Strategically Recruiting Women into Your Undergraduate Computing Major

1. #GHC14 Strategically Recruiting Women into Your Undergraduate Computing Major Leisa Thompson, Ph.D University of Virginia/NCWIT thompson@ncwit.org October 10, 2014 2014

2. Introduction • Leisa Thompson, Ph.D • Research Scientist, University of Virginia, • Director of Research & Consulting NCWIT Extension Services for Undergraduate Programs • Education • BS - Computer Science • California State University-Northridge • Masters – Workforce Education • Ph.D - Higher Education Leadership • University of Nevada, Las Vegas

3. Extension Services (ES) – provides consulting to computing and engineering departments as they plan and implement systemic initiatives for increasing women’s representation in computing and engineering • Our consultants focus on recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in undergraduate programs • Funded by: • National Science Foundation • Google • Accepting applications for new ES client institutions • Deadline: Today, October 10 • https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ESUPApplication

4. Why Create a Strategic Plan for Recruiting?

5. Strategic Planning Helps You To… • Identify specific and reasonable goals • Choose relevant interventions and activities coordinated to reinforce each other • Create a shared vision • Choose metrics and carefully track what works and what doesn’t to improve allocation of scarce resources

6. NCWIT Approach to Recruiting • Greatest return on investment • Shortest time to bring benefits • Smallest resource commitment

7. Components of a Strategic Recruiting Plan • Identify and inform target audiences likely to succeed and their influencers • Leverage your assets • Tailor, test, refine message content • Reach your audience • Track & report results

8. Identifying “Low-Hanging Fruit” • Already on campus or soon to arrive • Criteria for the major (e.g., mathematics competence) • Largest majors on your campus • Contact possibilities already available • Your program and their interests

9. Many Students Have Math Competence

10. Treat Intro Courses as Recruiting Opportunities • Intro to your major • CS-Zero courses • Computer literacy courses • Service courses (e.g., to engineering students required to take CS) • Summer bridge

11. Leverage Your Existing Assets Hung up trying to do it all yourself? Losing footing in your academic career?

12. Leverage Points Checklists

13. Control the Message • Tailor, test, refine message content

14. Include Influencers in Your Target Audience Family Friends Teachers Guidance counselors Extracurricular group leaders Celebrities Companies

15. Which Messages Do All Audiences Need to Hear? • Diversity is important • Lots of jobs • High entry-level salaries with 4-year degree • Satisfying • Flexibility: industry, geographic • Social relevance • Work with others • Time with family

16. Why Diversity in Tech Matters

17. Research Evidence for Financial Performance NCWIT research summary: www.ncwit.org/businesscase

18. Jobs are PlentySalaries are HighJobs are Satisfying Statistics

19. Numeric growth in employment of wage and salary workers by detailed industry, projected 2012–2022, in thousands of jobs (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014)

20. Percent change in employment by major occupational group, projected 2012–2022 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014)

21. Career Enjoyment: America’s Best Jobs 2014 • Mathematician, BS, $101K • University professor, Ph.D., $69K • Statistician, BS, $76K • Actuary, BS, $94K • Audiologist, Ph.D., $70K • Dental hygienist, AS/certificates, $70K • Software engineer, BS, $93K • Computer systems analyst, BS, $80K • Occupational therapist, MS, $75K • Speech pathologist, MS, $70K Source: Careercast.com

22. Craft Messages to Appeal to Present Goals • Majors Most Commonly Intended by Women in the U.S., 2008 • Source: College Board

23. Describe the Relevance of CS:It’s Everywhere

24. Computer Scientists Work in Every Industry Source: dotdiva.org

25. How Do You Contact Students? • Develop media that can be handed out on campus • Show up at orientation • Current students do talks in large-lecture core courses (e.g., Biology 101) • Posters • Advisors / advisor listservs • Off campus: teachers, parents, principals, counselors

26. Front Back 

27. Summary: Describe Careers That Spark Women’s Interest • Lots of jobs • High entry-level salaries with 4-year degree • Satisfying • Flexibility: industry, geographic • Social relevance • Work with others • Time with family

28. Test Messages and Images

29. Formative Assessment • Record your activities • Who you contacted • What you said • Who responded • Collect & analyze satisfaction and interest by • Contact • Message • Investigate your successes to identify essential elements • Revise your recruitment strategy • Share your results

30. Research on Best Practices for Recruiting Video http://www.csta.acm.org/Communications/sub/Videos.html

31. NCWIT Can Help More Free NCWIT Resources (ncwit.org)

32. NCWIT Creates and Distributes Research-based Resources About Girls/Women and Computing

33. Latinas in Computing A Spanish language, multi-media microsite for K-12 girls and their adult influencers, aimed at increasing Latina girls’ meaningful participation in computer science education and careers. Graciously funded by Motorola Solutions Foundation

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