Computer Science Cohorts in New Student Orientation to Promote Departmental Identification, High Impact Practices

Sufficiently serving computer science students at minority serving institutions entails systematic communication of the "hidden curriculum"- the unwritten rules and tacit norms of traversing a disciplinary academic space- knowledge that students might learn from those with college-going backgrounds. At Kean University, department-run new student orientation has become a mechanism for integrating new students into the institution as well as into the computer science department's community. The course addressed what Kezar and Holcombe call "Elements of STEM student success", or the needs of students at the intersection of first-generation familial experiences and STEM student college newcomers. In this work in progress experience report, we use data from retrospective pre post surveys to show student participants in the orientation indicate greater intent to engage in High Impact Practices, greater confidence in their major choice, and strong identification with their STEM discipline. The authors discuss how systemic, department level orientation processes at institutions that serve underrepresented student populations can impart academic and career path blueprints that move beyond institutional retention and improve equitable advancements in computing.