It is estimated that by 2022, there will be 210 million viewers in the U.S., up from 192 million in 2018 [26]. This traffic makes YouTube a potential funnel for African American learners to access digital content developed by IAAMCS. In a 2020 paper [7], it was found that effective advisement from Black social media influencers who produce video log (vlog) commentary content on the YouTube platform can help to address the disproportionately lower self-efficacy, identity, and sense of belonging experienced by Black students in computing degree programs. This discovery justifies the approach of leveraging the power of YouTube as a method for providing virtual mentorship for African American computing learners.

This project will create a digital library of mentoring content for African American computing students. The content will be made by recording a series of interviews with a select group of subject matter experts and shared by uploading it to YouTube, TikTok, and other social media pages, as well as the alliance website. In addition, recordings of key IAAMCS programming, such as the Fellowship Writing Workshop Series, will also be added.

Leaders – Dr. Kinnis Gosha & Mr. David Cherry

7. Cummings, Robert T., et al. “An exploration of black students interacting with computing college
and career readiness vlog commentary social media influencers.” Computing in Science &
Engineering 22.5 (2020): 29-40.

26. Tankovska, H. (2018, June). Statista. Retrieved from
https://www.statista.com/statistics/253577/number-of-monthly-active-instagram-users/