Gender Diversity in Computer Science: Some Data, Some Experience, Some Suggestions

1. Gender Diversity in Computer Science: Some Data, Some Experience, Some Suggestions Ruth E. Davis Robert W. Peters Professor of Computer Engineering Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies

2. Diversity in Computing: data, experience, suggestions • Why diversity matters • The Incredible Shrinking Pipeline1 • Data from US and elsewhere • Efforts to widen the pipe • Anita Borg Institute • SCU • CMU • What can be done and resources to help • Recruitment • Retention • NCWIT, ACM-W, CRA-W, ABI, Project Athena – SWAN, UK Resource Center for Women in SET, Systers, TAP, Women@SCS at CMU 1 The Incredible Shrinking PipelineTracy Camp, Colorado School of Mines An edited version of this paper appears in Communications of the ACM, vol.40, no. 10, pp. 103-110, Oct. 1997

3. Why Diversity Matters Diversity of participation is critical for computing. Our thinking patterns are shaped by our experience, and thus the greater the diversity of our backgrounds and experience, the greater the diversity of our thinking and the greater the likelihood for new and creative solutions to the problems with which we are faced. Eg., “Technology for the home” vs “… the family” MIT’s kitchen of the future

4. Some reasons we don’t have diversity - IMAGE • Most people have no idea what engineers (or computer scientists) do • Bill Wulf, President of the National Academies of Engineering, quoted a Gallup poll recording the general public’s association of words with engineers: • “invents” …… 2 % • “creative” ….. 3% • “train operator” …… 5% • Most students who choose engineering had the benefit of knowing someone in the profession – this kind of connection serves to perpetuate the lack of diversity in the field

5. The Shrinking Pipeline: 2002-03 Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

6. 2002-03 1,348,503 1960-61 365,174 Total B.A./B.S. Degrees Awarded - U.S. Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

7. 2002-03 57.5% 1960-61 38.5% % B.A./B.S. Degrees to Women – U.S. Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

8. % of B.A./B.S. Degrees Awarded in Science and Engineering to Women Source: U.S. Department of Education Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

9. The Incredible Shrinking Pipeline Percentage Change in Degrees Awarded to Women (1983-84 to 2002-03) Bio/Life Sciences increased by 32.3% Physical Sciences increased by 49.3% Engineering increased by 57.8% Computer Science decreased by 27.2% Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

10. Number of CS Majors Plummeting • New CS majors at US CRA institutions 15,958 (2000) 7,952 (2005) • Bachelor degrees awarded at US CRA institutions 14,227 (2003-04) 11,808 (2004-05) – down 17% in one year! • Interest in CS major at ALL U.S. degree-granting institutions: • 70% drop 2000-2005 • 80% drop (1998-2004) and • 93% since peak in 1982 See http://www.cra.org/CRN/articles/march06/vegso.html

11. Women’s ParticipationSource: Sally Ride Science 1970 conclusion: women were not interested in law, business, and medicine

12. Why so different for Computing? • IMAGE • Computer labs in middle/high schools • Bad or nonexistent counseling – interest in math and science ignored without “magnetic” attraction to computers • Experience – starting out behind • Confidence drops – interest drops

13. A Small Global Snapshot Downward Trend Australia Finland Germany UK Slight Downward Trend: Mexico Thailand Tanzania Slight Upward Trend Nigeria Turkey Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

14. %Women Academic Staff USA: 12.4% %Women Academic Staff NZ: 15.8% % Women in Academic Rank Academic Rank Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

15. Experience - efforts to widen the pipe • Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology • Mission: • to increase the impact of women on all aspects of technology and • to increase the positive impact of technology on the world's women. • Systers – online community • Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing • Tech Leader Workshops • Women of Vision Awards in Innovation, Social Impact, and Leadership • Virtual Development Center

