Computer Science, the “D” Word … and the culture of computing

1. Computer Science, the “D” Word … and the culture of computing

2. Today’s session: Part 1. Introductions plus one QUESTION for teacher colleagues Part 2. Definitions: Diversity? Culture? Computer Science?: Part 3. Computer Science and current challenges (Approaches to current challenges + RESPONSES to part 1.) Part 4. Where do Women fit into this picture? Part 5. Women and CS at CMU Part 6. Resources from Women@SCS

3. Part 2. Definitions: Diversity • “When I say diversity, by the way, I do mean what most people assume: the representation of women and underrepresented minorities. But I also mean "individual diversity," the breadth of experience of an individual engineer. Both, I believe, are critical.” • William A. Wulf, President of the National Academy of Engineering

4. Part 2. Definitions: Culture • For our purposes the term culture refers to the complex and broad set of relationships, values, attitudes and behaviors that bind a specific community consciously and unconsciously along with the sub-cultures and counter-cultures that may also exist. • While a dominant culture may embrace and influence the community, it is important to note that culture is dynamic, shaping and being shaped by those who occupy it.

5. Part 2. Definitions: Computer Science Student definitions: • “I don’t think I can define computer science because it’s just like • too much!” • m. “I can’t really define what it is”. • f. “I think the most amazing thing is that CS is integrated in every aspect.” • m. “(It’s) applicable to everything.” • f. ”I look at computer science as a sort of logic based way to solve • problems.” • “It’s the study of analyzing and solving extremely complicated problems.” • m. “I would define computer science as a way of thinking.”

6. Part 3. Computer Science and current challenges Computer Science • What’s missing from those definitions from students? • Is there a fundamental misconception among boys and girls, and in the public consciousness, that computer science equals programming? • What are the implications of this?

7. Part 3. Computer Science and current challenges Students in Computer Science 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% What do you think is the current % of students (men and women) choosing (from among many majors) to enter the cs major?: <<<< • Interest in CS as a major among incoming Freshman declined for the last five years: from 3.8 percent in 1999, to 1.4 percent in 2004. • Survey results from Higher Education Research Institute

8. Why? • What factors are allowing for this situation? • Educational • Personal • Economic • Cultural

9. Educational Factors: • Curriculum • What is CS? • Need for standardization • CS not widely taught • Teacher training • Teacher certification

10. Personal Factors: • Lack of experience, • Many other choices, • Future prospects, • “I’m just not interested…”

11. Economic Factors: • Perceptions:No jobs • Tech bubble burst • Perceptions: Outsourcing • BUT!— • Computer systems analysts, database administrators and computer • scientists will be among the fastest-growing occupations through 2012. • The US Department of Labor • “Microsoft has more jobs for computer-science graduates with bachelor's • degrees than it can fill. The positions include developers and program • managers.” • Richard F. Rashid, senior vice president for Microsoft Research

12. Cultural factors: • Images of the field, • Images of the people in it • Does the culture (sub-culture) ALLOW for diversity? • The image of computer science as a broad and exciting • field with the potential for diverse participants is missing • from the big picture.

13. Cultural factors: “Images and Diversity” • The image of computer scientists as antisocial nerds turns off many • students. "If you ask a kid to draw a caricature of what a computer • scientist does it's some greasy male, hunched down in front of a • terminal, in front of a workstation, in a little cubbyhole.“ • CS Professor • On Stereotypes: • “the people that never leave the cluster, that never shower • that have poor hygiene and long hair. … typically guys, well always guys, • who don’t care about women or having a social life or anything like that. • They’re just focused solely on the computer.” Male CS student

14. Approaches to the problems • Personal level: • Increase encouragement • Role models • Networking • Mentoring • Educational Level: • Establishing a national or state wide CS curriculum • Teacher training and certification • Take the subject seriously! • Cultural Level: • Allowing for diversity • “Selling” the field to girls and women (and boys and men) • Produce and circulate new images of the field • Produce and circulate new images of the people in the field • Caution! Female friendly initiatives? • What does this mean? What are the implications?

15. ? Part 4. Where do Women fit into this picture?

16. Women make up more than 50% of the population in the US Women have been making great strides over the past few years, contributing more and more, and in areas where previously they were under-represented

17. Women and education: general situation • Women are going to college in record numbers, and now outnumber men on college campuses. Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics, Trends in Educational Equity of Girls & Women: 2004, NCES 2005016, 70 (Washington, D.C., 2004). • The majority of students in professional degree programs (such as medicine, dentistry and law) are still men, but women have made dramatic and consistent gains. The proportion of women in these programs increased from 9 percent in 1970 to 47 percent in 2000. Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics, Trends in Educational Equity of Girls & Women: 2004, NCES 2005016, 70 (Washington, D.C., 2004). • By 2003, 51 percent of women ages 18-24 had entered or completed college compared with 41 percent of young men. Source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education, “Issue Brief: Postsecondary Participation Rates by Sex and Race/Ethnicity: 1974-2003. March 2005. p. 1 Slide courtesy: Catherine Hill

18. Women make up ? % of the current numbers of ALL students choosing to enter the CS major in the US: 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% Women in Computer Science <<<<<

19. When do you think the numbers of women entering the cs major in the US reached their peak?: 1970-75 1975-80 1980-1985 1985-90 1990-95 1995-2000 2000-2005 >> Women in Computer Science

20. Women's interest in computer science fell 80 % between 1998 - 2004 • 0.3 percent of incoming freshmen women in 2004 expressed an interest • in majoring in computer science. • Higher Education Research Institute • “Unlike most other fields, which have seen women's representation • increase over time, the portion of CS degrees granted to women fell in • the late 1980s and has yet to return above 30 percent.” • CRA http://www.cra.org/CRN/articles/may05/vegso

