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1. Shifts in Perceptions of Career Pathways: The Impact of an S-STEM Program on Lower-Income Computing Students

   Kumar, N; Secules, S; Kali, M; Solis, T; Halkiyo, A; Weiss, M; Georgiopoulous, M; Sullivan, J; Christensen, K; Estacion, A (June 2024, 2024 American Society of Engineering Education Conference & Exposition)

   The demand for computing professionals has grown exponentially due to the rapid expansion of technology and digitalization in various industries. As a result, understanding the importance of pathways into computing education and professions has become crucial. These pathways serve as structured routes that guide individuals in acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge to pursue careers in the computing field. Hence, it is essential for educational institutions to understand students’ perspectives, particularly those from lower-income socio-economic status, to broaden participation within computing education and professional fields. Though there are various pathways into computing education and professions, for the purposes of this research and the program, we review the existing literature about three primary pathways: graduate school, internship or industry profession, and entrepreneurship. 

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2. Future Career Pathway Perceptions of Lower-Income Computing Students Through the Lens of Capital Exchange

   Bond-Trittipo, B.; Kumar, N.; Secules, S.; Solis, T (July 2022, The 2022 Annual Conference and Exposition)

   Prior scholarship on broadening participation in undergraduate computing education has made important contributions to supporting underrepresented students’ identity development and persistence. However, the specific experiences of low-income students are underexplored, and the critical juncture between undergraduate education and career or graduate school pathways are as well. For scholarship support programs to make a further impact on broadening participation in computing, it is critical to know low-income students’ viewpoints on the barriers, risks, and opportunities associated with different career pathways that influence their post-graduation plans. Our research seeks to better understand the future career pathway perceptions of low-income undergraduate computing students. We explore students’ perceptions of three specific pathways: pursuing a graduate degree, working for a large company, and becoming an entrepreneur. This study utilizes Bourdieu’s conception of economic capital, cultural capital, and social capital to understand low-income students’ perceptions of their future career pathways. This study is a part of a National Science Foundation-funded program that provides need-based scholarships, internship connections, research opportunities, and entrepreneurial education to low-income students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, cybersecurity, or computer engineering. The program includes three large, public universities in the Southeast United States and was launched in September 2021. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 participants from one of the participating universities to gather information about their perceptions of professional, graduate school, and entrepreneurial career pathways. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic coding. We found that the majority of our low-income participants plan to work for a large technology-focused company immediately after graduation. However, some participants indicated that the program’s scholarship, which covers up to two years of graduate education in a computing field, gives them the ability to consider pursuing a master’s degree between completing their bachelor’s degree and entering the workforce. Additionally, though many participants expressed that the idea of becoming an entrepreneur is appealing, the financial risks associated with entrepreneurship deter them from considering this career pathway themselves. Ultimately, our findings suggest that financial stability is a crucial consideration for low-income computing students as they contemplate their future goals. The participants’ responses demonstrate the importance of need-based financial aid and internship connections for low-income computing students. Furthermore, our findings indicate that intervention programs that aim to support low-income students’ career development should be more sensitive to the unique perspectives and financial concerns of low-income students when they promote graduate school and entrepreneurial pathways. 

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3. Future Career Pathway Perceptions of Lower-Income Computing Students Through the Lens of Capital Exchange

   Bond, B.; Kumar, N.; Secules, S.; Solis, T. (April 2022, American Society for Engineering Education Annual Meeting, Computing Education Division)

   Prior scholarship on broadening participation in undergraduate computing education has made important contributions to supporting underrepresented students’ identity development and persistence. However, the specific experiences of low-income students are underexplored, and the critical juncture between undergraduate education and career or graduate school pathways are as well. For scholarship support programs to make a further impact on broadening participation in computing, it is critical to know low-income students’ viewpoints on the barriers, risks, and opportunities associated with different career pathways that influence their post-graduation plans. Our research seeks to better understand the future career pathway perceptions of low-income undergraduate computing students. We explore students’ perceptions of three specific pathways: pursuing a graduate degree, working for a large company, and becoming an entrepreneur. This study utilizes Bourdieu’s conception of economic capital, cultural capital, and social capital to understand low-income students’ perceptions of their future career pathways. This study is a part of a National Science Foundation-funded program that provides need-based scholarships, internship connections, research opportunities, and entrepreneurial education to low-income students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, cybersecurity, or computer engineering. The program includes three large, public universities in the Southeast United States and was launched in September 2021. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 participants from one of the participating universities to gather information about their perceptions of professional, graduate school, and entrepreneurial career pathways. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic coding. We found that the majority of our low-income participants plan to work for a large technology-focused company immediately after graduation. However, some participants indicated that the program’s scholarship, which covers up to two years of graduate education in a computing field, gives them the ability to consider pursuing a master’s degree between completing their bachelor’s degree and entering the workforce. Additionally, though many participants expressed that the idea of becoming an entrepreneur is appealing, the financial risks associated with entrepreneurship deter them from considering this career pathway themselves. Ultimately, our findings suggest that financial stability is a crucial consideration for low-income computing students as they contemplate their future goals. The participants’ responses demonstrate the importance of need-based financial aid and internship connections for low-income computing students. Furthermore, our findings indicate that intervention programs that aim to support low-income students’ career development should be more sensitive to the unique perspectives and financial concerns of low-income students when they promote graduate school and entrepreneurial pathways. 

