INSPIRED High School Computing Academies

Abstract

If we are to attract more women and minorities to computing we must engage students at an early age. As part of its mission to increase participation of women and underrepresented minorities in computing, the Increasing Student Participation in Research Development Program (INSPIRED) conducts computing academies for high school students. The academies are designed to increase students’ knowledge of and interest in computing and to encourage females and minorities to participate in computing. INSPIRED academies differ from others in several ways. They are relatively easy to organize and require relatively few resources; they focus on computing concepts and object-oriented programming; they expose students to successful female and minority computer scientists; and they actively engage university students from underrepresented groups to organize, coordinate, teach, and help assess the academies. This not only provides role models for the high school students but also helps engage the university students and promote their professional development. Our assessment results show that high school student participants have gained significant knowledge and interest in computing through participation in the academies. This article describes the organization, coordination, content, and assessment of the academies, along with suggestions for those who would like to design academies like these. It also discusses how to prepare university students for their roles in the academies and how their participation has helped in their professional development. It includes pointers to sites from which the instructional and assessment materials can be downloaded for those who wish to replicate or adapt these materials.