Enhancing Girls’ Feeling of Belonging to Computer Science : Possibilities of Interdisciplinary Online Courses to Increase Diversity of Learning

Computer science education at its current state lacks sufficient opportunities for young women to identify themselves with the subject. My research involves the investigation of interdisciplinary online courses enriched with gamification elements to create engaging learning environments that promote diversity in computer science education

Exploring Effects of Online and Face-to-Face Teaching Formats on Students\u27 Interest and Engagement

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for flexible teaching formats, particularly online education, as an alternative to traditional face-to-face (F2F) education. This study investigates the impact of teaching format (online vs. F2F) on secondary school students\u27 interest and engagement. We conducted an exploratory analysis of survey data from 16 workshops (F2F: 12, online: 4) held between January and December 2022, with 129 participants completing the survey (F2F: 76, online: 53, age: 10-16). All workshops covered the same learning topics, provided by online courses developed to raise interest in computer science (CS). Our findings show that the teaching format had a negligible effect on interest development. Still, students in the F2F setting showed higher engagement levels than those in the online setting. Additionally, an analysis of the effect of age indicates that younger students are more engaged in online settings than their older peers. We also found indications for longer-running programs having a greater effect on personal interest development compared to one-day programs. This paper discusses the results and identifies implications for teaching practice and future research. Overall, the study highlights the need to balance the advantages and limitations of both teaching formats and suggests potential strategies to improve online engagement

Saving Bees with Computer Science: a Way to Spark Enthusiasm and Interest through Interdisciplinary Online Courses

In computer science education (CSEd) it is a well-known challenge to create learning environments in which everyone can experience equal opportunities to identify themselves with the subject, get involved, and feel engaged. Especially for underrepresented groups such as girls or not computer enthusiasts, CSEd seems to lack sufficient opportunities at its current state. In this paper, we present a novel approach of using interdisciplinary online courses in the context of bee mortality and discuss the possibilities of such courses to enhance diverse learning in CSEd. We report summarized findings from a one-year period, including 16 workshops where over 160 secondary school students (aged 10-16) have participated in our online courses. Pre-test-post-test surveys have been conducted to gain insights into students\u27 perceptions and attitude changes. The results show the potential of such interdisciplinary approaches to spark interest in computer science (CS) and to rise positive feelings toward programming. Particularly striking are the results from differentiated analyses of students grouped by characteristics such as low initial self-efficacy, coding aversion, or less computer affinity. We found multiple significant effects of our courses to impact students of those groups positively. Our results clearly indicate the potential of interdisciplinary CSEd to address a more diverse audience, especially traditionally underrepresented groups

Computer Science for Everyone: Interdisciplinary Online Courses of RockStartIT

The RockStartIT initiative was explicitly designed to increase the representation of girls in STEM-related subjects, particularly the field of computer science (CS), by providing interdisciplinary courses that connect the subject matter to their interests and passions. The program has been successful in engaging a diverse group of high school students, encouraging them to explore CS through problem-solving skills in the areas of their choice. The program\u27s structure and approach have been instrumental in promoting interest in CS and increasing the understanding of the importance of using CS to solve real-world, interdisciplinary problems. The IDEA (Interdisciplinary, Diverse, Exploratory, and Active) approach of RockStartIT provides alternative pathways into the field of CS by building on the individual interests of diverse students, which would not have been possible without the interdisciplinary approach

RockStartIT: Authentic and Inclusive Interdisciplinary Software Engineering Courses

The RockStartIT initiative was specifically designed to increase the representation of girls in software engineering (SE) by providing interdisciplinary courses that connect the subject matter to their interests and passions. The program has been successful in engaging a diverse group of high school students, encouraging them to explore computer science (CS) through problem-solving in the areas of their choice. The program\u27s structure and approach have been instrumental in promoting interest in CS and increasing the understanding of the importance of using CS to solve real-world, interdisciplinary problems. The results of surveys conducted with program participants have shown that the program has been successful in providing girls with an alternative pathway into the field of computer science by building on their individual interests, which would not have been possible without the interdisciplinary approach