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4. Future Career Pathway Perceptions of Lower-Income Computing Students Through the Lens of Capital Exchange

   Bond, B.; Kumar, N.; Secules, S.; Solis, T. (June 2022, American Society for Engineering Education Annual Meeting, Computing Education Division)

   Prior scholarship on broadening participation in undergraduate computing education has made important contributions to supporting underrepresented students’ identity development and persistence. However, the specific experiences of low-income students are underexplored, and the critical juncture between undergraduate education and career or graduate school pathways are as well. For scholarship support programs to make a further impact on broadening participation in computing, it is critical to know low-income students’ viewpoints on the barriers, risks, and opportunities associated with different career pathways that influence their post-graduation plans. Our research seeks to better understand the future career pathway perceptions of low-income undergraduate computing students. We explore students’ perceptions of three specific pathways: pursuing a graduate degree, working for a large company, and becoming an entrepreneur. This study utilizes Bourdieu’s conception of economic capital, cultural capital, and social capital to understand low-income students’ perceptions of their future career pathways. This study is a part of a National Science Foundation-funded program that provides need-based scholarships, internship connections, research opportunities, and entrepreneurial education to low-income students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, cybersecurity, or computer engineering. The program includes three large, public universities in the Southeast United States and was launched in September 2021. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 participants from one of the participating universities to gather information about their perceptions of professional, graduate school, and entrepreneurial career pathways. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic coding. We found that the majority of our low-income participants plan to work for a large technology-focused company immediately after graduation. However, some participants indicated that the program’s scholarship, which covers up to two years of graduate education in a computing field, gives them the ability to consider pursuing a master’s degree between completing their bachelor’s degree and entering the workforce. Additionally, though many participants expressed that the idea of becoming an entrepreneur is appealing, the financial risks associated with entrepreneurship deter them from considering this career pathway themselves. Ultimately, our findings suggest that financial stability is a crucial consideration for low-income computing students as they contemplate their future goals. The participants’ responses demonstrate the importance of need-based financial aid and internship connections for low-income computing students. Furthermore, our findings indicate that intervention programs that aim to support low-income students’ career development should be more sensitive to the unique perspectives and financial concerns of low-income students when they promote graduate school and entrepreneurial pathways. 

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5. Reimagining CS Pathways: High School and Beyond

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3678016  

   Twarek, Bryan; Koressel, Jacob; McGill, Monica; Smith, Julie (July 2024, ACM)

   At a time when computing continues to gain importance in society, it is more crucial than ever to ensure that computer science education meets the needs of all students. To this end, the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) is updating its K-12 computer science (CS) standards. As a prelude to the standards revision, CSTA – working with many partners – has launched a project, Reimagining CS Pathways: High School and Beyond, to articulate what CS content is essential for all high school graduates to know and to establish pathways for continued study of CS beyond that foundational content. The Reimagining project drew on the expertise and experiences of dozens of participants – including high school CS teachers, college CS faculty, state and local education leaders, CS education researchers, and those working for nonprofits and in the tech industry. These participants reflected diversity across many dimensions, including demographics, role, and expertise. They participated in focus groups, interviews, and in-person convenings, and they provided substantial asynchronous feedback. The result of these extensive efforts is contained in this report, which articulates the foundational CS content and resulting pathways. The foundational CS content is organized into Topic Areas, Pillars, and Dispositions. The Topic Areas, which reflect the content that is essential for all high school graduates, are 1) Algorithms, 2), Programming, 3) Data and Analysis, 4) Computing Systems and Security, and 5) Preparation for the Future. The Pillars, which reflect essential ideas and practices that cut across all of the Topic Areas, are 1) Impacts and Ethics, 2) Inclusive Collaboration, 3) Computational Thinking, and 4) Human-Centered Design. While they are not explicitly taught, the goal is to develop a set of specific dispositions in CS. These Dispositions are persistence, reflectiveness, creativity, curiosity, critical thinking, and sense of belonging in CS. There are many possible pathways stemming from this foundational content, ranging from Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence to X + CS (where another subject, such as Journalism or Biology, is integrated with the study of computing). Implementation of these pathways will vary significantly depending on community priorities and contexts. We recognize that schools will need to be selective in their implementation of CS pathways due to limited resources, and we make recommendations for how to select which options to implement. Woven throughout this work is a commitment to improving equity in CS education. This commitment to equity is embedded throughout both the process and the outcome of the Reimagining project. It manifests in an effort to reimagine CS to ensure opportunities for all students and to prepare them for a world increasingly powered by computing. 

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