CAREER: Divergent Transfer Trajectories in Computer Science: A Mixed Methods and Person-Centered Exploration of (In)Equity and Community College Transfer Pathways

北方亚利桑那大学将研究从社区学院到加州大学（UC）系统CS专业的转学途径，以提供CS转学生所遵循的学位和早期职业轨迹的第一个全面图景。考虑到与计算机科学（CS）学位相关的经济回报，CS专业日益增加的多样性对社会公平具有重要意义。在CS招聘多元化劳动力的一个策略是建立从社区学院到本科CS学位课程的可访问途径。社区大学转学生代表了一个多样化的，高成就的，往往是未开发的人才库新兴的计算机科学家。因此，支持他们的成功是必不可少的，以扩大参与CS，未来的研究是必要的，以了解社区学院转学生如何浏览他们的CS学位途径，并获得成功，达到他们的教育和职业目标。这种混合方法的研究将依赖于调查，学生记录和人种学访谈形式的纵向数据，从转学学生进入加州大学校园的时间开始，并在他们通过CS学位课程入学时跟随他们。具体分析将由两个首要问题指导：（1）社区学院转学生在计算机科学学士学位的追求中遵循什么轨迹？(2)社区学院如何根据不同程度的轨迹转移学生描述和使他们的经验的意义？以人为中心的统计分析和人种学访谈也将探索性别，种族/民族和社会经济背景的变化。特别是，这项研究将增加我们如何理解社区大学转学生成功的细微差别和复杂性，推动我们超越传统的衡量标准（例如，学位效率;四年或六年毕业率;等等）。在这样做的过程中，这项研究将建立一个更强大的知识基础，可以通过支持社区学院转学生在整个学位课程中行使代理权并实现其职业目标，从而促进CS的公平性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Northern Arizona University will study transfer pathways from community college to CS majors in the University of California (UC) system to provide the first comprehensive picture of degree and early career trajectories followed by transfer students in CS. Given the financial reward associated with computer science (CS) degrees, increasing diversity in CS majors has important implications for equity within society. One strategy for recruiting a diverse workforce in CS is to build accessible pathways from community colleges to undergraduate CS degree programs. Community college transfer students represent a diverse, high-achieving, and often untapped pool of talented emerging computer scientists. Thus, supporting their success is essential to broadening participation in CS, and future research is needed to understand how community college transfer students navigate their CS degree pathways and obtain success in reaching their educational and professional goals. This mixed methods study will rely on longitudinal data in the form of surveys, student records, and ethnographic interviews, beginning from the time transfer students enter their UC campus and following them as they matriculate through their CS degree programs. Specific analyses will be guided by two overarching questions: (1) What trajectories do community college transfer students follow in their computer science bachelor’s degree pursuits? (2) How do community college transfer students following varying degree trajectories describe and make meaning of their experiences? Person-centered statistical analyses and ethnographic interviews will also explore variation by gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic background. In particular, this study will add nuance and complexity in terms of how we understand community college transfer student success, pushing us to define success beyond traditional metrics (e.g., degree efficiency; four- or six-year graduation rates; etc.). In doing so, this study will build a more robust knowledge base that can contribute to efforts to advance equity in CS by supporting community college transfer students as they exercise agency throughout their degree programs and obtain their professional goals.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.