Center for Inclusive Computing
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The CIC @ Northeastern
cs.ed:remove(barriers)
Founded in 2019, the CIC is partnering with over 100 universities across the U.S. to improve access to computing education.
We work with university presidents, provosts, deans, chairs, and faculty to remove institutional barriers and implement research-backed interventions to expand students’ opportunities to discover, persist in, and graduate from computing programs.
102
unique Partner Schools implementing 60+ undergraduate and 50+ graduate interventions
$30M
in grant funding has been provided to CIC Partner Schools to date
30%
of US undergraduate computing degrees earned in CIC Partner Schools
What we do
We work with computing departments and colleges to improve access to their computing programs. We help our Partner Schools diagnose institutional barriers that prevent students from discovering, majoring, and graduating in computing and identify the specific systemic changes they can make based on their institutional context.
We support each of our partner schools in tracking the progress of their interventions through data collection. These data allow the school to see trends and changes in who is trying, persisting, majoring, and graduating in computing term by term, year over year.
What we do
Who do we work with?
The CIC has partnered with over 100 colleges and universities across the US working on 60+ interventions at the undergraduate level and 50+ interventions at the graduate level.
At the undergraduate level, we work with deans, chairs, faculty, and advisors to identify and remove the institutional barriers that make it difficult for students to discover, persist, and graduate with a BS or BA in computing.
At the graduate level, we work with deans, chairs, faculty, and advisors to create intentionally designed and well-supported pathways that enable students who are new to tech to pursue an MS in computing (computer science, AI, data science, cybersecurity).
CIC Partner Schools are located in 30+ states across the country and represent a diverse array of institutions.
Explore CIC’s interactive Partner School Map
Interventions
We identify, implement, analyze, and amplify interventions that improve access to computing programs and that work in a wide variety of university contexts. For each intervention, we publish research papers—often in collaboration with CIC consultants and other experts—publish opinion pieces, and share case studies and other tools.
What impact is CIC having?
The CIC measures the impact of our work by changes in enrollment in CS1, CS2, and CS3, in computing majors, in pass rate—and ultimately, in completion rates.
Learn more about our impact
Case studies
Colorado State University
Creating a “CS0” that appeals to a wide audience, introduces programming and satisfies a general education requirement.
Watch the case study
University of Washington
Supporting the recruitment, training and evaluation of teaching assistants at scale
Watch the case study
Florida International University
Offering both BA and BS in computing degree options
Watch the case study
CIC in the news
CIC part of $150 million commitment from Pivotal
A new grant from Melinda French Gates’ organization, to help women thrive in the workplace, will allow center at Northeastern to expand AI and computing education nationally
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Forbes: How Computing Can Be Inclusive
Students face barriers to success, including institutional barriers related to the sequencing of computing courses, lack of academic support, and the overall structure computing major. The CIC at Northeastern University is focused on reducing these barriers.
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Inside Higher Ed: Are Two Disciplines Better Than One? The Push for Integrated Majors
A consortium of 10 universities is exploring integrated majors under the guidance of the CIC, a research center located at the birthplace of integrated majors, Northeastern University.
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Boston Globe report: interview with Carla Brodley
Bringing more perspectives into computing, because the algorithms that power AI reflect those who create them.
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Bouyed by Align success, CIC shares Master’s bridge program
When Carla Brodley took over as dean of Khoury College in 2014, Northeastern’s Align program was still in its infancy — a one-semester master’s bridge for students who had completed an undergraduate STEM degree.
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Visualizing Progress in Broadening Participation in Computing: The Value of Context
To improve diversity and BPC analysis and assessment, institutions should examine cohort-based data, report intersectional data as a norm, and consider university demographic context.
Read the story