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Changing Attitudes About Computing Science at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Benefits of an Intervention Program Designed for Undergraduates

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Abstract

The African American Researchers in Computing Sciences (AARCS) program aims to broaden the participation of African Americans from historically Black colleges and universities in the computing sciences at the faculty and research scientist levels. The AARCS program serves as a model that can be incorporated into larger programmatic endeavors at institutions of higher education to target African Americans and other underrepresented groups. This study highlights features of the program, presents key research questions and findings of the evaluation, and generates specific programmatic knowledge for those interested in interventions designed to increase the representation of African American computing scientists, as well as other scientific-related disciplines within higher education.

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Notes

  1. For this study, the scale used for the relative size of Cohen’s is: negligible effect (> = −0.15 and <0.15); small effect (> = 0.15 and <0.40); medium effect (>0.40 and <0.75); large effect (>0.75 and <1.10); very large effect (>1.10 and <1.45); and huge effect >1.45.

  2. Each model reports the delta-p values for statistically significant variables. The column displays the statically significant delta-p values, which show the change in the probability of default that each significant variable makes controlling for all others. For example, a delta-p value of 0.045 indicates that a one-unit change in the predictor is related to a 4.5 percentage point increase in the likelihood that an AARCS participant will apply to graduate school within 5 years. In the context of this study, the default probability is the AARCS program outcome of interest for each model represented by the respective dependent variables.

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Correspondence to Jerlando F. L. Jackson.

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This material is based in part upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Numbers CNS- 0540492 and 0837675. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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Jackson, J.F.L., Charleston, L.J., Gilbert, J.E. et al. Changing Attitudes About Computing Science at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Benefits of an Intervention Program Designed for Undergraduates. J Afr Am St 17, 162–173 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-011-9189-7

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