While a lack of diversity is a longstanding problem in computer science and engineering, universities and organizations continue to look for solutions to this issue. Among the first of its kind, we launched INSPIRE: STEM for Social Impact, a program at the University of Victoria, Canada, aimed to motivate and empower students from underrepresented groups in computer science and engineering to develop digital solutions for society impactful projects by engaging in experiential learning projects with identified community-partners. The twenty-four students in the program came from diverse backgrounds in terms of academic areas of study, genders, ethnicities, and levels of technical and educational experience. Working with six community partners, these students spent four months learning and developing solutions for a societal and/or environmental problem with potential for local and global impacts. Our experiences indicate that working in a diverse team with real clients on solving pressing issues produces a sense of competence, relatedness, and autonomy which are the basis of self-determination theory. Due to the unique structure of this program, the three principles of self-determination theory emerged through different experiences, ultimately motivating the students to build a network of like-minded people. The importance of such a network is profound in empowering students to succeed and, in retrospect, remain in software engineering fields. We address the diversity problem by providing diverse, underrepresented students with a safe and like-minded environment where they can learn and realize their full potential. Hence, in this paper, we describe the program design, experiences, and lessons learned from this approach. We also provide recommendations for universities and organizations that may want to adapt our approach.

翻译：尽管缺乏多样性是计算机科学与工程领域长期存在的问题，高校及机构仍在持续寻求解决之道。作为同类项目中的首创，我们在加拿大维多利亚大学启动了"INSPIRE：社会影响力的STEM"计划，旨在通过引导来自计算机科学与工程领域代表性不足群体的学生，与社区合作伙伴共同开展体验式学习项目，激励并赋能他们为具有社会影响力的项目开发数字化解决方案。该计划的二十四名学生来自多元背景，涵盖不同学科领域、性别、族裔及技术与教育经验水平。他们与六家社区合作伙伴合作，用四个月时间学习并开发针对社会/环境问题的解决方案，这些方案具有产生地方及全球影响的潜力。我们的经验表明，与真实客户合作解决紧迫问题，能让学生产生胜任感、归属感和自主性——这正是自我决定理论的核心要素。由于该计划的独特结构，自我决定理论的三大原则通过不同经历得以显现，最终激励学生建立志同道合者网络。这类网络在赋能学生取得成就、并使其长期留任软件工程领域方面具有深远意义。我们通过为多元化的弱势学生群体提供安全且志同道合的环境，帮助其学习并发挥全部潜能，从而解决多样性问题。因此，本文描述了该计划的设计方案、实践经验及经验教训，并为有意借鉴此方法的高校及机构提供建议。