CS 4 Everyone
Farzana Rahman, Jennifer Stevens, Sharon Simmons · 2015
It is widely known that computer science students do not reflect the diversity of the population at large. Studies have shown that effective outreach programs can educate the public, increase student interest, help recruit and retain majors in computing disciplines. Traditionally the outreach events are organized by higher education institutions or nonprofit organizations. It will be highly effective if high school teachers are provided with the right tools so they can organize outreach events in their school or local community. Outreach programs can vary widely in terms of target audience, duration and objective. And it might seem daunting to design and deploy outreach events to make it sustainable. Our goal in this BOF is to discuss effective outreach activities to recruit and retain diverse students in CS K-12 pipeline. In particular, each facilitator will address the objective of the activity, the target audience, a description of the activity, and key aspects for successful deployment. This BOF will also provide an effective model for high school teachers to design and implement computing outreach activities in their schools. We will share techniques to increase students and parents interest in computer related discipline and provide them with appropriate tools to pursue their interest more. Facilitators will also share information about various funding agencies that can sponsor CS outreach programs. It will provide an opportunity for high school and college faculty to explore possibilities for collaborations and outreach between high schools and colleges.