May07 K12 Summit Program Reduced

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National Center for Women & I n f o r m a t i o n Te c h n o l o g y National Science Foundation Broadening Participation in Computing

Summit on K-12 IT Education U n i ve rsit y o f Col orado - B o ulder, Co lo rado

May 15, 2007 We thank the National Science Foundation, Avaya, Inc., Microsoft, and Pfizer for their support, which made this program possible.

Welcome to the Summit Welcome to CU-Boulder and the ATLAS Institute! We’re thrilled to be hosting our May 2007 meetings right here in Boulder, home to NCWIT’s offices in the ATLAS Institute at the University of Colorado. Much work goes into planning successful meetings, and we’re grateful to many of you for the research, input, preparation, and time you’ve dedicated to our meetings and the NSF/NCWIT Summit on K-12 IT Education. Since these meetings are already jam-packed with wonderful content concerning K-12, we have chosen to provide you with a quick synopsis of NCWIT’s progress since our last meeting via this letter. NCWIT AWARD FOR ASPIRATIONS IN COMPUTING In conjunction with our Summit on K-12 IT Education, NCWIT will recognize several women high-school students in the Boulder/ Denver area with its inaugural Award for Aspirations in Computing. The purpose of this NCWIT award is to acknowledge and encourage these young women’s participation in computing, and to raise their visibility in the community. NCWIT will choose additional award recipients in the Seattle/Redmond area when we hold our November 2007 Meetings there. IF ONLY WE COULD FIX THE IMAGE OF COMPUTING Last year, a number of computing organizations partnered to form The Image of Computing Task Force. This task force leads a national, coordinated effort to present a realistic view of opportunities in computing, and aims to educate the public about the increasingly vital role computing plays. Members include Microsoft, HP, Intel, CRA, ACM, SIAM, IEEE_CS, USENIX, NCWIT, AAAI, and the ATLAS Institute. This year, the task force welcomed Jill Ross as its director. Please visit www.imageofcomputing.com for more about Jill, the Task Force, and the exciting work they will undertake to change the image of computing. PROGRESS IN D.C. NCWIT has visited Washington, D.C. several times in the past few months, and we continue to partner with ACM and CRA to transmit our messages about innovation and diversity of thought to influential people. We are talking to congressional members and agencies about a military pathways program in IT, and there has been very enthusiastic response to the idea. In March we heard that Peter Ambler, who attended our May 2006 Town Hall in D.C. on behalf of Congressman Reyes’ office, is forming a Diversity and Innovation Caucus to work on these issues. Last November we visited with Norm Augustine, one of the key folks behind the National Academies’ “Rising Above the Gathering Storm” report and a major opinion-shaper on the Hill regarding the “Storm” report and its failure to address under-representation in computing/IT. He acknowledged then that it was a gap in the report and promised to work it into future testimony and talks; and in March he testified as such before the House Science Committee. CHANGE AGENTS IN ACTION: ALLIANCE UPDATES NCWIT’s alliance members are crucial to making change happen on a large scale. Here are some highlights from each of our alliances. The Academic Alliance (AA) welcomes Jennifer Kurtz as its new project manager. Jennifer is working with AA members on action plans, creating an alliance newsletter, and recruiting new members to the AA. She will also coordinate the AA’s new Seed Grant Program (special thanks to Microsoft, lead funder of this program). Lecia Barker and Joanne Cohoon of NCWIT Extension Services continue their work with AA member institutions. The Entrepreneurial Alliance (EA), funded by the Kauffman Foundation, announced its formation during EntrepreneurshipWeekUSA in February 2007. The EA currently is focused on three projects: an Entrepreneurial Heroes Campaign (launching

Mark Your Calendars:

When: November 5−7, 2007 Hosted by: Microsoft and the University Up com i n g of Washington Features a Promising Practices Workshop NC WIT that will look beyond numerical equality M ee ti n g s to discuss aspects of gender diversity in IT. Speakers include: Curt Coffman (former Gallup researcher and author of First Break all the Rules), Dr. Evelynn M. Hammonds (Professor of the History of Science and of African and African American Studies, Harvard University), and Dr. Ed Lazowska (Bill and Melinda Gates Chair at the University of Washington and member of the National Academy of Engineering). Ray Ozzie, Chief Software Architect at Microsoft, will give the opening remarks. NCWIT’s next spring meetings are May 13 − 15, 2008! Hosted by: The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign K-12 Summit • 3

