CNS 0420505, PI Kamin, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign CNS 0420000, PI Califf, Illinois State University CNS 0420458, PI Lucht, Heartland Community College CNS 0420468, PI Mobasseri, Parkland College CNS 0420506, PI Uskov, Bradley University CNS 0420321, PI Van Cleave, Eastern Illinois University
This collaborative ITWF project implements a set of activities designed to increase participation of women and under-represented minorities in undergraduate computer science programs in the state of Illinois. The project includes high school outreach, curriculum reform, mentoring, and other extracurricular activities. It is a collaborative project between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois State University, Heartland Community College, Parkland College, Bradley University, and Eastern Illinois University. The project involves building communities among various groups within the state to recruit, support, and retain students in computing courses and programs.
The intellectual merit of this project lies in the strong research basis for the intervention models as well as the vertical integration of the models at a range of secondary and post-secondary institutions within the state. The project plan is clear and reasonable with well-defined roles for the partners. The project builds on existing programs and partnerships within the state and includes investigators with significant relevant experience.
The broader impacts of the project lie with the potential increasing the participation of under-represented groups in computer science within one state. If successful, the project may provide a sound model for similar broad-based approaches in other states and geographical areas.
