Community-Engaged Scholars in Computer Science

University Of San Francisco, San Francisco CA

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to contribute to the national need for highly qualified computer scientists. It will do so by supporting the success of twelve academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who are pursuing bachelor's degrees in Computer Science. These students will receive four-year scholarships and participate in a suite of activities designed to promote the Scholars' engagement in the departmental, professional, and local communities. Project activities will include a pre-freshman immersive head start program, cohort enrollment in common courses, and mentoring by previous graduates of the computer science program. The Scholars will take a series of courses designed to support their academic and professional success. These courses include a first-year course that introduces Scholars to campus and community resources, a junior career-preparation course, and a computer science-focused service learning course. By alleviating the Scholar's need to work while in college, the scholarships will enable full participation in the project's opportunities for social connectivity, community engagement, and professional development. It is expected that participation in the project activities will result in: higher retention and graduation rates of Scholars relative to their peers; improved perception of the Scholars about the field of computing and their own self-efficacy; and better preparation of the Scholars for computer science careers. Data on retention and graduation rates of the Scholars will be compared with those of the other students who entered the Computer Science major as first year students in the same year as scholars. Scholars will also participate in qualitative interviews that explore their experience in the Computer Science department and the activities supported by this project. Finally, scholars will participate in a series of surveys including a baseline survey with each cohort and surveys to evaluate each of the program activities. It is expected that the program activities will positively affect the scholars' perceptions of computer science and their overall experience. The project has the potential to advance knowledge about how providing students with structured opportunities to serve their communities can help computer science programs to retain, support, and educate students, including those from underrepresented populations. The curriculum developed by the project will be available for use by other institutions, thus broadening the potential impact of the project on computer science education. This project is funded by the NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income, academically high-achieving students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future scientists, engineers, and technicians, and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income students. 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.