Work in Progress: A Novel Professional Development Program for Addressing Systemic Barriers to Computing Participation
- Conference
- Location
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Minneapolis, MN
- Publication Date
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August 23, 2022
- Start Date
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June 26, 2022
- End Date
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June 29, 2022
- Conference Session
- Page Count
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13
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--41414
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/41414
- Download Count
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384
Paper Authors
Cecilé Sadler Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cecilé Sadler is a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the MIT Media Lab with the Lifelong Kindergarten group. Her interests lie at the intersection of computing and education in designing equitable learning environments that cultivate creativity through technology-mediated creative learning experiences. She focuses on investigating how computing can be leveraged to create spaces for young people of color to practice agency and develop their cultural identity through playful learning experiences. Cecilé is a graduate of North Carolina State University and Duke University, earning her B.S. and M.S. in computer engineering. She is also on the Competence in Computing (3C) Fellows Program research team and serves as senior personnel on the Alliance for Identity-Inclusive Computing Education (AiiCE).
Shaundra Daily Duke University
Shaundra B. Daily is a professor of practice in Electrical and Computer Engineering & Computer Science at Duke University. Her research involves the design, implementation, and evaluation of technologies, programs, and curricula to promote justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM fields. She is currently Co-PI of the Alliance for Identity-Inclusive Computing, Education and Workforce Director for the Athena AI Institute, and Faculty Director of the Duke Technology Scholars Program. Prior to joining Duke, she was an associate professor at the University of Florida in the Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering. Having garnered over $40M in funding from public and private sources to support her collaborative research activities, Daily’s work has been featured in USA Today, Forbes, National Public Radio, the Chicago Tribune, and recognized by Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina. Daily earned her B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University – Florida State University College of Engineering, and a S.M. and Ph.D. from the MIT Media Lab.
Alicia Washington Duke University
Dr. Alicia Nicki Washington is a professor of the practice of computer science and gender, sexuality, and feminist studies at Duke University and the author of Unapologetically Dope: Lessons for Black Women and Girls on Surviving and Thriving in the Tech Field. She is currently the director of the Cultural Competence in Computing (3C) Fellows program and the NSF-funded Alliance for Identity-Inclusive Computing Education (AiiCE). She also serves as senior personnel for the NSF-funded Athena Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI). Her career in higher education began at Howard University as the first Black female faculty member in the Department of Computer Science. Her professional experience also includes Winthrop University, The Aerospace Corporation, and IBM. She is a graduate of Johnson C. Smith University (B.S., ‘00) and North Carolina State University (M.S., ’02; Ph.D., ’05), becoming the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in computer science at the university and 2019 Computer Science Hall of Fame Inductee. She is a native of Durham, NC.
Abstract
Technology’s pervasiveness, impact, and the economic mobility for its creators demand that all people drive the future of computing. Nonetheless, computing is dominated by white and Asian, able-bodied, middle to upper class, cisgender men. Despite recent enrollment increases in undergraduate computing departments in the U.S., representation of historically excluded groups (i.e., Black, Indigenous, Latine/Hispanic, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, women, LGBTQ+, disabled, and economically disadvantaged) remains low. Similar trends appear among computing educators, where only 2% of all computing faculty identify as Black, 2.6% as Latine/Hispanic, 0.3% as Indigenous/Alaska Native, and 10% as women. Data for people with disabilities and queer identities are not adequately collected to properly assess representation. Intersectionality further highlights the lack of representation. For example, Black women earn less than 3% of undergraduate degrees and represent less than 1% of computing faculty. Effects of this lack of diversity are evident in academic cultures as well as biased/harmful technologies (such as facial recognition and predictive policing) that negatively impact and exclude non-dominant identities. To date, most efforts to address representation center marginalized students and faculty, while not fully acknowledging or addressing the people, practices, and policies that make persistence difficult (if not impossible).
Sadler, C., & Daily, S., & Washington, A. (2022, August), Work in Progress: A Novel Professional Development Program for Addressing Systemic Barriers to Computing Participation Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41414
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