History of BPCnet.org

This page contains a detailed history of how BPCnet.org has evolved since its conception in 2017 to its current state in 2024. Since its launch in 2019, BPCnet.org has been updated to include Departmental BPC Plans alongside templates and resources to guide PIs, consultancy from experts on broadening participation, a library of scholarly articles, and web applications that allow users to view and interact with IPEDS and CCD data. Scroll below for a full detailed history of BPCnet.org.

2017-2018: CISE BPC Pilot Launch and Proposal of the BPCnet Portal

In 2017, The National Science Foundation (NSF) released a Dear Colleague Letter, which announced the launch of a CISE BPC Pilot addressing the long-standing issue of underrepresentation in computing.
In 2018, The Computing Research Association (CRA) proposed to build the BPCnet Resource Portal, BPCnet.org, to provide PIs with resources regarding broadening participation in computing.

2019: Launch of BPCnet and First BPC Plan Workshop

BPCnet.org was launched with an activity library that enabled the larger computing community to learn about and connect with existing broadening participation in computing activities.
The idea of Departmental BPC Plans was proposed. Templates and resources were created to give guidance to PIs on creating Departmental BPC Plans.
The first Departmental BPC Plan Workshop, Departmental Plans for Broadening Participation in Computer Science was held at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

2020: Resource Development

BPCnet.org was focused on BPC Plans but more resources were developed and added onto the website. The new resources included web applications that allowed users to view Postsecondary Computing Degrees Awarded (IPEDS), Postsecondary Engineering Degrees Awarded (IPEDS), and K-12 Enrollment (CCD).
BPC Consultancy was launched to provide guidance and feedback PIs on Departmental BPC Plans from experts on broadening participation in computing.
Various BPC Plan workshops were held virtually:

2021: Launch of Statistics and Data Hub

BPCnet.org’s web applications received significant updates that allowed users to interact with Postsecondary Computing Degrees Awarded (IPEDS), Postsecondary Engineering Degrees Awarded (IPEDS), and K-12 Enrollment (CCD). This update saw the launch of the Statistics and Data Hub page on BPCnet.org.
A multi-day virtual event, Departmental BPC Plan Working Sessions, took place throughout the year.

2022: Release of the Undergraduate BPC Literature Database

In September, BPCnet verified a plan from its 100th unique academic department – Washington University in St. Louis, department of Computer Science and Engineering.
In partnership with Momentum, a team of researchers housed at UCLA that aims to advance equity in computing and focuses on educational pathways, a Literature Database containing scholarly articles about broadening participation in undergraduate computing was launched as a page on BPCnet.org.
The first post pandemic in-person workshop, the 2022 Departmental BPC Plan Workshop, took place in Denver Colorado.

2023: BPCnet.org Redesign

BPCnet went through a redesign process to accommodate the expanding amount of content and better serve the users. Existing content was updated and new content was developed during this process.
2023 Departmental BPC Plan Workshop was held in Atlanta, GA in partnership with Morehouse College.
Two pre-conference workshop sessions were held at SIGCSE 2023, in Toronto, Canada.