Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shah, Aditya, Menezes, Tyler
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.20554
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866908675847749632
author Shah, Aditya
Menezes, Tyler
author_facet Shah, Aditya
Menezes, Tyler
contents Many studies have aimed to broaden participation in computing (BPC) through extracurricular educational initiatives. When these initiatives are structured as open-enrollment extracurricular programs, their success often depends on their marketing approach. However, there is little in the computing education research literature about how to conduct effective marketing for these initiatives. We describe the changes made to the marketing strategy of one such program, an educational hackathon for middle school and high school students in the Pacific Northwest. These included reducing promotion to affluent families, using targeted school-based communication, and emphasizing cost supports during initial promotion. We then compare attendance and self-reported demographics before and after the intervention. Results indicate a higher proportion of students from marginalized and low-income communities and no reduction in overall attendance.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_20554
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Assessing the Effectiveness of Selective Marketing to Broaden Participation in CS Education
Shah, Aditya
Menezes, Tyler
Computers and Society
Many studies have aimed to broaden participation in computing (BPC) through extracurricular educational initiatives. When these initiatives are structured as open-enrollment extracurricular programs, their success often depends on their marketing approach. However, there is little in the computing education research literature about how to conduct effective marketing for these initiatives. We describe the changes made to the marketing strategy of one such program, an educational hackathon for middle school and high school students in the Pacific Northwest. These included reducing promotion to affluent families, using targeted school-based communication, and emphasizing cost supports during initial promotion. We then compare attendance and self-reported demographics before and after the intervention. Results indicate a higher proportion of students from marginalized and low-income communities and no reduction in overall attendance.
title Assessing the Effectiveness of Selective Marketing to Broaden Participation in CS Education
topic Computers and Society
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.20554