16. Virtual Development Center (VDC) In 1999, Santa Clara University was one of three inaugural sites for the VDC (MIT, Purdue, and SCU) VDC sites, now at 9 universities, • Involve the community in innovation workshops • Brainstorm about how technology can improve our lives • Technical and non-technical participants • Creating a safe, non-judgmental thinking space • Students work with the community in implementing some projects • Annual VDC Conference brings together all participants to share experience and results

17. Engaging students with the community to meet real needs is a win-win-win proposition • Students Win • They get a “real” design experience • Deal with “real” clients • Design constraints arise from real-world concerns • Community clients Win • Access to free development of a needed project • Confidence in dealing with technology • Profession wins • Public learns more about what we do • A greater variety of young people become interested in pursuing computing

18. Results – appeals to diverse population • The positive impact of these projects on society attracts disproportionately more of our young women and ethnic minorities in the field. At a time when our student body was 23% female and 15% underrepresented minorities: • 75% of students involved in community projects were female • 50% of students involved in community projects were of ethnic groups underrepresented in engineering

19. SCU Virtual Development Center • VDC Supported Projects (99-05) • Icoordinate – family/work/friends calendar manager • PRaCVac – Programmable Remote Control Vacuum Cleaner • Viridia Fetal Monitor & design of Biomedical products • Remote Home Appliance Control project • Pioneering Women in Engineering • ANEW: Action Now in Employment for Women • KnowItAll: a software homework helper for grades 1-4 • Virtual Garden • HomeSafe Keeper • SmartHome Energy Monitor • RFID tags for tracking kids in daycare

20. SCU Virtual Development Center For several years we have worked with HomeSafe, a transitional community for survivors of domestic violence Newer community partners include: • GAINS – Girls Achieving In Nontraditional Subjects A program of the Santa Clara Unified School District • Kelly Park Zoo • Santa Clara Senior Citizens Center • Kids On Campus – university daycare center

21. Other community-based projects at SCU • El Salvador projects – • solar water pump for Isla Zacatillo • Human powered utility vehicle • Brick oven design & seismic sustainability study for clay brick structures • Bamboo reinforced concrete • Hay bale house construction (wall anchorage) • EMT vehicle monitoring system • Projects aimed at assisting the disabled – • Music glove • Eye movement mouse control • Multi-adjustable wheelchair • Assistive technology

22. Other efforts at SCU (recruitment) • SES – Summer Engineering Seminar (5-day residential program for junior and senior high school students) • GetSET – Get Science Engineering and Technology (one week residential program offered in summer to high school girls, in collaboration with SWE) • Educator Breakfasts – high school counselors, teachers, and administrators, and community leaders come to campus to hear about programs in the Engineering School • ACM/JETT Summer course for high school CS teachers • NYLF/Tech • Robotics competitions & high school outreach events

23. Other efforts at SCU (retention) • MUSE – Mentoring Underrepresented Students in Engineering • FUSE – Frontiers for Underrepresented Students in Engineering (one week early move-in and study program for first year first generation students, also some programming throughout the year for these and continuing students) • School-sponsored annual dinner for women faculty and undergraduates • Big Sister Program – pairing returning students with first year students in same major • Student Organizations

24. Efforts at Carnegie Mellon • Unlocking the Clubhouse - Jane Margolis and Allan Fisher • Research started in 1995 – • Hundreds of interviews, repeated every semester, male and female students, “about their histories with computing, interests, motivations, aspirations, reasons for majoring in CS, and experience in the undergraduate program” • Identified “crucial periods in students’ attachments to the field, and factors that contributed to, or inhibited their ability to succeed” • Problem areas identified included: • Experience gaps • Confidence doubts • Curriculum and pedagogy • Peer culture “Transforming the Culture of Computing at Carnegie Mellon” Lenore Blum

25. Carnegie Mellon University

26. Carnegie Mellon University Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

27. How did this happen? • Summer Institute for AP CS teachers – • Included talking to teachers about the gender gap and what they could do about it • Admissions – Raj Reddy said he wanted to attract the students “who demonstrate potential to be world leaders and visionaries in computer science” • Community Building – Women@SCS Advisory Council • Big Sister program, other events • Consulting on curriculum • Outreach activities • Information dissemination • Website - http://women.cs.cmu.edu/ • Grace Hopper 2000 • Women@SCS Roadshow

