Hispanic Advancement In Computing Education Research

BROADENING HISPANIC PARTICIPATION IN COMPUTING

Jennie L. Mellado-Macera Department of Computer Science, Texas Tech University

ABSTRACT According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanics embody 30.6% of the Lubbock county population. Of this population 8.58% are within 15-19 years of age [1], a total of 6,781 prospective college students. Texas Tech 2008 enrollment ranked in at 23,107, witha total of 13.83% being Hispanic [2], and of those Hispanics only 31 were enrolled at the Department of Computer Science [3], this indisputable underrepresentation of Hispanics, especially within the fields of science and technology, has induced a need for change. The Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering, Department of Computer Science, has put forth an innovative method designed tomotivate, expose, recruit, and ultimately retain young talented Hispanic high school students to the wonders of technology and robotics. The venture is called, Motivating Development of Software and Data Through Action in Robots, though a step forward, a lack of supporting evidence has sidelined this project. For this reason the Hispanic Advancement in Computer Engineering Research (HACER) project wasinstituted, its objective is to broaden Hispanic participation in computing at Texas Tech University. This project is to provide evidence addressing specific Hispanic student’s needs. HACER should demonstrate the growing interest within the fields of robotics and technology evolving within the Hispanic high school

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student population. Statistical evidence is incorporated from severalreliable primary sources as supportive evidence of the Hispanic underrepresentation; including Texas Tech’s recruiting reports conducted by several recognized research teams and previous research performed by numerous educational institutions across the country.

INTRODUCTION According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ projections [4], an increase of employment within the information andcomputing occupations are projected to occur during the upcoming decade. Network systems, data communication analysts, along with, computer application software engineers are expected to be in high demand quite rapidly. However, even though an increase of Hispanics in the labor force is expected, Hispanics are underrepresented in the labor force in the areas mentioned above. The U.S. Department ofEducation reported that of all bachelor’s degrees earned during the academic year 2006-2007 only 7.5% were earned by Hispanics [5], meaning out of those 31 computer science students mentioned above, only 2 are expected to graduate.

The main problem encountered was the lack of minorities, more specifically Hispanics, enrolling into a 4-year institution, not to mention within the field of science andtechnology. To approach possible solutions, HACER concentrates on three primary factors that tend to influence the decision of pursuing a post-secondary education. First, most Hispanic high school students classify under first-generation college students; meaning a lot of unknown variables immediately come into effect, as parents of those students have little to no idea of the true importance ofa

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higher education. Secondly, need-base financial aid availability is also crucial information that they do not posses. Thirdly, most Hispanic parents require that their children work part-time jobs during the summer to help the family financially. In the United States 23.7% of Hispanics within the ages of 16 to 19 and 61.2% within the ages of 20 to 24 belong to the country’s workforce[4].

In order to broaden Hispanic participation in computing, it is necessary to approach both parents and students and provide them with the information they need to understand why higher education is important; the significance of computing in the near future and the employment potential it possesses, and especially speak about the millions of financial aid possibilities that are available to...