民，夏威夷原住民或太平洋岛民）的参与机会。解决本科计算部门的公平问题的迫切需要现在比以往任何时候都更加突出，因为美国学院和大学目前面临着在冠状病毒大流行期间和之后的动荡道路。这项研究将提供及时的数据，可以告知本科计算的招聘和保留工作在当前的背景下。通过与东北大学包容性计算中心（CIC）合作，Momentum团队将于2021年春季对大约20所学院和大学的一年级和二年级学生进行调查。这项调查将询问各种问题，从学生的背景和学前经验到他们在2020-21学年的计算经验。然后，他们将在2023年春季再次对这些学生进行调查，以评估他们的计算经验如何变化，以及这些经验在塑造他们未来计划中所发挥的作用。项目团队将分析这些数据，以了解塑造学生计算机轨迹的具体经验，特别是历史上少数群体的妇女和学生的途径。这项研究的结果将在计算机和高等教育界广泛传播，以提供最佳实践，从而招募和留住计算机专业的学生，并最终进入计算机职业生涯。加州大学的动量研究计划，洛杉矶将对第一和第二次-在东北大学包容性计算中心（CIC）参与的机构中注册计算课程的一年级学生。这项研究代表了Momentum和CIC之间的合作伙伴关系，旨在研究促进计算机招聘和保留的大学经验，特别是针对有色人种等边缘化的计算机学生。利用Momentum员工的专业知识和调查工具来解决我们知识中的关键差距，项目团队将首先对CIC机构计算机课程的一年级和二年级学生进行基线调查。这项调查（在2021年春季进行）将侧重于各种因素，从学生的背景特征和大学前的经验，他们过渡到大学和他们的第一年的经验计算。然后，两年后，在学生的大学第三或第四年，项目小组将管理一个跟踪调查。后续调查将侧重于已知的具体经验，以塑造学生的轨迹计算，包括课程经验，与教师/教师的互动，和课外计算经验（例如，参与计算组织、本科生研究、计算相关实习）。这项调查还将关注学生的长期计划，如攻读研究生院或计算机职业。这项研究将有助于知识扩大参与计算在几个方面。首先，它将为学者，管理人员和政策制定者提供有关在大学第一年和第二年参加计算课程的学生如何参与计算部门以及这种参与如何不同地塑造来自不同性别和/或种族/民族群体的学生的轨迹的见解。此外，纵向跟踪这些学生将使我们能够了解这些学生的经验和看法如何随着时间的推移而变化，以及研究各种计算环境和结果所发挥的长期作用。总的来说，这项研究的目的是建立在现有的文献上，关于什么能促进计算机专业学生的理想成果，并提供更多关于某些经验如何以及为什么有效的数据。（或不工作），该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。