New Student Success Grant
Exciting News: Student Success Grant Secured for Innovative Computing/CS Education Initiative
We are thrilled to announce that our collaborative project, “Undo ‘Stuck in the Shallow End’: Charlotte’s Interdisciplinary and Cross Campus CS/Computing Education Initiative for Women, Latino, and African American Students,” has been awarded funding through the highly competitive Student Success Grant program. This project, spearheaded by Dr. Xiaoxia Newton in partnership with our own faculty president, Dr. Xiaoxia Du, is set to receive $15,000 in funding for implementation between December 1, 2024, and May 15, 2025.
About the Grant Program
The Student Success Grant is part of the Chancellor’s initiative to realign diversity-focused funds into pilot projects that promote innovative solutions to improve student retention and graduation rates. The grants are aimed at supporting projects with measurable outcomes that address barriers to student success and enhance equity across the university.
Our Project’s Focus
Underrepresentation of women, Latino, and African American students in computing and computer science (CS) is a pressing issue that our project seeks to address. Computing and CS fields are critical for national security, economic growth, and individual prosperity. Our initiative employs a mixed-methods approach to address the dual root causes of underrepresentation: under-preparation and self-defeating prophecy.
This project brings together a multidisciplinary team of 12 faculty and senior administrative staff spanning four colleges, eight departments, and three offices at Charlotte. Our collective expertise includes STEM education, data science and analytics, qualitative research, and student recruitment and support.
As a proud Collaborative Team Member, I am excited to contribute to this groundbreaking initiative, working alongside an incredible team dedicated to making meaningful strides in fostering equity and student success in computing/CS education.
Project Goals and Objectives
Our initiative is built on four key goals with specific objectives:
- Targeted Recruitment Strategies
- Partner with Enrollment in Academic Affairs and the College of Computing and Informatics (CCI).
- Develop outreach materials to support counselors working with underrepresented groups.
- Student Success Support
- Link pre-college data to college success indicators.
- Summarize the college experiences and needs of CCI students.
- Review existing CCI support programs to identify gaps.
- Data Dashboard Development
- Establish a partnership with Institutional Effectiveness and Analytics.
- Create data dashboards to visualize the connection between pre-college preparation and college outcomes.
- Promote data-driven decision-making across campus.
- Cross-Campus Collaboration
- Build and sustain a multidisciplinary team dedicated to enhancing student success.
- Expand partnerships and promote collaborative efforts across Charlotte.
What’s Next?
With the funding now secured, our team will begin the project implementation phase on December 1, 2024. By May 15, 2025, we aim to have significant insights and actionable strategies in place. A final report will be submitted by June 1, 2025, to summarize our findings and impact.
A Collective Effort
This initiative would not have been possible without the visionary leadership of Dr. Xiaoxia Newton, the support of Dr. Xiaoxia Du, and the contributions of all the talented faculty and staff on the collaborative team. It represents a bold step forward in addressing inequities in computing/CS education and fostering a culture of inclusivity and student success at Charlotte.
As a collaborative team member, I am honored to play a part in this transformative effort and look forward to the positive impact this project will have on our campus and beyond.
Stay tuned for updates on our progress as we work to create lasting change and pave the way for a more equitable future in computing and computer science!
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