Welcome to the Summit May 2007), a podcast interview series with 20 amazing women IT entrepreneurs; a Bizworld curriculum project that teaches entrepreneurial skills to middle-school students; and a panel at the Grace Hopper 2007 conference (http://gracehopper.org/2007/). The K-12 Alliance is preparing for the ISTE-sponsored National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in Atlanta this June, which brings together more than 18,000 educators and this year will focus on technology’s role in developing 21st-century learners. The K-12 Alliance will give away 4,000 copies of its new “Gotta Have IT” kit, a selection of guides, brochures, activities, posters, and other resources hand-picked to attract middle-school students and their educators to computing. The K-12 Alliance also is creating a permanent national distribution channel that will connect each organization’s region of influence with the educators, parents, and children who can most benefit from them. We thank Intel and Pfizer for their funding of this alliance. The Workforce Alliance (WA) has just completed its first sponsored research program, a first-ever look at women as IT patent-holders. An executive summary of the report is available now, and the WA will officially release the report in June. While this report illustrates that women still are significantly underrepresented in information technology patenting, it also demonstrates that some progress has been made in the past 20 years. This progress, along with the differences in female patenting rates across companies, suggests that there is no industry-wide systemic reason for the low level of women in IT patenting. Furthermore, the study found higher citation rankings for mixed-gender invention teams. While additional research is needed to understand why mixed-gender teams are cited more frequently, this finding does at least point to potential benefits in innovation that might arise from increasing women’s involvement. “GRAND CHALLENGES” SOCIAL SCIENCE WORKSHOP In November 2006, members of the NCWIT Social Science Advisory Board (SSAB) met to pilot a gender and IT “grand challenges” workshop. The motivation for the workshop was to provide social scientists working in the area of gender and IT with the opportunity to become more fully informed about each other’s research interests, projects, expertise, and methodologies. The workshop already has proven to be useful grounding for NCWIT and its broader community, and the SSAB plans to continue its work on identifying and addressing grand challenges. The next workshop will be held in November 2007. PROGRAMS-IN- A-BOX, PRACTICES, AND PUBLICATIONS In November 2006 NCWIT introduced four “Programs-in-a-Box,” turnkey solutions that address pressing issues facing the IT community by supplying all the necessary components for quick and strategic action. We collected great feedback on these Boxes at our November meetings, and the revised Boxes are rolling out at the NCWIT website this month. We’re also launching five new Promising Practices sheets (included with this program), and this summer we will launch three important publications: the Scorecard, the Workforce Alliance Patent Report, and a report on K-12 informal education from GSUSA. We’ll target national media with these and other announcements, working to elevate the conversation on women and IT to a national level. Along with our co-host, the NSF Broadening Participation in Computing program, we’d like to thank you for your help in creating an event that leaves all of us enlightened, informed, and inspired. Your continued and passionate participation is essential to increasing the number of people from under-represented groups entering computing careers. Regards,