29. What can you do? For suggestions, try: J. Sanders Lifting the Barriers: 600 strategies that really work J. McGrath Cohoon, SIGCSE article “Recruiting and Retaining Women in Undergraduate Computing Majors” – 19 recommendations NCWIT Inaugural Practices Workshop “Top Ten” ideas – from Workshop Notes Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

30. The Name of the Game is: Recruit AND Retain Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

31. BUT FIRST… Talk with your current students (and past students if possible) • What attracted them to the program? • What makes them stay? • What makes them consider leaving? • What do they think of the environment? • In classes • In labs • In extracurricular groups/activities • How do they think you can attract and keep more women and minority students?

32. Recruitment 1. Meet computing teachers of feeder H.S. a. The “Geek Factor” (myth) b. The “Magnetic Attraction” c. “Computing with a Purpose” d. Jobs, jobs, and more jobs e. Importance of encouragement Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

33. Recruitment 2. Advertise CS in feeder high schools a. Posters with double diversity b. Job advertisements Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

34. Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

35. Recruitment 3. Presentations to H.S. Seniors a. Change image (“Geek Factor”) b. Include role models c. “Computing with a Purpose” d. Jobs, jobs, and more jobs History classes, women’s sports teams Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

36. The Women@SCS Outreach Roadshow: Diversifying the Images of Computer Science http://women.cs.cmu.edu/

37. Survive 1st year Survive program Retention 1. Evaluate CS1 and CS2 a. Make CS1 your best class b. Assignments with purpose c. Consider faculty research seminars d. Consider media computation focus Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

38. Retention 2. Create multiple paths to become major a. CS1 section for experienced CS majors b. CS1 section for inexperienced CS majors c. CS1 course for non-majors (recruit) Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

39. Retention 3. Create a welcoming culture a. Give gender-equity training Imposter Syndrome • Abilities vs. Luck • Hard Exam vs. Abilities b. Provide mentoring, encouragement c. Create professional community “Everything bad happens worse” for minority members Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

40. Post-Clubhouse ReflectionsAllan Fisher, November 2005 If you don’t ... • have a leadership-level commitment to institutional and cultural change ... • make it a high priority ... • know your numbers ... • have a champion (or two) ... Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

41. Post-Clubhouse ReflectionsAllan Fisher Then you won’t ... • escape the trap of well-meaning inaction. • get results. Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

42. Resources ACM'S Committee on Women in Computing www.acm.org/women www.anitaborg.org www.cra.org/Activities/craw

43. ACM-W Ambassadors Canada South Africa Turkey (Watch thisspace) Australia United Kingdom Germany Pakistan India

44. Resources http://www.ncwit.org

45. Resources Athena Project – Scientific Women’s Academic Network

46. Resources (cont.) Inroads (SIGCSE journal) June 2002 Pale and Male: 19th Century Design in a 21st Century World What do you say? Open Letters to Women Considering a CS Major R&R Women in Undergraduate Computing Majors People Who Make a Difference: Mentors and Role Models Priming the Pipeline Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

47. Special Issues on Women in Computing Inroads (ACM SIGCSE journal), June 2002 Communications of the ACM November 1990 and January 1995 IEEE Annals on the History of Computing Fall 1996 and October 2003 Pathways CD Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

48. “Top Ten” Ideas (for Academia)Source: NCWIT Inaugural Practices Workshop • Understand your system; know your numbers • Build a powerful team • Listen to students • Focus on the bottlenecks • Catalyze and support a women’s community

49. “Top Ten” Ideas (for Academia)Source: NCWIT Inaugural Practices Workshop 6.Broaden the culture 7. Reach out to the feeder community 8. Watch the student experience like a hawk. 9. Adapt to changing times. 10. Remember the law of educational diversity

50. QUESTIONS???