Assessing the Effectiveness of Selective Marketing to Broaden Participation in CS Education
Many studies have aimed to broaden participation in computing (BPC) through extracurricular educational initiatives. When these initiatives are structured as open-enrollment extracurriculars, their success depends on how they are marketed. 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: reducing promotion to affluent families, targeted school-based communication, and emphasizing cost support in 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 without reducing attendance.