Lucy Sanders CEO & Co-founder, NCWIT 4 • K-12 Summit

Table of Contents

Welcome to the Summit .................................................................................................................................................. 3 - 4 Summit Agenda ................................................................................................................................................................ 6 - 7 Welcome CU Chancellor Dr. G.P. “Bud” Peterson; Dr. Robert Schnabel, University of Colorado at Boulder Vice Provost for Academic and Campus Technology and NCWIT Co-founder; Jan Cuny, NSF Broadening Participation in Computing Program Director; and Lucy Sanders, NCWIT CEO and Co-founder ................................................... 8 Keynote - “The State of the Union in K-12 Computing Education: a View from K-12 Educators” Chris Stephenson, Executive Director, ACM Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) ............................... 9 Panel: A View From K-12 Educators Panelists ............................................................................................................................................................... 10 Keynote - “The Role of Informal IT Education” Trish Millines Dziko, Director, Technology Access Foundation ............................................................................. 11 Presentation - “The Buzz” Brooke Haycock, Education Trust Artist in Residence ........................................................................................... 12 Keynote - “Engagement, Capacity, and Continuity: a Trilogy for Student Success” Dr. Eric Jolly, President, Science Museum of Minnesota ....................................................................................... 13 Mini-Workshops, Part I “Putting the ECC Model to Use in Our Programs,” panelists .................................................................................. 14 “K-12 Outreach Programs: Making Them Work,” panelists .................................................................................... 15 - 16 “K-12 Educational Policy,” panelists ...................................................................................................................... 17 - 18 Mini-Workshops, Part II “Assessing K-12 Outreach Activities,” panelists ..................................................................................................... 19 - 20 “Why Do Students Lack Interest in Computing? A National Phenomenon,” panelists .......................................... 21 - 22 “The AP CS Test: Getting Our House in Order,” panelists ....................................................................................... 23 - 24 Keynote - “Summing it All Up: a Call to Action” Jared Polis, Vice-Chairman, Colorado Board of Education and Founder, The Jared Polis Foundation ................... 25 Inaugural NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing Presentation Award Winners (Award sketch?) (presented by Jared Polis) ................................................................................. 26 - 27 NCWIT Reception Reception Invitation ............................................................................................................................................ 28 Colorado Lt. Governor Dr. Barbara O’Brien University of Colorado at Boulder Chancellor Dr. G.P. “Bud” Peterson .................................................................. 29 New NCWIT Promising Practices Overview: Introducting Five New Practices ......................................................................................................... Constructing On-Ramps: Helping mid-career women return to work ................................................................. Peer-Led Team Learning: Retaining women through collaborative learning ....................................................... Storytelling: An engaging way to introduce computing ...................................................................................... Unplugged: An engaging way to introduce computing ...................................................................................... Meet Them Where They Are: An engaging way to introduce computing .............................................................

30 31 - 32 33 - 34 35 - 36 37 - 38 39 - 40

K-12 Summit • 5

K-12 Summit Agenda May 15, 2007: Summit on K-12 IT Education University of Colorado University Memorial Center (UMC)

7:30 AM:

Breakfast

Glenn Miller Ballroom (UMC)

8:30 AM: Welcome UMC 235 CU Chancellor Dr. G.P. “Bud” Peterson; Dr. Robert Schnabel, University of Colorado at Boulder Vice Provost for Academic and Campus Technology and NCWIT Co-founder; Jan Cuny, NSF Broadening Participation in Computing Program Director; and Lucy Sanders, NCWIT CEO and Co-founder 8:45 – 9:15 AM: Keynote & Panel Introduction “The State of the Union in K-12 Computing Education: a View from K-12 Educators” Chris Stephenson, Executive Director, ACM Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA)

UMC 235

9:15 – 10:15 AM: Panel: A View from K-12 Educators Michelle Hutton, The Girls Middle School Kevin Marlatt, Denver Public Schools Computer Magnet Program Daniel Gohl, McKinley Technology High School, Washington, D.C. Jerry Esparza, Denver Public Schools Computer Magnet Program Chris Stephenson, Moderator

UMC 235

10:15 – 10:45 AM:

Break

10:45 – 11:30 AM: Keynote “The Role of Informal IT Education” Trish Millines Dziko, Director, Technology Access Foundation 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM:

Lunch

UMC 235

Glenn Miller Ballroom

12:30 – 1:00 PM: Presentation “The Buzz” Brooke Haycock, Education Trust Artist in Residence

UMC 235

1:00 – 1:45 PM: Keynote “Engagement, Capacity, and Continuity: a Trilogy for Student Success” Dr. Eric Jolly, President, Science Museum of Minnesota

UMC 235

1:45 – 2:00 PM: 6 • K-12 Summit

Break

K-12 Summit Agenda

2:00 – 3:15 PM: Mini Workshops, Part I “Putting the ECC Model to Use in Our Programs” Dr. Bernice Anderson, NSF; Jan Cuny, NSF Broadening Participation in Computing

