Within computer science education, a growth mindset is encouraged. However, faculty development on the use of growth mindset in the classroom is rare and resources to support the use of a growth mindset are limited. A framework for a computer science growth mindset classroom, which includes faculty development, lesson plans, and vocabulary for use with […]

Student success programs have achieved demonstrated benefits in broadening participation in geosciences and other STEM fields. These programs typically require an application from potential participants despite known challenges in recruiting students from historically underrepresented populations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an invitational recruitment strategy for engaging undergraduate geology majors […]

This paper presents an innovative approach, applicable to all research-based fields, that identifies and broadly engages future computer science researchers. The Computing Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institutions (CAHSI) piloted a national virtual Research Experience for Undergraduates (vREU) during the summer of 2020. Funded by an NSF grant, the goal of the program was to ensure […]

Hispanics have become the largest ethnic minority in the US Better serving Hispanics to succeed in tertiary education and scientific fields like computing is critical to build equitable life opportunities and strengthen the US workforce. Typically, the most selective postsecondary institutions are emphasized as exemplary models for developing human capital in the US. Yet, due […]

Data show that science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) postsecondary training programs lack gender and racial/ethnic diversity. Recent policy efforts are aimed at creating more inclusive environments for underrepresented groups in STEM and several national reports highlight progress. We argue that prior analyses have not considered institutional contexts and changes in the demographics of students […]

To identify and broadly engage the next generation of computer science researchers, the Computing Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institutions (CAHSI), an NSF INCLUDES Alliance, piloted a national virtual Research Experience for Undergraduates (vREU) during the summer of 2020.  Funded by an NSF RAPID grant, the pilot provided undergraduate research experiences for 50 students and 20 […]

To address the low number of baccalaureate degrees in computing to meet the demand for computing professionals, the Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI) was selected by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2018 to serve as the lead partner of a national INCLUDES alliance. The Inclusion Across the Nation of Communities of Learners (INCLUDES) initiative is one of […]

Broadening the participation of women in computing has increasingly become a focus of computing education research over  the  past  several  years.  To be sure, the field of   computing has unique challenges that merit close examination. At the same time, social scientists have built large bodies of literature related to gender equity across disciplines   that span […]

This Innovative Practice Work-In-Progress paper elucidates the approach of the NSF-funded CAHSI INCLUDES Alliance for creating change in students’ competencies by an effort across eight institutions to support the delivery of one-and two-credit hour courses for three levels of problem solving in Computer Science: general problem solving, computational thinking in problem solving, and algorithmic thinking […]

This study examines the organizational behavior of departments in Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) with sustained success in graduating Latinx computer science bachelor’s degree recipients. I employ the conceptual framework of HSI servingness, built on a systematic review of literature on HSIs, to investigate the creation of opportunity structures to serve Latinx and minoritized students at the […]

The low enrollment and graduation rates of underrepresented students in computer science, particularly those students who are women and Latinx1, is well documented and of deep concern to computer science educators, industry, and other stakeholders. This concern was the motivation for the ACM Education Board to establish the ACM Retention Committee, with co-chairs Ali-son Derbenwick […]

The Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI) celebrates its ten-year anniversary in 2016, providing an ideal opportunity to reflect on the organization, its accomplishments, and the future. The inspiration for CAHSI originated from discussions at the 2004 National Science Foundation’s (NSF) biennial Minority Institutions Infrastructure (MII) meeting, which centered on the need for a grassroots […]

Less than 20% of undergraduates earning a degree in engineering are women, and even more alarming is minority women earn a mere 3.1% of those degrees. This paper reports on a qualitative study examining Latinas’ identity development toward and in undergraduate engineering and computer science studies using a sociocultural theory of learning. Three major themes […]

Through support from the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the El Paso Community College (EPCC) began a program to collaborate on adoption of Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) at EPCC. The NCWIT-funded effort aims to transfer this effective retention practice to the EPCC in […]

In order to develop the engineers of the future, engineering departments need to embrace innovative, student-centered practices. The development and sustained growth of organizational improvement practices like those needed to improve engineering education depend upon an institutions’ or departments’ collective and individualized attention to human resources, leadership, knowledge development, revenue development and opportunities for continuous […]

