Proceedings of the Third Computing Women Congress (CWC 2008): Student papers

The Third Computing Women Congress was held at the University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand from February 11th to 13th, 2008. The Computing Women Congress (CWC) is a Summer University for women in Computer Science. It is a meeting-place for female students, academics and professionals who study or work in Information Technology. CWC provides a forum to learn about and share the latest ideas of computing related topics in a supportive environment. CWC provides an open, explorative learning and teaching environment. Experimentation with new styles of learning is encouraged, with an emphasis on hands-on experience and engaging participatory techniques

Women in Computer Science: How Can We Bring More on Board?

Essai présenté à la Faculté d’éducation en vue de l’obtention du grade de Maître en enseignement (M.Éd.) Maîtrise en enseignement au collégialComprend des références bibliographique

ATTRACTION AND RETENTION OF WOMEN IN COMPUTER SCIENCE AT WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE

This project is intended to help the Computer Science Department at Worcester Polytechnic Institute understand the underlying reasons why female students are underrepresented in the department. Based upon the analysis of 193 survey responses and several interviews, this project builds upon both existing research and the team\u27s own investigations. Our in-depth analysis results in a series of recommendations to increase the number of women in computer science at the university

APPROACHING GENDER PARITY: WOMEN IN COMPUTER SCIENCE AT AFGHANISTAN'S KABUL UNIVERSITY

This study explores the representation of women in computer science at the tertiary level through data collected about undergraduate computer science education at Kabul University in Afghanistan. Previous studies have theorized reasons for underrepresentation of women in computer science, and while many of these reasons are indeed present in Afghanistan, they appear to hinder advancement to degree to a lesser extent. Women comprise at least 36% of each graduating class from KU's Computer Science Department; however, in 2007 women were 25% of the university population. In the US, women comprise over 50% of university populations while only graduating on average 25% women in undergraduate computer science programs. Representation of women in computer science in the US is 50% below the university rate, but at KU, it is 50% above the university rate. This mixed methods study of KU was conducted in the following three stages: setting up focus groups with women computer science students, distributing surveys to all students in the CS department, and conducting a series of 22 individual interviews with fourth year CS students. The analysis of the data collected and its comparison to literature on university/department retention in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics gender representation and on women's education in underdeveloped Islamic countries illuminates KU's uncharacteristic representation of women in its Computer Science Department. The retention of women in STEM through the education pipeline has several characteristics in Afghanistan that differ from countries often studied in available literature. Few Afghan students have computers in their home and few have training beyond secretarial applications before considering studying CS at university. University students in Afghanistan are selected based on placement exams and are then assigned to an area of study, and financially supported throughout their academic career, resulting in a low attrition rate from the program. Gender and STEM literature identifies parental encouragement, stereotypes and employment perceptions as influential characteristics. Afghan women in computer science received significant parental encouragement even from parents with no computer background. They do not seem to be influenced by any negative "geek" stereotypes, but they do perceive limitations when considering employment after graduation

Retention of Women in Computer Science: Why Women Persist in Their Computer Science Majors

Retention of women through graduation in Computer Science (CS) majors is one of the biggest challenges for CS education. Most research in this area focuses on factors influencing attrition rather than why and how women remain committed. The goal of this research study is to understand retention from the perspective of women who persisted in their CS major. Using the theoretical lens of legitimate peripheral participation in communities of practice, I designed and conducted a study that involved focus groups, interviews, journey maps, and experience sampling methods. I found that retention of women in this study was influenced by four different types of interactions and eight different practices inside the CS major. I also found that learning was a matter of multimembership at the intersection of several different communities which supported both these women’s learning and retention. Finally, this dissertation provides a cross-case study narrative that highlights commonalities and differences of different pathways of ongoing participation investigated in this study. Such narrative is illustrated by five individual case studies of five women persisting in their CS major

An assessment tool for teaching aids towards the retention of female students in computer science