UMC 247

“K-12 Outreach Programs: Making Them Work” UMC 386 Ruthe Farmer, Girl Scouts of the USA; Dr. Karen Benn Marshall, Montgomery College; Lisa Gable, IBM; Mylene Padolina, Microsoft; Eileen Sweeney, Motorola Foundation “K-12 Educational Policy” UMC 417 Cameron Wilson, ACM; Len Scrogan, Boulder Valley School District; Barb Ericson, Georgia Tech; Chris Stephenson, CSTA; Leslie Conery, ISTE; Dr. Robert Schnabel, University of Colorado at Boulder 3:15 – 3:30 PM:

Break

3:30 – 4:45 PM: Mini Workshops, Part II “Assessing K-12 Outreach Activities” UMC 386 Dr. Rose Marra, Assessing Women and Men in Engineering; Dr. Joanne Cohoon, University of Virginia; Dr. Lecia Barker, University of Colorado at Boulder; Dr. Bernice Anderson, NSF “Why Do Students Lack Interest in Computing? A National Phenomenon” UMC 247 Jill Ross, Image of Computing National Task Force; Susan Traiman, Business Roundtable; Dr. Mark Guzdial, Georgia Tech; Clif McFeely, North Castle Partners “The AP CS Test: Getting Our House in Order” UMC 417 Dr. Robert Schnabel, University of Colorado at Boulder; Dr. Joanna Goode, University of Oregon; JoAnne Benedict, Fairview High School, Boulder Valley School District; Ann Shen, The College Board AP Computer Science Development Committee and The Bishop Strachan School, Toronto 5:00 – 5:30 PM: Keynote “Summing it All Up: a Call to Action” Jared Polis, Vice-Chairman, Colorado Board of Education and Founder, The Jared Polis Foundation

UMC 235

5:30 – 6:00 PM: Award Presentation Inaugural NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing – presented by Jared Polis

UMC 235

6:00 – 8:00 PM: Reception Folsom Field Stadium Club Room Remarks: Colorado Lt. Governor Dr. Barbara O’Brien and University of Colorado at Boulder Chancellor Dr. G.P. “Bud” Peterson K-12 Summit • 7

Welcome

Chancellor, University of Colorado at Boulder

Dr. G.P. “Bud” Peterson

G.P. “Bud” Peterson is Chancellor of the University of Colorado at Boulder. Prior to assuming this role, he served six years as provost at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. As Chancellor, Dr. Peterson is the chief academic and administrative officer of the CU-Boulder campus. Throughout his career, he has played an active role in helping to establish the national education and research agendas, serving on numerous industry, government, and academic task forces and committees. A Fellow of both the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Dr. Peterson is the author or co-author of 12 books or book chapters, 160 refereed journal articles, more than 150 conference publications, and holds eight patents.

Dr. Robert Schnabel

Vice Provost for Academic and Campus Technology, University of Colorado at Boulder and NCWIT Co-founder

Dr. Robert Schnabel is Vice Provost for Academic and Campus Technology at the University of Colorado at Boulder and founding director of the ATLAS Institute. A faculty member in the Department of Computer Science at CU since 1977, he has been active in diversity-related activities, including being a co-founder and executive team member of NCWIT, and a PI of an NSF broadening participation in computing alliance between research universities and historically black universities. Program Director, NSF Broadening Participation in Computing

Jan Cuny

Jan Cuny is a Professor at the University of Oregon. Prior to moving to Oregon, she was on the faculties at Purdue University and the University of Massachusetts. Jan was a long-time member of the Computing Research Association’s Committee on the Status of Women (CRA-W), serving at various times as a co-chair, a mentor for their Distributed Mentoring Program and the lead on several CRA-W projects. Jan was Program Chair of the 2004 Grace Hopper Conference and General Chair of the 2006 conference.

Lucy Sanders

NCWIT CEO and Co-Founder

Lucy Sanders is CEO and Co-founder of the National Center for Women & Information Technology and also serves as Executivein-Residence for the ATLAS Institute at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She has an extensive industry background, having worked in R&D and executive positions at AT&T Bell Labs, Lucent Bell Labs, and Avaya Labs for over 20 years.

