Google is offering new grants in the hope of improving completion rates for computer science degrees.

The new Google CS Engagement Awards are open to faculty or staff at accredited colleges and universities in the United States, and are designed to support people teaching introductory computer science courses. The aim is to help them retain students to the completion of their course.

Announcing the new grant on both the Google Education and Google Research blogs,  Leslie Yeh Johnson, who is responsible for University Relations says that while there has been an unprecedented increase in enrollment in Computer Science undergraduate programs over the past six years, the number of students who go on to complete undergraduate degrees has not increased in the same ratio. The problem is particularly acute among women and under-represented minorities, according to the 2013 Taulbee Survey.

Johnson says that while students may begin a CS degree program, retaining students after their first year remains an issue, with one of the strongest factors in the retention of students in undergraduate CS degrees being early exposure to engaging courses and course material. The idea is that if students are given assignments that are meaningful and relevant, or classroom activities that encourage student-to-student interaction, the student stays interested and is more likely to complete their undergraduate CS degree.

In the hope of improving the percentage of students completing their degree, Google has come up with the CS Engagement Small Grants Program. This is designed to support educators teaching introductory computer science courses in the United States. Google will give unrestricted gifts of $5,000 to the selected applicants’ universities, towards the execution of engaging CS1 or CS2 courses in the 2014-2015 school year. If you’re teaching CS1 and CS2 courses at the post-secondary level, you need to apply for the grant before November 15, 2014. The details are available in the  program's Call for Proposals. 

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