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1. Improving Undergraduate Research Mentoring Practices: Faculty Development to Support Non-Traditional Students in Computing Research

   https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE58773.2023.10343056  

   Hug, Sarah; Morreale, Patricia; Thiry, Heather (October 2023, 2023 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE))

   Utilizing the Affinity Research Group (ARG) model, the Computing Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institutions (CAHSI) has provided training for faculty and student research experiences for decades. ARG, a CAHSI signature practice, focuses on deliberate, structured faculty and student research, with accompanying technical, communication, and professional skills development. In the latest iterations that have spanned the pandemic and its recovery, CAHSI has iterated on a virtual training and support network for faculty and students interested in broadening the participation of Hispanic undergraduate students in computer science to increase the number of Hispanics who move on to graduate studies in the field. This work-in-progress paper analyzes shifting support structures during a multi-year effort to promote undergraduate research development using the Affinity Research Group (ARG) model. As CAHSI grows to include research-intensive universities that have recently reached the 25% Hispanic enrollment threshold, the faculty mentor training has evolved to emphasize a growth mindset and asset-based frameworks for working with undergraduate students in research, particularly important in computing departments where graduate students are more commonly engaged in research. The paper describes areas of need as the populations of faculty and students shift. It addresses the questions: R1) How do faculty engaged in the LREU shift perspectives regarding a) student selection for research, b) pedagogical purposes of research for student development, and c) their ability to implement ARG? R2) To what extent do designed elements of the LREU professional development inform faculty practice and faculty perspectives regarding undergraduate research? 

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2. The CAHSI INCLUDES Alliance: Realizing Collective Impact

   https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--35294  

   Villa, E.; Gates, A.; Kim, S.; Knight, D. (June 2020, Zone 1 Conference of the American Society for Engineering Education)

   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.  

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3. Expanding Pathways for Hispanic Students to Enter and Succeed in Computing Graduate Studies

   https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE58773.2023.10343367  

   Rivera, Jessica; Gates, Ann Q; Villa, Elsa; Morreale, Patricia (October 2023, 2023 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE))

   Involving diverse individuals who bring different perspectives, experiences, and disciplinary knowledge in solving problems is critical to our nation's ability to innovate and compete in a global economy. Unfortunately, the trends in the number of graduates with advanced degrees, particularly ethnically and racially diverse citizens and permanent residents, are insufficient to meet current and future national needs. This is exacerbated in computing, which is one of the least diverse fields. Despite the growth in numbers of Hispanics nationally and their representation in undergraduate studies, the number of Hispanic citizens and permanent residents who enter and complete graduate computing studies is disturbingly low. Studies report that Hispanic graduate students across all fields of study feel isolated and alienated, face a lack of support, experience low expectations from faculty, and a negative racial/ethnic climate. Students often encounter a STEM culture centered on competition and selectivity, and this must be addressed to increase pathways to the doctorate to support our nation's economic and national security goals. This paper describes a collective effort of institutions with high enrollments of Hispanic students that have built partnerships among non-doctoral-granting and doctoral-granting institutions to increase the representation of Hispanics in graduate studies. Led by NSF's Eddie Bernice Johnson Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI), the collective employs evidence-based practices grounded in the Hispanic-servingness literature to address the root causes. 

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4. Centering Hispanic-Serving Institutions' strategies to advance computer science attainment

   https://doi.org/doi/full/10.1080/25729861.2020.1842582  

   Núñez, A.-M. (January 2021, Tapuya)

   Rodriguez Medina, L. (Ed.)

   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 to the nation’s tertiary education institutional stratification, relatively low numbers of Hispanics are enrolled in these institutions. We examine how Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), federally designated institutions in the US that enroll at least 25% Hispanics, develop strategies to raise Hispanic attainment in computing fields. Specifically, we explore the activities of HSIs in the Computing Alliance for Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI), a network of over 60 HSIs and other stakeholders that are committed to raising Hispanic attainment in postsecondary computing. We address the question: How do HSIs in CAHSI employ strategies to develop talent in computing among Hispanics? Specifically, we examine how CAHSI institutions apply values that are grounded in Hispanic communities, including emphases on confianza, respeto, and familia, to support Hispanic students in computer science. Our findings indicate the importance of centering Hispanic cultural assets to improve Hispanic success in computing. 

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5. Taking management into our own hands: How computer departments promote inclusivity and empower students

   Thiry, H.; Hug, S. (April 2020, American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting)

   This study explores how underrepresented students in computing departments at Hispanic-Serving Institutions develop discipline-based identities and the departmental practices that support their retention and identity development. Departments were affiliated with the Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI) a cross-sector network dedicated to increasing Hispanic representation in computing through partnerships and inclusive practices. Interviews with students, faculty, and chairs illustrate the vital role of peer community in student retention and highlights the many ways that departments foster and support inclusive peer learning environments. 

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