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This article examines teacher preparation and teacher change in engineering and computer science education. We examined culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy (CRTSE), culturally responsive teaching outcome expectancy (CRTOE) beliefs, and attitudes toward computational thinking (CT) as teachers participated in one of three treatment groups: robotics only, game design only, or blended robotics/game design. Descriptive data revealed that CRTSE gain scores were higher in the robotics only and blended contexts than in the game design only context. However, CRTOE beliefs were consistent across all treatment groups. In regard to CT attitudes, teachers’ gain scores were higher in the game design only and blended contexts than in the robotics only context. In addition, there were differences by treatment group related to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) practices, while cultural artifacts were evident in each learning environment. The results of this study reveal some variability by treatment type and inform future research on equitable practices in engineering and computer science education.

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Mathematics continues to be a gatekeeper in limiting participation in the sciences especially among underserved, underrepresented, and racially minoritized students. The contribution of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to broaden the participation of racially minoritized students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in the United States is significant. This paper reports the findings of a quasi-experimental study on the use of undergraduate teaching assistants (UTAs) in gatekeeper mathematics courses in the context of an HBCU. UTAs were assigned to gatekeeper mathematics courses to disrupt the individualized and deficit-oriented milieu commonly associated with learning mathematics. A total of 1,188 undergraduate students of African descent completed an end-of-semester survey on the use of UTAs in gatekeeper mathematics courses. Results reveal evidence of significant and positive effects of UTA use in gatekeeper mathematics courses on student outcomes. The significant positive results are attributed to the comparative proxies of UTAs who shared similar race and ethnicity with students enrolled in gatekeeper mathematics courses. The significant results of UTA use in gatekeeper mathematics courses bode well for meaningful and practical application to HBCUs and other similar higher education settings seeking to increase STEM outcomes for students of African descent.