Apply to Join LEVEL UP Regional Workshops on Inclusion in Undergraduate Computing
Computing education continues to face challenges around inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessible learning, and CRA believes change is possible through a coordinated effort among engaged computing leaders and faculty.
The goal of the LEVEL UP project–a CRA-led shared effort across several organizations, including ACM and IEEE-CS–is to build consensus around a united vision of inclusive undergraduate computing education. Through collaboration with a respected advisory board of computing educators and professionals from across the country, LEVEL UP will chart a pathway that undergraduate computing programs can implement to offer inclusive computing courses and opportunities where all students feel welcome and thrive. This effort will culminate in the development of an evidence-based report of best practices that computing departments can implement nationwide.
Your input is needed!
Do you have knowledge or experience on recruiting computing students minoritized in tech? If so, apply to join a LEVEL UP regional workshop and help build consensus on which evidence-based best practices for broadening participation in computing are most effective and should be implemented on a large scale.
Regional workshops will be held from August 2023 through March 2024. Learn more and apply now!
- Washington, DC: August 7-8, 2023 (Mon-Tues)
- Atlanta, GA: September 18-19, 2023 (Mon-Tues)
- Chicago, IL: October 19-20th, 2023 (Thurs-Fri)
- Boston, MA: November 28-29, 2023 (Tues-Wed)
- Denver, CO: January 16-17, 2024 (Tues-Wed)
- Portland, OR: March 19-20, 2024 (Tues-Wed)
Each workshop will include an inspirational keynote by a community member who has helped change the face of computing. The keynote for the first LEVEL UP workshop in Washington D.C. will be Carla E. Brodley, the Dean of Inclusive Computing and the Founding Executive Director of the Center for Inclusive Computing (CIC) at Northeastern University. Under her leadership, the CIC funds and advises over 80 universities in the United States to remove systemic barriers that prevent women of all races and ethnicities from discovering and persisting in computing.
Workshop attendees will be accepted on a rolling basis until the workshop at a given location has reached capacity. Once accepted to attend a workshop, you will have a short timeline to register for the conference.
Working groups
Each LEVEL UP workshop will form seven working groups to address seven of computing’s biggest challenges. The pages linked below provide an overview of what each working group is expected to cover in its discussions.
- Managing Booming Enrollments without Damaging Diversity Efforts
- Best Practices for Broadening Participation in Computing
- Making Departments and Programs More Accessible for Students with Disabilities
- Different Pathways into Computing
- AI Systems and Possible Impacts on Diversity and Inclusion
- Preparing Students for Industry
- Approaches to Increase Domestic PhD Enrollments
Let’s LEVEL UP!
LEVEL UP is a CRA-led shared effort that involves the Association for Computing Machinery, IEEE Computer Society, the Center for Inclusive Computing at Northeastern University, and several National Science Foundation (NSF) Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) Alliances, including AccessComputing, Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions, CRA-Widening Participation, Expanding Computing Education Pathways, Institute for African-American Mentoring in Computing Sciences, LEAP Alliance, National Center for Women and Information Technology, and STARS Computing Corps.
CRA encourages all universities and colleges to “LEVEL UP” and implement best practices that broaden participation in computing. Stay in the know with everything LEVEL UP via the LEVEL UP website.
LEVEL UP, brought to you by the BPC Alliances, is a collaborative effort of ACM, CRA, and IEEE-CS. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. CNS-2246079.
