Interventions for Increasing Belonging and Inclusion in Undergraduate Computer Science Classrooms

Undergraduate study of computer science is a common pathway into computing professions; however, attraction and retention of students from underrepresented groups is a long-standing problem. Higher education is in the middle of a well-documented "leaky pipeline," and the reasons for the dismal diversity statistics in computer science are wide-ranging and reach beyond the college classroom experience. Evidence has shown that Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) results in positive learning outcomes and feelings of belonging and inclusion, leading to stronger retention of students from underrepresented groups. This work details efforts across our department to incorporate three components of CRT into introductory and advanced courses: using diverse assets; encouraging identity connections; and structuring meaning-making. Our objective was to create and implement instructional materials that reflect a range of cultural perspectives, help students to express their unique identities in course activities, and craft opportunities for reflection on learning and connection to one's lived experience. We provide a repository of resources and discuss in more detail several examples of course materials targeted at these objectives. In addition to general lessons learned, we present survey results showing that students from underrepresented groups in courses using these materials indicated an increased sense of belonging. Their responses showed statistically significant improvement in their belief that computer science could better help them understand themselves, and in considering themselves a "computer science person."