SIGCSE and diversity: Some success and a challengeAMBER SET TLE

IRELAND ACM SIGCSE CHAPTER LAUNCH

DECEMBER 11, 2019

ACM and its SIGs

Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)Since 1947

37 Special Interest Groups (SIGs) in total

Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques

(SIGGRAPH)Since 1969

Human-Computer Interaction (SIGCHI)

Since 1982

Computer Science Education (SIGCSE)

Since 1968

SIGCSE

SIGCSE Board

Conferences

Conference volunteers

Volunteers for affiliated events

Volunteers for other SIGCSE

events/activities

My roles: • SIGCSE Board since

2010• At-large• Treasurer• Chair• Past chair

• ITiCSE conference committee in 2013

• Currently on ITiCSEsteering committee

Third-largest SIG with ~2700 members

Members from nearly 100 countries

SIGCSE Conferences

Symposium

• Since 1970• North

America• Largest by far

(nearly 2000)

ITiCSE

• Since 1996• Europe• With ACM-

Europe and Informatics Europe

CompEd

• Since 2019• Every other

year• Underserved

areas

ICER

• Since 2005• North

America –Europe –Oceania

• Research only

Other SIGCSE activitiesGrants

• Special Projects

• Travel Grant• Speaker’s

Fund

Chapters

• Australasia• China• India• Ireland• Jataí (Brazil)• NWMSU (USA)• UK

Publications

• SIGCSE Bulletin

• ACM Inroads• Several

listservs• Social media

accounts

Other events

• Doctoral consortia

• Department Chairs Roundtable

• New Educators’ Workshop

ACM and its SIGs

ACMSIGs (through the

SIG Governing Board)

SIG chair

SIG Board SIG volunteers

Measuring success

Size

• Membership• Conference

attendance• Readership

Financial

• Membership• Conference

attendance• Digital Library

Societal

• Political• Educational• Public opinion• Environmental

Diversity

• Membership• Conference

attendance• Volunteer

population

Types of diversityCultural

Racial

Age

Sex/gender

Disability

Geography

Socioeconomic status

SIGCSE and diversity

• Membership• Elected

Boards• Awards• Conference

chairs

Success: Gender

• Membership• Elected

Boards• Awards• Conference

attendance

Challenge: Geography

SIGCSE and gender: Some numbersSIG Male Female Not specified Size

SIGACCESS 58.33% 37.28% 37.28% 228

SIGACT 85.39% 7.08% 7.53% 1116

SIGARCH 80.77% 8.93% 10.30% 1321

SIGCAS 66.77% 26.65% 6.58% 319

SIGCHI 50.24% 24.83% 24.92% 3471

SIGCSE 57.53% 25.29% 17.18% 2724

SIGDOC 53.97% 38.89% 7.14% 126

SIGGRAPH 53.02% 8.89% 37.19% 7209

SIGMIS 70.31% 19.53% 10.16% 290

SIGITE 66.56% 24.83% 8.61% 302

SIGUCCS 56.82% 34.82% 8.36% 359

SIGCSE and gender: Some numbersSIGCSE Board (since 1997)

Years Female Male

2019 - 2022 4 4

2016 - 2019 7 1

2013 - 2016 7 1

2010 - 2013 5 3

2007 - 2010 5 3

2004 - 2007 5 3

2001 - 2004 5 3

1999 - 2001 4 4

1997 - 1999 4 4

All 46 (64%) 26 (36%)

SIGCSE and gender: Some numbersSIGCSE conference chairs

Conference Male Female Years

Symposium 21 (51%) 20 (49%) 1997 -2020

ITiCSE 27 (66%) 14 (34%) 1996 -2020

ICER 20 (74%) 7 (26%) 2005 -2020

CompEd 1 (50%) 1 (50%) 2019

SIGCSE awards (since 1997)

Award Male Female

Contribution to Computer

Science Education

20 (80%) 5 (20%)

Lifetime Service to Computer

Science Education

Community

24 (62%) 9 (38%)

SIGCSE and gender: Summary

Successes•Membership•Board representation•Symposium leadership

Challenges•Awards•Research community leadership

SIGCSE and gender: Strategies

Policies/practices• Male/female co-chair pairs for Symposium• All candidates for a particular Board position of the

same gender

Action

• Nomination of female candidates for Board positions• Nomination of female candidates for awards• Nomination of female candidates for conference

leadership

Awareness • Election of female candidates over male candidates for Board positions