Exploring Effects of Online and Face-to-Face Teaching Formats on Students\u27 Interest and Engagement

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for flexible teaching formats, particularly online education, as an alternative to traditional face-to-face (F2F) education. This study investigates the impact of teaching format (online vs. F2F) on secondary school students\u27 interest and engagement. We conducted an exploratory analysis of survey data from 16 workshops (F2F: 12, online: 4) held between January and December 2022, with 129 participants completing the survey (F2F: 76, online: 53, age: 10-16). All workshops covered the same learning topics, provided by online courses developed to raise interest in computer science (CS). Our findings show that the teaching format had a negligible effect on interest development. Still, students in the F2F setting showed higher engagement levels than those in the online setting. Additionally, an analysis of the effect of age indicates that younger students are more engaged in online settings than their older peers. We also found indications for longer-running programs having a greater effect on personal interest development compared to one-day programs. This paper discusses the results and identifies implications for teaching practice and future research. Overall, the study highlights the need to balance the advantages and limitations of both teaching formats and suggests potential strategies to improve online engagement

RockStartIT: Authentic and Inclusive Interdisciplinary Software Engineering Courses

The RockStartIT initiative was specifically designed to increase the representation of girls in software engineering (SE) by providing interdisciplinary courses that connect the subject matter to their interests and passions. The program has been successful in engaging a diverse group of high school students, encouraging them to explore computer science (CS) through problem-solving in the areas of their choice. The program\u27s structure and approach have been instrumental in promoting interest in CS and increasing the understanding of the importance of using CS to solve real-world, interdisciplinary problems. The results of surveys conducted with program participants have shown that the program has been successful in providing girls with an alternative pathway into the field of computer science by building on their individual interests, which would not have been possible without the interdisciplinary approach

Engaging Girls in Computer Science: Do Single-Gender Interdisciplinary Classes Help?

Computing-driven innovation cannot reach its full potential if only a fraction of the population is involved. Without girls and their non-stereotypical contribution, the innovation potential is severely limited. In computer science (CS) and software engineering (SE), the gender gap persists without any positive trend. Many girls find it challenging to identify with the subject of CS. However, we can capitalize on their interests and create environments for girls through interdisciplinary subcultures to spark and foster enthusiasm for CS. This paper presents and discusses the results of an intervention in which we applied a novel interdisciplinary online course in data science to get girls excited about CS and programming by contributing to the grand goal of solving colony collapse disorder from biology and geoecology. The results show the potential of such programs to get girls excited about programming, but also important implications in terms of the learning environment. The startling results show that girls from single-gender classes (SGCs) are significantly more open to CS-related topics and that the intervention evoked significantly more positive feelings in them than in girls from mixed-gender classes (MGCs). The findings highlight the importance of how CS-related topics are introduced in school and the crucial impact of the learning environment to meet the requirements of truly gender-inclusive education

Hier spielt die Musik: Urbane Produktionsnetzwerke der Musikindustrie anhand der Deutschen Albumcharts

Popular music emerges in temporary projects, in which various highly specialized actors such as producers, engineers and artists come together in recording studios. Relations between these actors reach out between cities across the globe, forming global urban networks of music production. The aim of this paper is the identification of key cities of music production for the German music market in terms of their centrality, their power and their position in global networks of music production. Based on Watson\u27s (2012) social network analysis of urban networks of three major English-speaking music markets, this paper analyses the German music market and with that it introduces new opportunities for international comparison. For this purpose, information about a total of 155 albums of the German album charts was collected focusing on involved recording studios. As results comprehensive global networks of the German music market are identified and mapped. The social network analysis presented in this paper, shows parallels to Watson\u27s (2012) results but also reveals peculiarities and different characteristics of German cities in global networks of the music industry. Furthermore, an analysis differentiated by genre, label and nationality of the artists indicates specific production patterns linking national and international networks of music production