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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. 

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. 

This “work in progress” showcases the methodological processes underway in Phase II of a three-part study. In its entirety, the study aims to (1) critically assess and evaluate the current research-to-practice cycle as it relates to participation and success of African Americans in engineering and computer science, and (2) set a national agenda for broadening the participation of African Americans in these two fields. Phase II of this study consists of semi-structured interviews with approximately 60 subject-matter experts from the fields of K-12 education, undergraduate education, graduate education, and the engineering and computing workforce. This paper discusses the following processes: a) participant recruitment, screening, and selection, as well as, b) protocol development and piloting. Insights about our methodological approaches might be useful to others developing research designs intended to capture the perspectives of various stakeholders associated with similarly complex and multifaceted issues. 

Over the last 40 years, more than 25 national reports have been published focused on broadening participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Although scholarly literature oftentimes serves as one source of information on how to move forward, national reports—produced by organizations, such as the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and committees, such as the Committee on Women in Science and Engineering (CWSE)—are an underutilized source of insights. This paper presents the results of a quasi-umbrella review of 29 national reports published during 1974–2016. The reports in this analysis included 134 unique recommendations, which were synthesized into four themes, broadly labeled: (1) Practices & Policies, (2) Culture & Climate, (3) Information & Knowledge, and (4) Investments & Commitments. These recommendations have implications for a wide range of stakeholders interested in addressing this longstanding problem, and the findings of this study provide a historical and policy perspective that is useful for informing next steps that will ideally lead to the forms of progress that have been long awaited. 

While broadening participation is a national problem, to date, efforts tend to respond with local solutions. Though valuable, such efforts are insufficient and have only led to incremental progress. If the goal is wide-scale improvements, we argue that there is a need to take a step back and re-examine what has been done in terms of research and practice. Accordingly, the proposed work engages multiples sources to present a nationwide solution to a national problem and, hopefully, spark a change in the demographic trends of engineers and computer scientists—an area where progress has been stagnant. The purpose of this study is to (1) critically evaluate the research-to-practice cycle as it relates to broadening participation; and (2) set a national agenda for broadening the participation of African Americans in engineering and computer science that is informed by existing literature and subject matter experts. To address this purpose, our three-phase project entails the following: (1) a systematic review of the literature on barriers to participation and proposed solutions for each juncture of the education-to-workforce pathway; (2) interviews with subject-matter experts to discuss their professional experiences regarding broadening the participation of African Americans, and what can be done to gain momentum in this regard; and (3) a Delphi study to reach consensus on the key issues, gaps in our understanding, significant questions, and breakdowns in the Innovation Cycle of Educational Practice and Research. This project started in January 2017 and is well underway. Our poster will present a summary of the results from Phase 1, our progress in Phase 2, and plans for Phase 3.