Session T3D
978-1-4244-1970-8/08/$25.00 ©2008 IEEE October 22 – 25, 2008, Saratoga Springs, NY
38th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference
T3D-7
Digital Arts for Computing Outreach

Karen C. Davis
University of Cincinnati, karen.davis@uc.edu

Laura Greene-White, Ted Ferdinand, Mark Santangelo
Cincinnati Arts and Technology Center


Abstract – In this paper, we describe a partnership
between University of Cincinnati (UC) and the
Cincinnati Arts and Technology Center (CATC) faculty
with the goal of introducing high school students to
computing in a fun but challenging way. We developed
and delivered a summer workshop that leverages the
successful experiences at CATC in promoting student
engagement and accomplishment with a college
experience using computers to create an original, digital
artwork based on the Harlem Renaissance movement. In
the workshop, the students viewed the work of artists in
a computer lab and discussed artistic themes and
techniques. The students toured the UC campus and
used disposable cameras to collect their own photo
images of people and architecture. In the digital media
studio at CATC, students used their images (developed
digitally) to construct photo collages using sophisticated
filtering and other artistic techniques in Adobe
Photoshop. A gallery exhibit of student work was held in
the student center at UC at the culmination of the
workshop. Nineteen students participated: 10 females
and 9 males; 10 were African-American, 2 Hispanic, 6
white, and 1 other. The workshop was assessed with pre-
and post-surveys that investigated computer usage and
confidence using computers.

Index Terms – K-12 outreach, digital arts, Harlem
Renaissance, photo editing.
INTRODUCTION
Decreasing enrollment in computing disciplines in post-
secondary programs is attributed in part to lack of exposure
to the field in an engaging manner. In a survey of over
4,000 Cincinnati area high school and middle school
students, students answered questions about their
perceptions of and interest in studying engineering
disciplines (including computing science) [1, 2]. For the
students who would not consider engineering as a
profession, the overwhelming reason at all grade levels and
broken out by gender and ethnicity ranged from 84-90% in
the following category: “Lack of knowledge, negative
impressions of self capabilities, no desire to pursue
prerequisite coursework, and dislike for the engineering
profession.”
Other findings of the study were widespread
misconceptions about what engineering skills are used in the
workplace. Student responses mixed engineers with
technicians (e.g., “they drive trains” and “repair broken
stuff”) and generally did not find the profession appealing
(e.g., “do not have opportunities to enjoy life.”) The study
did not focus on computer science specifically, but it may
indicate that students are generally unaware of what persons
working in technical professions do, and therefore they are
not motivated to study the foundation subjects to enable
them to continue their studies as they advance through high
school. They are not prepared to study science and
engineering in college without these foundations, and thus
doors are closed to them because they lacked early enough
positive exposure to encourage them in obtaining science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
knowledge and skills.
The National Science Foundation’s program for
Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) supports
creative and innovative ways to engage and retain
underrepresented groups in studying computing at the post-
secondary level. As part of an NSF BPC program,
“Mentoring for Connections to Computing (MC2),” we
developed and conducted an outreach activity for rising 11th
and 12th grade urban students. The activity was a workshop
in digital arts that included working in a computer lab and
touring the University of Cincinnati campus (with cameras),
as well as learning to use sophisticated image filtering and
manipulation techniques in a digital arts studio. The
workshop goal of developing fun and challenging
computing-related activities aligns with the grant’s goal of
engaging underrepresented groups but does not directly
address recruiting and retention; these goals are addressed in
other aspects of the grant [3].
The digital arts studio is located at the Cincinnati Arts
and Technology Center (CATC) and the workshop content
was developed and delivered by CATC faculty. CATC is a
non-profit organization that enables 11th and 12th grade CPS
students who are at risk of not graduating from high school
to earn fine arts or elective credit in an after school program.
They typically have around 400 students enrolled per year;
93% (2007) and 96% (2008) of the students who participate
in the CATC program go on to graduate from high school.
The students participate in a standards-based curriculum
where they learn about the historical and social context of
artistic movements and participate in creating their own
original work in a traditional studio (sculpture or painting,
for example) and also in a non-traditional studio using
digital media and computer technology. The environment at
CATC is welcoming and non-threatening; the digital arts