Supporting Underrepresented Information Technology Students Through High Impact Practices

Abstract

The Leading Informatics for Tomorrow (LiFT) Scholars Program is a National Science Foundation grant-funded project that supports full-time students who demonstrate financial need at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and Ivy Tech Community College. The LiFT Scholars Program is presented as a case study of a multi-institutional scholarship and student support program serving underrepresented and underserved students pursuing degrees in informatics and computing through cross-institutional programming and high impact practices (HIPs) centered on fostering student engagement and career readiness. LiFT scholars benefit from a community of support from peers, staff, faculty, and industry professionals in the information technology (IT) field to promote their success. This chapter begins by providing context on the need to increase and diversify the IT workforce in the USA. Next, we offer background on the development and mission of the LiFT Scholars Program. This context offers a backdrop for describing the practice-based contributions the LiFT Scholars Program has made on students’ sense of belonging, success, and career readiness. We then provide an overview of the HIPs implemented through LiFT that span curricular and cocurricular practices. These HIPs include the following: (a) learning communities; (b) summer bridge; (c) a residential based learning community; (d) peer mentoring; (e) community-building activities; (f) engagement with industry professionals; and (g) postgraduation planning and preparation.KeywordsHigh impact practicesStudent support servicesMulti-institutional collaborationsInformation technology studentsSTEM student support