Learning to Code by Making Music: The Introduction of Computer Science Coursework with World Music Applications for the Retention of Underrepresented Students in STEM

Project Type:

Project

Project Sponsors:

Association of American Colleges and Universities

Project Award:

$598,462

Project Timeline:

2014-06-01 – 2017-05-31

Lead Principal Investigator:

Project Team:

We propose attracting and retaining underrepresented student interest in STEM fields at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) with the incorporation of topics from world music into the introductory programming course. As an applied field, computer programs are developed to address a need in an application area. Typically, the application areas presented in lectures and assigned in homework assignments, carry little or no cultural relevance to underrepresented groups such as Hispanics, African Americans, or women. We propose using musical genres such as salsa, Mexican music, blues, hip hop, gospel, and Indonesian gamelan to inspire lecture examples, programming projects, and lab modules that reference musical topics such as rhythm, scales, and tones across cultures.

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