INSPIRED Broadening Participation: First Year Experience and Lessons Learned

The Increasing Student Participation in Research Development Program (‘INSPIRED’) is designed to increase participation of women and underrepresented minorities in computing. It is a comprehensive program whose goals are to attract, retain and transition these students into careers or advanced study in computing. This paper focuses on the program’s first year experience, including the results of a formal assessment of the program’s effectiveness. It describes the strategies used to attain the goals and the rationale for using these strategies. It also includes lessons learned for the benefit of those who are considering adopting these strategies at their institutions.