Workifying games: successfully engaging african american gamers with computer science

ABSTRACT

We report on the implementation and evaluation of a three-year program to increase interest in studying computer science (CS) among African American male high school students. Over the course of 3 years, the Glitch Game Tester (Glitch) program employed 25 African American male high school students. These students tested pre-release digital games, full-time in the summer and part-time in the school year, with an hour of each day dedicated to learning introductory CS. Initially, only 20% of our participants expressed interest in pursing computing as a career. After Glitch, 65% have pursued some form of post-secondary computing studies. These outcomes, and the participants' enthusiasm for engaging in computing, are in sharp contrast to the crisis in African American male education and learning motivation. The research presented in this report discusses lessons learned through implementation of the Glitch program and higher education outcomes after graduation from the program.

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Index Terms

• Social and professional topics

  • Professional topics

    • Computing education

      • Computing education programs

        • Computer science education