Assessing Community in an Undergraduate Computer Science Program Using Social Network Analysis

Sense of community and belonging represent key components of students’ success in undergraduate degree programs. As part of a curriculum effort designed to strengthen these components, we conducted a Social Network Analysis of students in an undergraduate computer science program to establish a baseline measurement of students’ connectedness in the program. Analysis of these data showed no significant differences in connectedness between male and female students or white and non-white students. The analysis did identify significant differences based on students’ class year, interest and participation in computer games, and being employed by the computer science department.