SIGCSE and geography: Some numbersACM professional membership by continent

Continent # %

North America 39614 55.47

North American (w/o

USA)3076 4.31

Asia 16086 22.52

Europe 12031 16.85

Oceania 1609 2.25

South America 1534 2.15

Africa 542 0.76

SIGCSE membership by continent

Continent %

North America 84

North America (w/o USA) 3

Asia 4

Europe 10

Oceania ~1

South America ~1

Africa < 1

SIGCSE and geography: Some numbersAverage SIGCSE membership 2010 - 2018

Country # %

USA 2110.7 80.87

Canada 73.3 2.81

United Kingdom 53.1 2.03

Australia 41.4 1.59

Germany 28.6 1.09

Japan 21.6 0.83

Spain 17.4 0.67

Sweden 17.4 0.67

New Zealand 12.8 0.49

Israel 12.2 0.47

Average SIGCSE membership 2010 - 2018

Country # %

India 11.7 0.45

Netherlands 10.3 0.40

Finland 10.2 0.39

China 9.3 0.36

Italy 9.1 0.35

Switzerland 9.0 0.34

Mexico 8.3 0.32

Ireland 7.6 0.29

Norway 7.0 0.27

South Africa 7.0 0.27

SIGCSE and geography: Some numbersSIGCSE Board (since 1997)

Years USA Outside USA

2019 - 2022 7 1

2016 - 2019 6 2

2013 - 2016 7 1

2010 - 2013 8 0

2007 - 2010 7 1

2004 - 2007 6 2

2001 - 2004 7 1

1999 - 2001 7 1

1997 - 1999 7 1

All 62 (86%) 10 (14%)

SIGCSE and geography: Some numbersSIGCSE Awards (since 1997)

Award USA Outside USA

Contribution to Computer Science Education 17 (68%) 8 (32%)

Lifetime Service to ComputerScience Education Community 20 (83%) 4 (17%)

SIGCSE Conferences

Symposium

• Since 1970• North

America• Largest by far

(nearly 2000)

ITiCSE

• Since 1996• Europe• With ACM-

Europe and Informatics Europe

CompEd

• Since 2019• Every other

year• Underserved

areas

ICER

• Since 2005• North

America –Europe –Australasia

• Research only

SIGCSE and geography: Some numbersSymposium attendance by continent, 2010 - 2018

SIGCSE and geography: Some numbersSymposium attendance excluding the USA, 2010 - 2018

SIGCSE and geography: Some numbersAll Symposium publications 2010 - 2018

Country % of contributions

USA 86.8

Canada 3.1

UK 1.4

Australia 1.1

All other countries 7.6

SIGCSE and geography: Some numbersAll Symposium papers 2010 - 2018

Country % of contributions

USA 79.1

Canada 4.7

UK 2.3

Finland 1.8

Australia 1.7

New Zealand 1.3

Germany 1.1

Brazil 1.1

All other countries 7.0

Non-paper Symposium publications 2010 - 2018

Country % of contributions

USA 92.90

Canada 1.90

All other countries 5.20

SIGCSE and geography: Summary

Successes

• Award for Contributions to Computer Science Education

• Board representation (informal practice helps)

Challenges

• Membership• Board representation• Conference attendance• Symposium leadership

SIGCSE and geography: Strategies

Policies/practices• All candidates for a particular Board position from

outside the USA• Rubrics for grants that prioritize geography

Action

• Nomination of non-USA candidates for Board positions

• Conferences held outside North America• Nomination of non-USA candidates for Symposium

leadership

SIGCSE and geography: What can we do better?How many of you are SIGCSE members?◦ Why?◦ Why not?

How many of you have attended the SIGCSE Technical Symposium?◦ Why?◦ Why not?

What would raise SIGCSE’s profile in Europe?

What would raise SIGCSE’s profile in Ireland?

ThanksMy thanks to my collaborators on the Symposium participation project◦ Brett Becker◦ Andrew Luxton-Reilly◦ Briana Morrison◦ Cary Laxer

Congratulations on the new SIGCSE chapter!

Contact me anytime with ideas, questions, etc.◦ asettle@cdm.depaul.edu◦ @settle_amber◦ Facebook: Amber Settle◦ http://facweb.cdm.depaul.edu/asettle/