Closing the Gap and Elevating Engagement: Building a Stronger Foundation for Students in Computing

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program), this Level 2 Implementation and Evaluation project at the University of Illinois Chicago aims to strengthen student learning and success in core programming courses. The project will revamp four core programming courses required for all majors to better align content, student supports, and teaching practices across sections. A collaborative teaching model will allow for more centralized creation of course content and increase faculty contact time and student engagement. The project will also develop an Igniting Minds program that will focus on boosting academic outcomes for students with less programming experience than their peers prior to enrolling in the university. Strengthening student outcomes in computer science courses and programs is an important step to meet the needs of the modern STEM workforce. The goals of this project, which align with this critical national need, are as follows: (1) develop a program to engage the growing pool of computing talent; (2) drive positive change in the programming core sequence for both instructors and students; and (3) improve retention and success for all students. Project research will investigate the impact of the project on student satisfaction and success and will also explore impacts on faculty and student engagement, collaboration, and other factors. Data streams include surveys and focus groups. The project will be evaluated by an independent evaluator to assess progress towards stated goals. This project is funded by the HSI Program, which aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education, broaden participation in STEM, and increase capacity to engage in the development and implementation of innovations to improve STEM teaching and learning at HSIs. 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.