Change-Focused Faculty Learning Community

Project Summary

This project, Collaborative Research: CUE-T, investigates how inclusive and equitable active learning strategies (IE-LESs) can improve student learning, engagement, and retention in online synchronous learning environments (OSLEs) for computing courses. Building on the rapid shift to online instruction after Spring 2020, the project addresses persistent challenges in attracting and retaining underrepresented students in computing (CS/IT/SE), particularly women and Black and Hispanic males. Led by Dr. Peter Clarke at FIU, six collaborating institutions—including two HBCUs, two HSIs, and two small universities—will implement and share resources:

Intellectual Merit

The project advances knowledge by systematically examining how combinations of collaborative learning, gamification, problem-based learning, and social interaction—adapted as inclusive and equitable pedagogies—affect diverse student populations in computing education. Through a mixed-methods experimental design, the study will generate empirical evidence on faculty and LA preparation, effectiveness of shared courses, and best combinations of IE-LESs that broaden participation in computing. The interdisciplinary team brings expertise in assessment, CS education, pedagogy, and learning technologies, supported by an external evaluator and advisory board. Outcomes will contribute to the scholarship of computing education, providing a replicable framework for transforming OSLEs into inclusive, engaging, and equitable environments.

Broader Impacts

Over the project’s lifetime, more than 4,000 undergraduate students—at least 22% female and 75% from historically underrepresented groups—will directly benefit from enhanced computing courses. By training 15 faculty and 74 learning assistants, the project will build sustainable instructional capacity at minority-serving institutions. Results will inform broader adoption of inclusive pedagogies in online computing education, helping prepare a more diverse and equitable computing workforce. Dissemination will include national STEM and computing education conferences, peer-reviewed journals, and outreach at HBCUs, HSIs, and TCUs. The project has the potential to significantly impact equity in computing education and workforce participation, aligning with national priorities to broaden participation in STEM.

Team

Publications & Posters