Board 289: Fab Friday and Its Impact on Computer Science Majors’ Motivation and Career Readiness

Abstract

Fab Friday and Its Impact on Computer Science Majors' Motivation and Career Readiness IntroductionThis paper is about a program created to improve the academic success and workforce readiness for low income, high academic potential Computer Science (CS) majors. It was funded by the Scholarships for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (SSTEM) program of the National Science Foundation (NSF, Grant #1742618). We focus on preliminary analysis on the impact of "Fab Friday," the centerpiece of our SSTEM program. Fab Friday was an on-campus, semester-long hackathon where our fabulous scholars worked in teams on Friday afternoons to fabricate computing solutions for real world projects and challenges presented by community and industry partners. CS faculty also participated as project mentors. Fab Friday was created to enhance the SSTEM Scholars' social capital, defined as the information and resources generated through one's social relationships and social networks [1]. The SSTEM Program as the Context for Fab FridayOur SSTEM program created cohorts of students who were called SSTEM Scholars. They were selected based on being low-income, sophomore status, and academic promise. We conducted outreach to Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, and Software Engineering majors through email blasts; information sessions at various campus centers (e.g., Gender Equity Center, Black Student Center, Latinx Center, Pride Center); and, direct outreach based on student demographics. We strived to solicit the most diverse cohorts possible. Additionally, the National Science Foundation required participants to be US citizens or lawful residents. Once students were selected, the SSTEM program support included receiving a $10,000 scholarship (over four semesters), access to an academic coach, participation in Fab Friday, and community building activities (e.g., social gatherings).The leadership team directing SSTEM and Fab Friday was cross disciplinary. It consisted of Dr. Youwen Ouyang (CS faculty, PI), Dr. Marisol Clark-Ibáñez (Sociology faculty, co-PI), Dr. Geoffrey Gilmore (Associate Vice President for Student Affairs), and Mae Talicuran (Academic Coach). We are a culturally diverse team (i.e., Asian, Latina, Black, and Pacific Islander). Our unique perspectives and common passion to support students resulted in a strong studentcentered collaboration sustained through the grant project (2017-2023).Our SSTEM program and Fab Friday addressed major challenges facing students. Nationally, there is an equity gap in the graduation rates of CS majors with majority being white male students [2] which then impacts the lack of diversity in the tech field [3]. Locally, CS students at CSUSM had low retention and graduation rates. Our SSTEM program offered support and