22. Why should we care? • Supply • Diverse viewpoints • Expand accessibility and fitness of IT products • Gender equity: Participation in creative and financially rewarding careers • CS is a new exciting growing field

23. Women in Computer Science in other countries • Countries in which the representation of women is constant and relatively high: • Countries in which the representation of women is low and decreasing: * It is reasonable to assume that cultural factors influence girls and women in choosing to study (or not study) CS * >> Spain, Samoa, Italy, Mauritius, many “Latin” countries… >> USA, Germany, UK, Israel, Denmark, Australia…

24. Part 5. Women and CS at CMU and the Culture of Computing

25. CMU Changes in Student Body: the numbers 2000 39% 1995 7%

26. First-year CS Majors at CMU coming from 6APT High Schools, 1995 – 2000 AP Teachers played a significant role: women from the 6APT high schools entering our undergraduate program in 1999, and again in 2000, was 18%, compared to 0 % in 1995.

27. Factors contributing to changes Combination of: • Margolis/Fisher research findings: programming background • not a prerequisite for success in cs major • Dean Raj Reddy’s vision to produce leaders in the field • New Admissions criteria • Outreach to HS teachers • Multiple access routes to cs major *These factors opened the way for more women …. and a broader more diverse student body, both men and women

28. Maintaining Gender Balance in our Student Body: • 1999-2005 women in CS at CMU higher than national • average! • Ongoing Essential support from CSD, SCS and CMU faculty • and administration • Women@SCS creating a professional organization for • students • NOTE: • No moves to create “female-friendly” curriculum • Rigorous academic curriculum/high standards for ALL • Any curriculum changes made for benefit of ALL

29. Women@SCS http://women.cs.cmu.edu/ Who we are: • An organization of graduate and undergraduate • students, and faculty, in the School of Computer • Science (SCS).

30. Women@SCS http://women.cs.cmu.edu/ What we do: • On campus: • Building an active and effective community in SCS • Providing professional, leadership and networking opportunities • Mentoring, colleagueship and role modeling • Providing a wonderful web site full of resources: women.cs.cmu.edu/

31. Women@SCS http://women.cs.cmu.edu/ What we do: • Off campus: • “Expanding Your Horizons” Workshops • Conference presentations • Provide advice and a model of success to others • and …………..

32. The Women@SCS Outreach Roadshow: Diversifying the Images of Computer Science *To show the image of computer science as a broad and exciting field with the potential for diverse participants*

33. The Women@SCS Outreach Roadshow • Different Versions/Different Audiences: • Middle/high school boys and girls • Teachers, parents • Undergraduate men and women • Student Teams: • Undergraduates (seniors, juniors, sophomores, freshmen) • Graduates representing: Computer Science, Robotics, • Language Technologies, Human Computer Interaction • Software Engineering, Entertainment technology and more…….. Conference Presentations

34. The Women@SCS Outreach Roadshow • Goals: • To challenge stereotypes • To show breadth and diversity of the field • To get students (and parents and teachers) excited about • the science and the possibilities • To increase the visibility of young women in the field • To leave our audiences wanting to find out more • hopefully through further studies ……. • To have fun!

35. The Undergraduate Environmentand the Evolving Culture

36. Changes in the environment More balance: • in terms of gender • in terms of the breadth of student interests • in terms of professional experiences and opportunities • for All Enhanced academic and social atmosphere for ALL

37. Changes in the Culture of Computing • From > a strong gender divide in the way students • relate to cs (Fisher/Margolis findings 1995-99) • To > similar perspectives among men and women • (Blum/Frieze findings 2000-2005 ongoing)

38. Predominant view before changes(unbalanced environment/homogeneous culture) it is the code itself that is interesting, even more than the actual effect it has To me the computer is a toy: “you get to do cool things and play around with it and it’s fun” I dream in code I want to do something useful with the computer My confidence has been “extinguished” I feel I don’t belong

39. Apparent view after changes(balanced environment/diverse culture) “I’ve always been interested in computers and programming especially” I dream in code “I see myself as one of the best of the best now”. Computer science “is a whole lot of stuff” “I like having the ability to create something useful” “The computer I see more as a tool now, as opposed to this neat toy.”

40. From a gender divide to a spectrum of similarities As you might expect still some gender differences BUT……. • Significant Changes!(gender similarities) • similar spectrums of interests and motivation in both genders • blurring of the applications and coding gender divide • broader/different view of the field • increase in women’s confidence • more well-rounded students with a variety of interests * It is reasonable to assume that cultural factors influence women’s successful (or unsuccessful) participation in CS *

41. From a gender divide to a spectrum of similarities: some examples Do you feel as if you fit in? a) academically? b)socially? Academically 100 Socially % of yes answers 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Women Men Q. Do you have the skills for good programming? Q. Do you feel as if you fit in? a) academically and b) socially

42. A balanced environment can challenge notions of a gender divide in how men and women relate to CS Cultural factors influence women’s successful (or unsuccessful) participation in CS Thoughts for consideration: Fundamental misconceptions about computer science, rather than gender differences, are a root cause of gender under-representation as well as the current crisis in the field, i.e., the diminishing interest in computer science on the part of all students. [Morris and Lee 2004] [Vegso 2005].

43. Part 6. Resources available from Women@SCS • Brochures • Posters • Student Presentations • Roadshow powerpoint (online) • Web site • CWIT video (free copies available)