Keynote

The State of the Union in K-12 Computing Education:

A View from K-12 Educators

Executive Director, Computer Science Teachers Association

Chris Stephenson

Chris is the Executive Director of the Computer Science Teachers Association, an organization founded by ACM to address support and promote the teaching of computer science and its related disciplines in K-12 and to address critical issues on K-12 computer science education. She received a BA from the University of Toronto, an M.Ed. from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and is currently in the Teaching Leadership Doctoral Program in Oregon State University’s College of Education. Chris worked as a Research Associate for the University of Toronto’s Computer System’s Research Institute for 13 years, and for the University of Waterloo for 3 years. She also served as the President of Holt Software from 2000-2004. Chris has been involved in various roles in professional organizations for educators her entire professional life. She has served in several positions (including 4 years as President) of the Educational Computing Organization of Ontario, as President of the International Society for Technology in Education’s Computer Science SIG, and was a founding member of the Association for Computer Studies Educators in Ontario, Canada. Chris also served as the volunteer leader of ACM’s K-12 Education Task Force from 2000-2005, and on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Computer Science Education, as the Computer Science Review Chair for the National Educational Computing Conference, and as the Chair of the annual Computer Science and Information Technology Symposium.

K-12 Summit • 9

Panel:

A View From K-12 Educators

Panel Moderator: Chris Stephenson (bio on previous page) Director of Technology, The Girls Middle School

Michelle Hutton

Michelle Friend Hutton teaches computer science and serves as Director of Technology at The Girls’ Middle School in Mountain View, California. She has created a unique curriculum that allows girls to experience the breadth of computer science through hands-on projects. Michelleparticipates in the NCWIT K-12 Alliance, is vice president of the Computer Science Teachers Association board and chairs the CSTA equity committee. Prior to her tenure at GMS, Michelle was a system administrator at Indiana University.

J. Kevin Marlatt

Director, Denver Public Schools Computer Magnet Program

J. Kevin Marlatt is Director of the Computer Magnet program in Denver Public Schools - the nation’s largest comprehensive IT & Leadership Development program and ranked #1 program in National Academy Foundation’s network of programs. Kevin holds a M.A. in Instructional Design and Technology, ED.S in Leadership & Administration, and a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. He has been a 15- year teacher in both secondary and post-secondary settings. Principal, McKinley Technology High School, Washington, D.C.

Daniel Gohl

Daniel Gohl is the Principal of McKinley Technology High School in the District of Columbia Public Schools. With a curriculum focus on biotechnology, broadcast technology, and information technology McKinley prepares students for success in university studies and professional endeavors. He came to D.C. from the Austin Independent School District in Austin, Texas. Daniel holds certification as an administrator and in the teaching fields of physics, earth sciences, mathematics, and computer science in the State of Texas.

Jerry Esparza

Teacher, Denver Public Schools Computer Magnet Program

Jerry Esparza is a Denver Public Schools teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School in the Computer Magnet Program. His main teaching focus is 3D Design and Web Design. Prior to joining the Computer Magnet, Jerry taught computer technology in various K-8 and middle schools within DPS. He also served as the School Technology Resource specialist, assisting teachers with technology integration within the curriculum.

Keynote

The Role of Informal IT Education

Co-founder, Executive Director, Technology Access Foundation

Trish Millines Dziko

Trish received a Computer Science degree from Monmouth University in 1979. Her journey to find the right niche in an ever-changing field has taken Trish to Philadelphia, Tucson, San Francisco, and Seattle. From 1979-1995, Trish was a software tester, a software developer, a manager, a consultant, and a database designer in such industries as military weapons, business systems, communications, and medical equipment. In August of 1996, Trish left corporate America and, with the help and support of family, friends, and professional peers, the Technology Access Foundation (TAF) was born. TAF’s mission is to bring technology to communities of color. With a primary focus on students ages 18 and under, TAF offers programs that give students math literacy, technology fluency, information synthesis, problem solving skills, technical internships, and higher education preparation. Trish has received numerous local and national awards for her work educating children of color. In June 2001, Trish received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Seattle University. Trish and her partner are the proud parents of 4 children.

