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Racist structures in STEM education must be interrogated and disrupted to foster equity and social change (McGee, 2020; Rankin et al, 2021). To that end, we use a qualitative case study method to explore the institutional logics of equity, inclusivity, and excellence enacted by chairs, faculty, and staff within a network of computer science departments at Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Drawing on surveys, interviews, and participation observation of 24 computer science departments, we examine ways that institutional agents disrupted the dominant narratives of exclusivity and meritocracy within the discipline by enacting and sustaining inclusive culture and values. 

This paper presents an innovative approach, applicable to all research-based fields, that identifies and broadly engages future computer science researchers. The Computing Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institutions (CAHSI) piloted a national virtual Research Experience for Undergraduates (vREU) during the summer of 2020. Funded by an NSF grant, the goal of the program was to ensure that students, in particular those with financial need, had opportunities to engage in research and gain critical skills while advancing their knowledge and financial resources to complete their undergraduate degrees and possibly move to advanced studies. The vREU pilot provided undergraduate research experiences for 51 students and 21 faculty drawn from 14 colleges and universities. The Affinity Research Group (ARG) model, based on a cooperative learning model, was used to guide faculty mentors throughout the eight-week vREU. ARG is a CAHSI signature practice with a focus on deliberate, structured faculty and student research, technical, communication, and professional skills development. At weekly meetings, faculty were provided resources and discussed a specific skill to support students’ research experience and development, which faculty put into immediate practice with their students. Evaluation findings include no statistical difference in student development between the face-to-face and virtual models with faculty and the benefit of training as an opportunity for faculty professional growth and impact. This faculty development model allows for rapid dissemination of the ARG model through practice and application with weekly faculty cohort meetings, coaching, and reflection. 

In March of 2020, higher education institutions across the U.S. closed their doors and converted to remote and online learning due to the COVID-19 health crisis. As the country adjusted to the “new normal” of living and working at home, the economic and psychological impact of self-isolation and business closures were felt strongly by those who were most economically and socially vulnerable. In this context, the evaluation team of the Computing Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institutions (CAHSI) implemented a survey of students studying computer science at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) across the country to understand the impact of COVID-19 on their lives. In this paper, we identify the contexts in which students at HSIs continued (or failed to continue) their academic pursuits under great hardship. Our analysis highlights how the multidimensional framework of “servingness,” defined as a critical organizational, interactional, and ideological approach that many HSIs use to support their students, was experienced by students during the pandemic (Garcia et al., 2019). We argue that the practices and structures of servingness contributed to sustaining students’ well-being, dignity, and learning amid uncertainty. 

This paper presents an innovative approach, applicable to all research-based fields, that identifies and broadly engages future computer science researchers. The Computing Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institutions (CAHSI) piloted a national virtual Research Experience for Undergraduates (vREU) during the summer of 2020. Funded by an NSF grant, the goal of the program was to ensure that students, in particular those with financial need, had opportunities to engage in research and gain critical skills while advancing their knowledge and financial resources to complete their undergraduate degrees and possibly move to advanced studies. The vREU pilot provided undergraduate research experiences for 51 students and 21 faculty drawn from 14 colleges and universities. The Affinity Research Group (ARG) model, based on a cooperative learning model, was used to guide faculty mentors throughout the eight-week vREU. ARG is a CAHSI signature practice with a focus on deliberate, structured faculty and student research, technical, communication, and professional skills development. At weekly meetings, faculty were provided resources and discussed a specific skill to support students’ research experience and development, which faculty put into immediate practice with their students. Evaluation findings include no statistical difference in student development between the face-to-face and virtual models with faculty and the benefit of training as an opportunity for faculty professional growth and impact. This faculty development model allows for rapid dissemination of the ARG model through practice and application with weekly faculty cohort meetings, coaching, and reflection. 

This paper describes the ways in which an established K12 informal learning program, called Young Women in Computing (YWIC), utilizes culturally sustaining pedagogical practices to support learning, development, and leadership of youth outreach participants as well as undergraduate instructional staff. Authors emphasize the leadership roles undergraduates (here, authors 1-3) play in developing and implementing outreach designed and embodied at a Hispanic[1]Serving Institution. The three themes illustrated in this study include (1) opportunities for agency, or ownership, choice and autonomy for undergraduate leaders, (2) an emphasis on relationality, or developing personal relationships among undergraduate leaders and youth, and (3) the multiplicity of relevant knowledge and “ways of knowing” which contribute to viable pathways into computing. This paper argues the elevation of undergraduates better apprentices the next diverse educators and leaders in computing. 

Underrepresentation of women and students of color in science, technology, engineering, and math is a national epidemic. The lack of socioeconomic, gender, and racial/ethnic diversity in computer science is particularly pronounced—only 11% of recent computing graduates were women, while Hispanics comprised only 7% of all Bachelor degree earners in the United States (AUTHORS, 2016). Students of color face isolation in higher education, particularly in STEM majors, lack mentors, role models, and advocates who resemble them, and often experience implicit bias that can put them at risk for poor performance in the classroom (Seymour & Hewitt, 1997; Steele, 1995, Tate & Linn, 2005). Yet underrepresented students persevere in adversity and do become successful professionals in STEM fields, despite the odds. This study aims to reflect an assets-based approach to the study of computer science undergraduates who persevere in the major at 6 public Hispanic-serving institutions (H.S.I.s), colleges and universities in which 25% of the enrolled student body identifies as Hispanic/Latinx. The social contexts of computer science and computer engineering departments at H.S.I.s are rich for the exploration of persistence because, like their students, H.S.I.s are often perceived as lacking in resources and prestige, yet these computing departments are struggling with growth as awareness of computing as a viable career option expands nationally (NASEM, 2018). The lower tuition and policies which make enrollment “open” to “less selective” provide access to students who may not typically have access to a 4 year degree, yet the institutions may lack financial resources needed to provide extensive student support services on par with predominantly white institutions (P.W.I.s). These settings are important contexts for studying persistence from a qualitative, socio cultural perspective that considers the strengths of students’ cultural and familial backgrounds rather than focusing on weaknesses and differences from the dominant culture (in the United States, that of white, middle class individuals). At the same time, our study can shed light on student-developed strategies to persevere in a demanding field of study. 

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. 

This Innovative Practice Work-In-Progress paper elucidates [redacted name of the alliance] approach for creating change by highlighting an effort across six institutions to support the delivery of one- and two-credit hour courses for three levels of problem solving: problem solving, computational thinking in problem solving, and algorithmic thinking in problem solving. The courses were developed to address feedback from industry partners regarding the need for improved problem-solving skills. The first of its kind for [name of Alliance], the problem-solving courses are fewer credit hours than typical courses designed to fit within traditional curriculum. The intent is to instill the complementary 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. The paper describes the process for designing the courses; the efforts to refine and improve course delivery, and the assessment and evaluation of the courses.