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  1. Cynthia Sanchez Gomez
  2. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  3. Rutgers University
  1. Sally J. Nadler
  2. Assistant Dean
  3. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  4. Douglass Residential College, Rutgers University
  1. Rebecca N. Wright
  2. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  3. Barnard College
  1. Thu Nguyen
  2. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  3. Rutgers University
  1. Heather Wright
  2. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  3. Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline (CERP)

Computer Science Living-Learning Community for Women at Rutgers University

NSF Awards: 1504775

2019 (see original presentation & discussion)

Undergraduate

Douglass Residential College (DRC) students at Rutgers University describe their experiences as part of the Computer Science Living-Learning Community (LLC), a program now in its third year. Each year, around 20 first-year undergraduate women who intend to major in computer science (CS) apply and are selected to participate. LLC participants live in a common residence hall and are provided with  educational, mentoring, and community-building activities that supports their progress as students and CS majors. Participants take a “house course,” Great Ideas and Insights in Computer Science, as a group, and also take a course on Knowledge and Power: Issues in Women’s Leadership. Program activities include study sessions and industry interactions, as well as opportunities to participate in K-12 outreach programs, hackathons, and computing research.

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Discussion from the 2019 STEM for All Video Showcase (11 posts)
  • Icon for: Danielle Watt

    Danielle Watt

    Facilitator
    Director of Education, Outreach, Diversity
    May 13, 2019 | 12:51 p.m.

    Thank you for sharing your great project and student stories! Do you see a significant difference in the retention and degree completion (although it may be early in your project for this one) of women students who participate in the LLC vs. the students who do not?

  • Icon for: Rebecca Wright

    Rebecca Wright

    Co-Presenter
    May 14, 2019 | 12:34 p.m.

    Thank you for your comment and question, Danielle.  Our first cohort of students are now completing their third year as undergrads, so it is too soon to expect degree completion.  We have been tracking progress of the LLC students through courses and major declaration, though even that information is limited because Rutgers students typically do not declare a major until the end of their second year.  As of earlier this semester, we saw that 71% of Cohort 1 declared either a CS major, a CS minor, or an ITI (information technology informatics) major and 95% of Cohort 2 either declared a CS or ITI major or were making course progress consistent with a CS major.  (We believe the larger number for Cohort 2 is due to changes we made in the program between the first and second years.) We will continue to track this progress and also are working on a follow-up study to compare this data to a comparison group who did not participate in the LLC.

     
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    Danielle Watt
  • Icon for: Danielle Watt

    Danielle Watt

    Facilitator
    Director of Education, Outreach, Diversity
    May 16, 2019 | 02:06 p.m.

    Interesting to see the increase in cohort 2 vs 1 declaring CS/ITI major but can you comment on how this compares with current trends of women students who began college with interest in CS compared to those who declared CS major?

  • Icon for: Rebecca Wright

    Rebecca Wright

    Co-Presenter
    May 20, 2019 | 01:38 p.m.

    We still need to do this research.  We agree it will be interesting to see!

  • Icon for: Phillip Eaglin, PhD

    Phillip Eaglin, PhD

    Facilitator
    Founder and CEO
    May 14, 2019 | 06:16 p.m.

    Great to see academics making its way into the living spaces for college students!  Question: Is there a focus on creating study groups on computer science?  What part of the program supports the CS students socially vs academically?

  • Icon for: Cynthia Sanchez Gomez

    Cynthia Sanchez Gomez

    Lead Presenter
    May 15, 2019 | 12:29 p.m.

    Yes, we do have a focus on creating study groups for students in the program. We currently work with the Rutgers Learning Center and each year we have a study section dedicated to the LLC (which includes an undergraduate learning assistant). Also, we host a study session at the end of each semester in preparation for finals with at least one computer science faculty and a graduate student that can assist with tutoring. 

    We also host team-building welcome events, but the students mostly socially connect as they live in the same residence hall during an academic year. 

     

     
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    Phillip Eaglin, PhD
  • Icon for: Rebecca Wright

    Rebecca Wright

    Co-Presenter
    May 15, 2019 | 01:01 p.m.

    As an additional academic experience for the LLC students, they also take a "house course" for the LLC, just for them, "Great Ideas and Applications in Computer Science," taught by their faculty advisor. This one-credit seminar course is designed to ensure that the LLC students have a shared classroom experience and to connect some of the topics students are learning in CS major’s introductory courses to broader applications of CS.

     
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    Cynthia Sanchez Gomez
  • Icon for: Marcelo Worsley

    Marcelo Worsley

    Facilitator
    Assistant Professor
    May 14, 2019 | 06:23 p.m.

    Thank you for sharing this work. Can you say more about the hackathons that have been organized? What kinds of themes have been particularly salient for the hachathons? Do they tend to attract people from all around campus, or is it mostly Douglass fellows? Additionally, have any of the cohort members talked about ways that the experience has helped shape/re-shape their impression of the computer science culture?

  • Icon for: Cynthia Sanchez Gomez

    Cynthia Sanchez Gomez

    Lead Presenter
    May 15, 2019 | 12:35 p.m.

    HackHERS is one of many Hackathons at Rutgers University. However, this one is women-centric with an attendance of about 300 people each year. HackHERS mostly attracts women but is open to all, including many visitors from the entire university and other universities/colleges in the area.

    Anecdotally, students have expressed that being able to connect with other women in technology at a Hackathon has helped them feel more comfortable with the field. 

  • Icon for: Hillary Kolos

    Hillary Kolos

    Informal Educator
    May 15, 2019 | 11:23 a.m.

    This project is really innovative and inspiring. In my own research, I've seen how women and other non-dominant groups in STEM create their own support communities. I'm wondering how living in the LLC has effected the student's identities in relation to STEM as well as their confidence and resilience when facing challenges (either academic or social). Are there aspects of their community that differ from other STEM groups or communities on campus?

    Also, I'm involved with another project in the showcase looking at underrepresented youth and STEM identities that you might want to check out: https://stemforall2019.videohall.com/presentati...

    Thank you for this impactful work!

     
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    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Danielle Watt
  • Icon for: Heather Wright

    Heather Wright

    Co-Presenter
    May 17, 2019 | 04:10 p.m.

    Hi Hillary! Thank you for your question.

    In our research, we have found mixed results in our survey data related to LLC students' confidence levels and support structures. The program has adapted over time in response to lessons learned and evaluation results, but one consistent finding is that LLC students tend to report much stronger levels of mentorship support than other women at Rutgers who did not participate in the program.

    We are still analyzing our data further to better understand how LLC students compare to others over time, as well as to what degree the LLC program has impacted students in the long-term. We will be focusing particularly on research questions related to students' confidence to persist in their degree programs.

     

    I hope this response helps answer your question. Thank you for sharing your video and bringing our attention to this very important work!

  • Further posting is closed as the event has ended.