The number of Latinas earning computing degrees and entering technical careers is stubbornly low. This study uses Holland, Lachicotte, Skinner, and Cain’s (1998) concepts of identity and figured worlds to explore the experiences of 22 Latina undergraduates in computing majors. Using semi-structured, focus group interviews, this paper describes participants’ identity production as empowered computer scientists. […]

Educational programs are dynamic and context dependent; their impact should thus be analyzed to illuminate their locally situated elements of success. The purpose of projects like Women in Academic Computing (WiAC) is to perfect small initiatives that can be scaled up to serve additional communities of scholars. However, before attempting to scale up it is […]

The affinity research group (ARG) model is a set of practices built on a cooperative team framework to support the creation and maintenance of dynamic and inclusive research groups in which students learn and apply the knowledge and skills required for research and cooperative work. Using situated learning theory, we conducted a qualitative study of […]

Hispanics have the highest growth rates among all groups in the U.S., yet they remain considerably underrepresented in computing careers and in the numbers who obtain advanced degrees. Hispanics constituted about 7% of undergraduate computer science and computer engineering graduates and 1% of doctoral graduates in 2007–2008. The small number of Hispanic faculty, combined with […]

Various cultural, social, educational, and economic barriers contribute to the underrepresentation of Hispanics in computer science education and the technical workforce. The Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI) is a partnership of ten institutions with the objective of recruiting, retaining, and advancing Hispanics in computing fields. CAHSI provides comprehensive support to students within and beyond […]

In order to thrive and even survive  in the worldwide market-place of ideas and innovation, the  U.S.  must  aggressively meet the challenge of increasing the number of students who complete degrees in the fields of science, technology,  engineering,  and  mathematics  (STEM).  It  is  critical  for  the economic  and  social  health  of  the U.S. that a […]

The Affinity Research Group (ARG) is a model of undergraduate research that extends the undergraduate research experience to a broad range of students by providing opportunities to learn and integrate the knowledge and skills that are required for research with those required for cooperative work. ARG creates an integrated research environment in which a collective […]

In this article, we introduce a model for undergraduate research, the Affinity Research Group (ARG)—a comprehensive model for creating and maintaining dynamic, productive, and inclusive research groups. An affinity research group is, first and foremost, a team effort in which faculty mentors and students enjoy an environment designed expressly to let each member flourish. Group […]

The Computing Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institutions (CA-HSI) is a consortium of eight institutions that is committed to increasing the number of Hispanics who earn baccalaureate and advanced degrees in computing. CA-HSI is implementing and promoting the development of peer-led team learning (PLTL) in the computing curriculum as one of its interventions to increase the […]

The University of Texas at El Paso (USA) has a long standing commitment to pre-college outreach and recruitment in engineering and science. An array of programs provides rich venues for attracting young people into engineering-, technology- and science-related careers. These account for contact with over 8,000 young people every year- each with opportunities to explore […]

The Affinity Research Group model is an attractive vehicle for involving undergraduates in research, retaining them, and fostering their interest in higher education. Using this model, students are given opportunities to develop, employ, and integrate knowledge and skills required for research with knowledge and skills required for cooperative work. Potential adopters of the model often […]

The Affinity Research Group model provides students with opportunities to learn, use, and integrate the knowledge and skills required for research with the knowledge and skills required for cooperative work. Although a conceptually attractive vehicle with which to involve undergraduates in research, retain them, and foster their interest in higher education, an often posed question […]

The benefits of working in a research group are clear: students develop domain expertise, gain an understanding and appreciation of the research process and its practice, and acquire team, communication, problem‐solving, and higher‐level thinking skills. Students with this experience are better equipped to make informed judgements about technical matters and to communicate and work in […]

The benefits of working in a research group are clear: students develop domain expertise, gain an understanding and appreciation of the research process and its practice, and acquire team, communication, problem-solving and higher-level thinking skills. Students with this experience are better equipped to make informed judgements about technical matters and to communicate and work in […]