Contrasting women's experiences in computer science at different institutions

Abstract

The SIGCSE community has produced much analysis of the dynamics causing women to choose Computer Science in disproportionately low numbers. In truth, we have learned that the factors are complex and contextual. This panel presents dynamics affecting women in four different institutions and explores the possibilities for common solutions to unique contextual problems.In the last five years, there has been extensive attention paid to the gender-gap in computer science courses (e.g., [1, 5]). Women are not succeeding in our introductory computer science courses, nor are they continuing in the curriculum, at the same rate as men. The reasons why have much to do with the context of individual courses, which can differ markedly between institutions. This panel explores how markedly different institutions can have similar outcomes, and how there may be some cross-institutional contextual issues that we might address.We will begin presenting an analysis of the results found in one university regarding the success of women in CS. Then we will present how classroom climate and the way CS is sometimes taught can lead to negative experience of studying CS at a different institution. We will suggest that interventions are necessary while students are building images of CS. We will end by presenting such an intervention that changes the classic CS1 course, and leads to changing the focus of what we're teaching.