Search for: All records

Poor computing identity contributes to a deficit in performance of Black American computing students compared to their other ethnic counterparts. As the demand for computing careers continues to increase, it is imperative to discover novel ways to improve the deficit of minority college and career performance in computing. Black American social media influencers that produce video log (vlog) commentary content were investigated on the YouTube platform to determine the influence they have on improving computing identity of minority students through computing and academic advisement. This exploratory study consists of two studies: (1) a synthesis of vlog commentary college and career advisement videos, coding for the quality of advisement, usability, and user experience, and (2) an advisor effectiveness and user experience survey using a selected minority social media influencer who provides computing college and career advisement. Findings suggest YouTube influencers were effective (over a series of measures), particularly for beginners in the computing field. As minorities heavily participate in and enjoy the use of YouTube and social media, computing advisement influencers on social media allow for supplemental advisement at a wide scale. Future studies intend to further experiment minority computing advisement through social media over a long term and at varying levels of interaction. Findings help validate existing academic advisement influencers and prompts new approaches for organizations and industries to engage with prospective Black American students and members for preparation and training purposes. 

To improve the academic and professional achievement of underrepresented minorities in computing, a newfound interest in innovative mentoring practices has captivated STEM education researchers. Studies suggest that virtual mentoring conversational agents can be leveraged across multiple platforms to provide supplemental mentorship, offsetting the lack of access to in-person mentorship in disadvantaged communities. A within-subjects mixed-method experiment was carried out to assess the usability of a mentoring conversational agent. Mobile interfaces (Twitter and SMS) were compared to each other and against a web-based embodied conversational agent (ECA). Results suggest that mobile interfaces are more usable than the web-based ECA. The findings from this study help to identify areas for improvement in virtual learning alternatives and other potential applications for pervasive conversational interfaces.