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Presentation:

“The Buzz”

Brooke Haycock Brooke Haycock, Artist-inResidence with the Education Trust, is a playwright and actor with a background in student organizing. Characterized as provocative, edgy, and brutally honest, her one-woman shows have been used with groups of students, parents, teachers, school administrators, higher ed faculty and administrators, policymakers, and advocates alike to spark honest dialogue and focus energies around some of the most pressing and emotionally charged issues we face in American education today.

12 • K-12 Summit

Keynote

Engagement, Capacity, and Continuity:

A Trilogy for Student Success

President, Science Museum of Minnesota

Dr. Eric Jolly

Dr. Eric Jolly is president of the Science Museum of Minnesota, which is among the nation’s largest and most-esteemed science museums. Prior to joining the Science Museum in March 2004, Dr. Jolly was senior scientist and vice president for Education Development Center in Newton, Mass. He is known for his contributions to mathematics and science education, frequently working with such groups as the American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, National Council for Teachers of Mathematics, and the National Science Teachers Association. He is a life member of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science. Dr. Jolly has lectured throughout the world and has published many books, scholarly articles, and curricula for students and teachers across the educational spectrum, including “Bridging Homes and Schools,” a comprehensive resource for teachers of Limited English Proficiency students, and “Beyond Blame: Reacting to the Terrorist Attack.” His curricula are currently used in more than 16 countries and an estimated 400,000 classrooms worldwide. Jolly serves on numerous national advisory boards, including the Mathematical Sciences Education Board of the National Academies of Science and the Committee on Opportunities in Science for the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

K-12 Summit • 13

Mini Workshops Part I

Putting the ECC Model to Use in Our Programs

Despite programmatic, instructional, and curriculum successes, fewer American students are going into the sciences, engineering, and quantitative disciplines in college and beyond. We are winning some battles but losing the war. The Engagement, Capacity, and Continuity Trilogy (ECC Trilogy) work explores why our successes are not translating into more progress, and more importantly, proposes what different stakeholders can do about it. What are the practical implications of ECC for our individual programs?

Senior Advisor for Evaluation, NSF Directorate for Education and Human Resources

Dr. Bernice Anderson

Dr. Bernice Taylor Anderson is the Senior Advisor for Evaluation in the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Education and Human Resources (NSF/EHR). Before taking on this position in June 2005, she was Acting Division Director for Human Resources Development and Acting Division Director for Educational System Reform. She is the co-author of Breaking the Barriers: Helping Women and Minorities Students Succeed in Mathematics and Science.

Jan Cuny

Program Director, NSF Broadening Participation in Computing

Jan Cuny is a Professor at the University of Oregon. Prior to moving to Oregon, she was on the faculties at Purdue University and the University of Massachusetts. Jan was a long-time member of the Computing Research Association’s Committee on the Status of Women (CRA-W), serving at various times as a co-chair, a mentor for their Distributed Mentoring Program and the lead on several CRA-W projects. Jan was Program Chair of the 2004 Grace Hopper Conference and General Chair of the 2006 conference.

14 • K-12 Summit

Mini Workshops Part I

K-12 Outreach Programs: Making Them Work

Learn the tips, tricks, and pitfalls of doing outreach in K-12 Informal IT education. This workshop will present successful corporate, university, and non-profit program models (Alice, DigiGirlz, IBM EX.I.T.E.) and discuss common pitfalls to working in K-12 outreach. Participants will discover the different learning needs of girls and what strategies work best to meet these needs.

Project Manager for Technology and Engineering Education, Girl Scouts of the USA

Ruthe Farmer

Ruthe Farmer is the Project Manager for Technology & Engineering Education for Girl Scouts of the USA. Prior to joining Girl Scouts, she worked in high tech marketing and communications in Oregon’s Silicon Forest. Ruthe serves on the Leadership Team of NCWIT, manages the work of the K-12 Informal Education Hub of NCWIT, and is the co-chair of the NCWIT K-12 Alliance. She is on the champion’s board of the National Girls Collaborative Project, a founding board member of the Learning Innovation & Technology Consortium, and is a member of the FIRST Robotics Girls FIRST Advisory Council.

