Creating a Path to Achieving Success and Sense of Belonging in Computer Science

This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need. Over its six-year duration, this project will award a total of 112 scholarships to 28 talented undergraduate students, with a demonstrated financial need, who are pursuing degrees in computer science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Massachusetts. The project will provide academic preparation for incoming students and create student-centered support for cohort academic experiences based on previous studies of the experiences of disadvantaged and marginalized students. This project will help to close the gap between Pell-eligible and non-Pell-eligible students in their retention and graduation rates in computer science, and prepare students for success in graduate school and ultimately their professional careers. The goals of this project include 1) closing the retention and graduation rate gap between the low-income (Pell) scholars and non-Pell computing students, and 2) providing interconnected support opportunities to enhance the academic performance and sense of belonging for students earning a B.S. degree in computer science. To meet these goals the project will study, develop, and implement an evidence-based network model where cohort peers connect, study together, and build their computer science identity throughout their college education. These activities will be evaluated based on the success, retention, and graduation of low-income students in computing. This project will advance our understanding of best practices and lessons that will assist other educators to improve STEM education. This project is funded by NSF’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.