PLN: Attracting and retaining African American females in the computing sciences

Xavier University Of Louisiana, New Orleans LA

Investigators

Abstract

Xavier University of Louisiana is using a planning grant to develop a research project aimed at understanding more about African American female students who are drawn to and succeed in computer sciences. The research plan is to characterize students in this group who are interested in computing sciences, find the motivating factors of success, and classify the views they have of the profession. Based on this research, undergraduate programs could be shaped to increase the numbers of African American females entering undergraduate computing sciences and encourage those in the field of study to continue through graduate school. Xavier is developing partnerships with other HBCUs and universities to collaborate in the future project, develop corporate partners, develop graduate school partners (in particular those experience with research procedures and women's issues), establish an advisory board, and obtain definitions of roles and cooperative agreements.