Karen Benn Marshall

Professor, Montgomery College

Karen Benn Marshall is a fourth-year doctoral student in science education at Morgan State University. She is also a professor of biology and the chair of biological sciences at the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus of Montgomery College. Karen has previous experience as a research administrator, clinical research associate, and as a director of out-of-school science programs. Her primary research interests are in urban science education and science learning in out-of-school settings. She currently directs three out-ofschool camps at the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus of Montgomery College every summer.

Women in Technology, IBM

Lisa Gable

Lisa Gable is responsible for IBM’s global Women in Technology (WIT) program. Lisa joined IBM in 1987 and has enjoyed a varied career in different areas of the business, including manufacturing, software development, firmware, storage system development, product development, and management. She has served in numerous leadership positions within IBM associated with the advancement of women. She is an active member of SWE, WITI, WEPAN, and NCTM. K-12 Summit • 15

Mini Workshops Part I

Mylene Padolina

Senior Diversity Consultant, Microsoft

Mylene B. Padolina serves as a Sr. Diversity Consultant with Microsoft Corporation. She is responsible for the coordination of youth outreach programs, leadership of the company’s employee networks, and management of disability inclusion programs. Prior to Microsoft, Mylene worked in the wireless telecommunications industry with Ameritech (SBC) and AT&T Wireless Services. She fulfilled roles in staffing/recruitment, college relations, diversity, equal employment opportunity, affirmative action, and employee relations. Director of Corporate and Foundation Philanthropic Relations, Motorola Foundation

Eileen Sweeney

Eileen Sweeney is Director of Corporate and Foundation Philanthropic Relations, located in Schaumburg, Illinois. Eileen joined Motorola from Inkindex Corporation, an online company that gets resources to non-profit groups, where she was CEO. Before joining Inkindex, Eileen served as director of Civic Affairs for United Airlines where she was responsible for global corporate philanthropy, employee volunteerism, and employee giving.

Karen Peterson

Executive Director, Puget Sound Center for Teaching, Learning & Technology and Director, Diversity in Technology Group

Karen A. Peterson, M.Ed. is the Executive Director for the Puget Sound Center for Teaching, Learning & Technology, Director of the Diversity in Technology Group, and an Evaluator with the Evaluation & Research Associates. She has managed two U.S. Department of Education grants designed to provide professional development opportunities to Puget Sound area teachers, and serves as Principal Investigator on the NSF grant “The National Girls Collaborative Project.” For over 20 years, Karen has been active in education as a classroom teacher, university instructor, pre-service and in-service teacher educator, program administrator, and researcher.

16 • K-12 Summit

Mini Workshops Part I

K-12 Educational Policy

The U.S. Congress believes strongly that improving STEM education programs will bolster domestic competitiveness. However, when one considers computing education -- as part of science or technology -- it does not seem to receive the same kind of attention as science or mathematics education. This workshop will discuss the policy challenges facing K-12 computing education at both the state and federal levels, and inform people about the importance and urgency of making change through policy. What programs have worked well in addressing these challenges? How can we, the computing community, play a role in shaping STEM educational policy?

Cameron Wilson

Policy Director, Association for Computing Machinery

Cameron Wilson is Policy Director for the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the world’s first educational and scientific computing society with nearly 80,000 members worldwide. Currently he is focused on following several IT policy issues for ACM including intellectual property, privacy, and security and reliability of computer systems. He just joined ACM after spending 10 years on Capitol Hill. During his career he served two different Members of Congress, Representative Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) and Representative Nick Smith (R-MI), and he served as professional staff on the House Science Committee.

Director of Instructional Technology and Library Media, BVSD

Len Scrogan

A former teacher and principal, Len Scrogan was named by Electronic Learning magazine as one of nine leading educational technology consultants in the country. Len is a nationally recognized author, software designer, researcher, conference keynote speaker, and consultant. He has authored four books and 19 commercial software programs. Len currently serves as the Director of Instructional Technology and Library Media for the Boulder Valley Schools in Boulder, Co.

