Building Recruiting and Inclusion for Diversity (BRAID) in the Computer Science Major: A Longitudinal Research Study

为了提高对计算机科学(CS)系如何成功地使本科招生多样化的了解，该项目将支持对全国十五(15)所大学学习计算机科学入门课程的学生进行纵向跟踪。所有15个CS部门都明确承诺将其专业多样化，并参与了建设、招聘和包容多样性(Braid)倡议。辫子学院致力于采取一系列方法来增加CS系的多样性，包括修改入门课程，使其更具吸引力，对代表不足的学生不那么可怕。这项研究将集中于导论课程如何提高对CS的兴趣和坚持性，特别关注对女性和代表性不足的少数族裔学生来说最成功的是什么。学生将在参加入门课程的同时接受调查，了解他们在课程中的经历以及他们的自我认知、对CS的看法、专业选择和职业规划。这项研究将把目前正在进行的基线数据收集项目扩展为纵向研究。基线研究的学生将在入门课程之外接受跟踪，并在2018-2019学年春季学期期间每年进行调查。这样做将使研究团队能够评估学生在入门课程之外的经历，如参与CS课外活动，以及衡量各种结果，如学生入学模式(例如，选择CS作为主修或辅修)和职业生涯规划，随着时间的推移。这项研究的结果将为政策制定者、高等教育管理人员、教职员工和普通公众提供新的知识，了解如何以最有效的方式招聘和留住更多的人进入计算领域。此外，这项研究将提供关于如何通过增加完成CS专业和辅修课程的女性和代表性不足的少数民族的数量来实现计算多样化的额外知识。

In an effort to improve an understanding of how computer science (CS) departments can successfully diversify their undergraduate enrollments, this project will support the longitudinal follow-up of students taking introductory CS courses at fifteen (15) universities across the country. All fifteen CS departments have a stated commitment to diversify their major and are participants in the Building, Recruiting and Inclusion for Diversity (BRAID) initiative. BRAID institutions have committed to a set of approaches to increase diversity within CS departments, including modifying introductory courses to make them more attractive and less intimidating to underrepresented students. This research will focus on the ways in which introductory courses promote interest and persistence in CS, with a special focus on what is most successful for women and underrepresented minority students. Students will be surveyed while taking the introductory course about their experiences in the courses as well as their self-perceptions, perceptions of CS, major choice selection, and career plans. This research will extend a baseline data collection project currently being done into a longitudinal study. Students from the baseline study will be followed beyond the introductory courses and surveyed annually through the spring semester of the 2018-2019 academic year. Doing so will allow the research team to assess student experiences beyond the introductory course, such as involvement in CS extracurricular activities, as well as measure a variety of outcomes, such as student enrollment patterns (e.g., choosing CS as a major or minor) and career plans, across time. Findings from this study will provide policy-makers, higher education administrators, faculty, and the general public with new knowledge about the most effective ways to recruit and retain more individuals into the computing field. Further, this study will provide additional knowledge about how to diversify computing by increasing the number of women and underrepresented minorities who complete CS majors and minors.