Abstract: 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 enrolled in higher education more broadly. We propose new measures of gender and racial/ethnic parity in the computing fields. Using these measures, we find that while computing fields have made progress in the number of female students and students of color receiving degrees, gender and racial/ethnic parity has changed little and, in some cases, declined. We conclude with recommendations for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. 

Abstract: 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 NSF’s Ten Big Ideas with the goal of broadening participation in STEM fields by creating networked relationships among organizations and across sectors, using a collaborative approach with stakeholders who share a common agenda. The CAHSI Alliance is using the collective impact framework to accelerate change in broadening participation, particularly of Latinx, in computing fields. One aspect of collective impact is using a common set of data for decision-making within and across institutions. This paper will provide a short description of our data collection and analysis process, which helps populate a dashboard that compares student outcomes for each 2- and 4-year CAHSI institution with other institutions of higher education nationally.

Abstract: 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 several decades, much of it critical to how we understand (in)equity in computing. This panel will provide perspectives from scholars with expertise in a variety of disciplines, including computer science, higher education, and educational psychology. Panelists will share relevant research from their home disciplines and initiate a discussion on the future of computing education research.

Abstract: 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 in problem solving. The courses were developed to address industry’s need for improved problem-solving skills, incorporating consistent, deep collaboration with Google technical staff The first of its kind for CAHSI, the problem-solving courses are fewer credit hours than typical courses in order to fit within a traditional curriculum. The intent is to instill complementary problem-solving, computational thinking skills, and logical reasoning needed to succeed in computer science, and make this content available across different student populations at various stages in their academic pathways. Advanced problem solving prepares students for competitive interviews. The courses create opportunities to learn across academic levels, and create new student communities, mentorship opportunities, and social connections to support retention. The paper reports on the course design, student reflection, assessment and evaluation, and an ethnographic study of the courses.

Abstract: 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 Miller (Oracle) and Chris Stephenson (Google). The main charge of the committee was to collect and analyze data to gain deeper insights into programmatic issues of recruitment and retention of underrepresented students to broaden participation in computing. As a companion piece to this charge, the committee is publishing a series of opin-ion pieces [9,11,19]. This article is the last in the series and presents a perspective from a minority voice in examining the challenges and opportunities for Latinx undergraduate students.

Abstract: 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 effort to unify and strengthen computing research and education among Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). In particular, the discussion focused on how to address the under-representation of Hispanics in computing, dissemination of best practices, and development of future Hispanic leaders. Computer science (CS) departments across the country had shown large declines in enrollment between 2002 and 2007 [25], while the MII HSIs experienced dramatic increases in overall undergraduate student population at their institutions and the opportunities for recruiting Hispanic students into computing. With the projected growth of Hispanics, it is essential to ensure that Hispanics attend college, graduate, and seek advanced degrees because of their potential impact on the economic and intellectual growth of the United States. The MII core group of seven institutions (see Figure 1) came together after that initial meeting to respond to NSF’s Broadening Participation in Computing solicitation to form CAHSI and define its core purpose: to create a unified voice to consolidate the strengths and resources of HSIs and other groups committed to increasing the number of Hispanics in all computing areas [3]. Using this core purpose to guide its decisions, CAHSI now consists of structured, academic networks centered on student success in computing and established effective relationships with a wide variety of organizations and partners that have resulted in collective impact through shared resources, adoption and dissemination of effective practices, and policy [6]. The alliance involves over fifteen HSIs as shown in Figure 1 located in areas with high percentages of Hispanics. It is important to note that the terms Hispanic and Latino are used interchangeably throughout this document and refer to the ethnicity of our students.