Attempts to bridge the gender-equity gap have exposed the predominant under-representation of women in Computer Science which has been ascribed to high attrition rates in the undergraduate stream for female students. Challenges that commonly confront female students in Computer Science have been grouped as follows: inadequately designed curriculum, poor teaching methods, student-teacher relationship and insufficient content of teaching materials. This grouping could be referred to as teaching aids and they form part of the equity strategies that could address under -representation of women in Computer Science. Solving the gender equity problem requires multi-dimensional approach with strategies to include periodically reviewed curriculum, proper classroom management, appropriate teaching methods, teacher training, policy reform, school construction, scholarships award among others. Therefore, to reduce female attrition, comprehensive assessment of the teaching aids becomes imperative. This work aims at developing the assessment tool that will serve as a guide or template for evaluating teaching aids for courses in computer science. A pilot study on the usefulness of the tool has been conducted on three courses randomly selected from first, second and third year in Computer Science Department, UCT. The tool has successfully tracked the progress, identified lapses; suggest proactive corrective actions that will subsequently improve the teaching aids and female students’ retention in the programme. The weight of the usefulness of this tool in retaining female students in Computer Science will be better felt in future

The Minority in The Minority, Black Women in Computer Science Fields: A Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of Black women with a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in computer science, currently employed in the United States. The theory guiding this study was Krumboltz’s social learning theory of career decision-making, as it provides a foundation for understanding how a combination of factors leads to an individual’s educational and occupational preferences and skills. This qualitative study answered the following central research question: What are the lived experiences of Black women with a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in computer science, currently employed in the United States? Purposeful criterion sampling was used to select between 12 to 15 participants from the Society of Women Engineers who met the following criteria: a female, Black or African American, with a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in computer science, graduated from an accredited college, university, or vocational program, and currently employed in the United States. Data collection methods included individual interviews, letter writing, and focus groups. Data analysis followed Moustakas modified approach: setting aside personal experiences and prejudgments, organizing data and conducting horizonalization, developing clusters of meaning into common themes, generating and combining textural and structural descriptions, and generating a composite description of the phenomenon experienced by all participants

Where Are All the Women?: Exploring the Research on the Under-Representation of Women in Computer Science

Women’s participation in computer science is important for many reasons, including playing a significant role in a country’s economic development. A skilled workforce is needed to remain competitive in the globalized world, especially in the area of computer science. This research aims to explore the recent research literature around the factors that contribute to women’s low participation in computer science. Key to this exploration is helping to answer the question: Why does the proportion of women in Western countries’ computing fields remain low, despite years of research and programs with the intention of increasing women’s participation in computing? In order to address this question, and employing a feminist theoretical lens, I conducted a comprehensive literature review. To some degree, I also analyzed my own autobiographical experiences in the field of computer science to better understand how gender relations shape that world. The current study concludes that the main factors that shape women’s low participation in computer science are gender stereotypes, a misunderstanding of science computer curriculum, “know-it-alls” learning environment, unfair work environment, and pay gap. All of these factors will be discussed using three explanatory lenses: psychological explanations, social factors and structural factors. In the end, I conclude with suggestions for how to increase the number of women within this field

Voices of African American Women in Computer Science: Implications for K-12 Stem Education and Beyond

Voices of African American Women in Computer Science is a qualitative dissertation about African American women who have successfully completed a computer science degree. This research explored how computer science education departments in predominantly White institutions (PWIs) contribute to the oppression of African American females. Critical race feminism (CRF) provides the platform that places the voices of women of color who have successfully obtained a computer science degree despite difficulties that have been imposed by the reality of racial biases that are present throughout the American education system and American culture at large. This research was guided by the following primary question: What are the unique experiences that have influenced the success of African American females, who have obtained degrees in computer science from PWIs? in order to establish fulfilling narratives of the participants\u27 experiences the following secondary questions are also relevant: What factors have influenced participants\u27 decision to major in computer science? What were the experiences of the participants during their time in their computer science program? How do these women make meaning of their experiences? Both narrative analysis and analysis of narrative was used to interpret data gathered using detailed interviews. Findings were presented using both methods in an attempt to show a detailed use of data, as well as to also push the boundaries of CRF with the creation of guidelines for CRF methodology. the results show that African American women in computer science have unique but powerful stories. This study highlights both positive, and negative factors that influenced these women during and after their academic experiences and fills gaps left by previous research in this area. Overall, this study holds implications for K-12 and higher education institutions as well as policymakers, and those who would simply pick up the torch of mentorship

Women in computer science : problems and solutions through technology

Thesis (M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, February 1999.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-109).by Abby Knickerbocker.M.Eng