Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

7-3-2024

Department

Department of Computer Science

Abstract

A key problem in achieving access to and sustained presence in computing and computing education (CEd) in the United States is environments that are all too often designed in ways that are harmful and inequitable toward systemically minoritized communities. While various scholars have explored ways to design equitable spaces within differing contexts, often, equity is framed merely as an issue of access. This dismisses the lived experiences of minoritized communities and can lead to shallow perspectives of equity that fail to address community concerns and further push these communities out of sustained participation and presence in computing and CEd. Drawing from a critical and abolitionist lens, we argue that equitable spaces must nurture community: where healing, joy, and care are centered, and participants can bring their full selves into the space. In this experience report, we present three case narratives highlighting the spaces we designed to build community. The case narratives describe: (1) conference workshops on centering equity in CEd, (2) a workshop series enabling marginalized people to share stories of their experiences in CEd, and (3) a podcast inviting voices from varied contexts, experiences, and backgrounds to share their stories and perspectives on themes related to equity within CEd. The case narratives point to the value of designing spaces that go beyond granting access, emphasizing spaces that nurture community. Our approach fostered a sense of comfort, mutual trust, and the bravery to (re)imagine other possibilities, empowering participants to discuss issues of equity within the spaces they occupy.

Publisher's Statement

© 2024 Copyright held by the owner/author(s). Publisher’s version of record: https://doi.org/10.1145/3649217.3653550

Publication Title

Annual Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, ITiCSE

ISBN

[9798400706004]

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

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