attract more and diverse students to your cs courses joanne cohoon, uva & ncwit june 25, 2013
TRANSCRIPT
Attract More and Diverse Students to Your CS Courses
Joanne Cohoon, UVA & NCWIT
June 25, 2013
The Big Picture
What’s the problem?» Stereotype threat
What you can do» Actively recruit
• Minimize stereotype threat• Use messages that attract females
» Resources
BLS Projected 2020 Employment for Occupations Requiring a College Degree Only
Recreation workers Recreational therapists Athletic trainers
Reporters, correspondents, broadcast news ana-lysts
Set & exhibit designers Interior designers Industrial designers
Graphic designersArchivists
Health educators
Survey researchers
Microbiologist
Zoologists
Atmospheric scientists
Biological technicians
Chemists & materials scien-tists
Conservation scientists
Economists
Environmental scientists Geographers
Geoscientists
Mining & geological engineers
Nuclear engineersPetroleum engineers
SurveyorsAerospace engineers
Agricultural engineersBiomedical engineers
Cartographers
Chemical engineersCivil engineers
Elec & electonic engineers
Environmental engineers
Health and safety engineers
Industrial engineersMarine engineers Materials engineers
Mechanical engineersComputer hardware engineers
Computer programmers
Computer systems analysts
Network and computer systems admin
Software developersOperations research analysts
Human resources specialists
Market research analysts
Personal financial advisors
Accountants and auditors
Budget analystsCost estimators
Financial analystsMedical & health services mgrs
BLS Projected 2020 Occupational employment for jobs requiring college degree only
CS
30% of jobs for college grads will be in computing
There is not enough low hanging fruit
We need to branch out
Recruit from the majority
Stand up if your class is ≥40% girls
WHY SO FEW FEMALES?
STEREOTYPES & STEREOTYPE THREAT
AFFECT TECHNICAL STUDENTS
Common Stereotype: Feminine ≠ Technical
Lagesen 2005
Fear of confirming negative beliefs about my group …
» Hinders performance» Affects choices and
aspirations» Leads to harsh
personal standards, opting out if not met
Stereotypes can feel threatening
Correll 2004; Chasteen et al. 2005
Stereotype Threat: Easy to Trigger; Affects Motivated StudentsSome triggers
Gender imbalance in room
Stereotyped physical space
Attention called to gender
Stereotype Threat Masks Ability
Remove threat and women test better» Advanced calculus
course with 100 male, 57 female students
» No gender difference in course grades
» Significant difference in test performance without threat
Good, Aronson, Harder, 2008
Stereotype Threat Reduces Learning and Persistence
»Note-taking skill reduced by stereotype threat
»Feelings of belonging impaired
Appel et al. 2011; Good et al. 2012
» Don’t speak up in groups or classes
» Reluctant to take leadership roles
» Discount their performance
Stereotype Threat has subtle negative effects too
Actively Recruit using messages that counter stereotypes without repeating them
Avoid triggering stereotype threat
Gender balance in room
Create a welcoming physicalspace
Do not call attention to gender
Capitalize on how we choose our occupations
Interest Confidence Belonging
Identity
Ignite your students’ interest
Showcase projects tied to current & future interests
Link to girls’ existing interests & ambitions» Robots saving lives, cute
Take every opportunity to recruit» Joint projects
Photos on posters» People rather than things
Exhibits, Posters, Guest Speakers
Describe careers that spark women’s interestFlexibility: industry, geography
Socially relevant
Work with others
Time with family
Job projections
High salaries
Satisfied professionals
Computing offers exciting work that affects our world and the people in it
Create technology for
• Tracking endangered dolphins
• Mobile forensics labs for instant analysis
at crime scenes
• GPS systems that guide blind people
• Scanning DNA for childhood diseases
• Designing and displaying new fashions
• Restoring and preserving art workSource: dotdiva.org
Computer Scientists give back to their communitiesTechnology for human rights• Design secure databases to
record human rights abuses while shielding the identities of victims or witnesses
• Create tools that help ordinary people collect extraordinary amounts of money for important causes
1. Software Engineer
2. Mathematician
3. Actuary
4. Statistician
5. Computer Systems Analyst
According to CareerCast
Best Jobs in America 2011
Computer
Scientists
work in
every
industry
27
Source: dotdiva.org
Computing occupations are well paid
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
Build confidence
Showcase successes of current & former students
“You’d be great at this”
Provide opportunities for experiencing success
Describe how the course promotes success
Emphasize Growth in Intelligence
The effort to master difficult material actually increases intellectual ability
See Carol Dweck’s work
Don’t mistake confidence for ability
Promote belonging, inclusivity
Recruit in groups Have friends recruit
friends Use inclusive language Set-up a welcoming
physical environment Tell them you want them
to study computing
Describe opportunities for
Community serviceConference attendancePoster presentationOutreach projects
(Really, developing the identity of a computing expert)
Remember
Cultivate students’
Interest
Confidence
Belonging
Identity
Avoid mythbusting, geeks, cubicles, code monkeys, …
May actually create stereotypes
Once implanted, difficult to dislodge
See “How Warnings about False Claims Become Recommendations” www.acrwebsite.org/topic.asp?artid=250
“I’ve heard that before so it must be true”
Reach out!
Develop media, e.g., posters, announcements, videos
Show up at orientation / elective fairs Current students talk to prospective
students Clubs Advisors, other teachers, principals Parents
NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing
ncwit.org/award
Advisors can deliver the message
Provide them with up-to-date information
Seth’s Story
Excellent teacher in a failing high school
12% girls in AP CS
Actively recruited Yearbook and Student Government
Explained and demonstrated the value of CS
Assured students they would succeed
33% girls in AP CS + highest enrollment ever
New school – even greater success (39% in AP CS)
Moral – Active recruiting works
Before After
1st Year at Lake Brantley about 60 AP Computer Science students
2009-2010 AP Computer Science
Lake Brantley High School 2011 - 2012144 students in AP Computer Science45 % female
.5 % mascot
2012-2013 at Lake Brantley HSOVER 300 AP Computer Science Students40% female
Time Out for Brainstorming
Generate three ideas for how you will actively recruit female students to your computing class
NCWIT is the National Center for Women & Information Technology
Our coalition includes more than 250 universities, corporations, and non-profits.
Mobilizing for Change: NCWIT
Free Resources to Help You Inform Others
Statistics about computing education and workforce in your area www.ncwit.org/edjobsmap
Finally
Track and report your outcomes
Questions or comments?