BPC-DP: Frontier Opportunities in Computing for Underrepresented Students (FOCUS)
Project flyer |
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| Audience/Grade: | College Freshman-College Senior |
| Discipline(s): |
Computer Science Computing Diversity Engineering Diversity |
| Special Topic(s): |
BPC - NSF Programs |
| Learning Resource Type: |
Community - General |
| Media Type: |
Audio |
| Author(s): |
Alfonso Cardenas David Smallberg Enrique Ainsworth Stephen Jacobsen William Kaiser |
| Description: | The Frontier Opportunities in Computing for Underrepresented Students (FOCUS) project, UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, is aimed at increasing the number of underrepresented minorities interested in, prepared for, and retained to baccalaureate degree completion in computig disciplines. A collateral goal is to prepare students who possess these skills, knowledge and resiliency, to competitively enter and succeed in either the computing workforce or in graduate studies. FOCUS form partnerships with the regional NSF STEP-UP project, the UCLS Center for Excellence in Engineering and Diversity (CEED), and industries. It builds learning communities around transition and bridging programs to provide an academic and non-academic support system that includes mentor networks, and industry and research internships. FOCUS offers summer computing immersion experiences and computer programming modules for community college students and UCLA computing undergraduates. There are opportunities for UCLA computing undergraduates to participate in faculty research projects throughout the year. FOCUS conducts Counselor and Faculty Institutes to produce effective and lasting communities of practice and commitment to diversify the computing student population and workforce. The FOCUS project will impact over 400 students in the three years and can serve as a model for other institutions. |
| Rating: | No Rating |
| Related Resources | |
| Keywords: | BPC-DP BPC-NSF recruitment retention community college summer bridge program BPC-DP BPC-NSF |
| Is Component of: |
BPC-DP: NSF Program for Demonstration Projects in Broadening Participation in Computing |
| Usage Tip | |
| Related ABET Criteria: |
Retention |
| Intervention(s): |
Learning communities Mentoring |
| Use of Resource: |
Outcomes Evaluation Strategies and interventions: retention and learning communities. <Student Learning>Students from these sections who used the system demonstrated significantly better understanding of the computer concepts in general. The performance of students in Groups 2 and 3 [used system as self-directed learning and exploration tool; system used in and outside of class] did better than those in Group 1 [control].</Student Learning> |
| Version Info | |
| Publication Date: | May 2008 |
| Platform/Format: |
WWW |
| Cost: |
Free |
| Download URL: | http://goliath.cs.ucla.edu/focus/index.html |
| Metadata: |
IEEE LOM Record |
| Collection: |
Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC)
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