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Mini Workshops Part I

Barb Ericson

Georgia Tech

Barbara Ericson is the Director for Computer Science Outreach for the College of Computing at the Georgia Institute for Technology. Her goals are to increase the number and quality of computer science teachers at the high school level in Georgia and the number and diversity of the computer science students. She has a B.S. and M.S. in computer science and has worked at General Motors Research Labs, Bell Communications Research, the Institute for Paper Science and Technology, and NCR. Executive Director, Computer Science Teachers Association

Chris Stephenson

Chris is the Executive Director of the Computer Science Teachers Association, ACM. Chris is currently in the Teaching Leadership Doctoral Program in Oregon State University’s College of Education. She worked as a Research Associate for the University of Toronto’s Computer System’s Research Institute for 13 years, and for the University of Waterloo for 3 years. She also served as the President of Holt Software, and has been involved in various roles in professional organizations for educators her entire professional life.

Leslie Conery

Deputy CEO, International Society for Technology in Education

Leslie has been an elementary school teacher, a high school computing teacher, and a school district administrator with the title of Professional Development Specialist. In 1995 Leslie came to ISTE to start a professional development program and later to serve as the Deputy CEO. Through her role as Deputy CEO and as permanent Conference Chair of the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC), she works with people at all levels and all perspectives within the education enterprise. Vice Provost for Academic and Campus Technology, University of Colorado at Boulder and NCWIT Co-founder

Dr. Robert Schnabel

Dr. Robert Schnabel is Vice Provost for Academic and Campus Technology at the University of Colorado at Boulder and founding director of the ATLAS Institute. A faculty member in the Department of Computer Science at CU since 1977, he has been active in diversity-related activities, including being a co-founder and executive team member of NCWIT, and a PI of an NSF broadening participation in computing alliance between research universities and historically black universities. 18 • K-12 Summit

Mini Workshops Part II

Assessing K-12 Outreach Activities

Want to know how to make the most of your relationships with K-12? Participants in this hands-on workshop will learn how to measure whether their outreach activities reached their goals and how to identify which parts of the activity need improvement. With the guidance of experienced program evaluators, participants will practice both clearly articulating goals for their outreach activities and specifying means for achieving the goals. Workshop leaders will provide decision-making materials and examples of evaluation tools. Participants will customize these tools for an assessment plan to fit a K-12 outreach activity. This workshop and related materials will contribute to creating an NCWIT Assessment-in-a-Box.

Dr. Rose Marra

Associate Professor, University of Missouri

Dr. Rose M. Marra is an Associate Professor in the School of Information Science and Learning Technologies at the University of Missouri. She is PI of the NSF-funded Assessing Women and Men in Engineering (AWE) and Assessing Women In Student Environments (AWISE) projects. She was recently awarded the Betty Vetter Research award for her work in research on women in engineering. Her research interests include gender equity issues, the epistemological development of college students, and promoting meaningful learning in web-based environments.

Sociologist, University of Virginia and Senior Research Scientist, NCWIT

Dr. Joanne Cohoon

Joanne McGrath Cohoon is a sociologist who researches, publishes, and speaks on women’s under-representation in IT and gender segregation in higher education. Joanne is an NCWIT Senior Research Scientist. In 2003, she joined the department of Science, Technology, and Society at the University of Virginia. She teaches Gender, Technology, and Education, and supervises both graduate and undergraduate student research. Joanne has conducted nationwide studies of departmental factors that influence recruitment and retention at the undergraduate and graduate levels of computer science.

K-12 Summit • 19

Mini Workshops Part II

Dr. Lecia Barker

Senior Research Scientist, NCWIT and Evaluation and Research Leader, ATLAS Institute

Lecia Barker leads the Evaluation and Research group of the ATLAS Institute at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is an NCWIT Senior Research Scientist. Lecia currently conducts research into under-representation in IT at both the K-12 and undergraduate levels. Working with the Denver Public Schools Computer Magnet Program, Lecia is studying methods and messages that can lead to greater recruitment of girls into computing.

Senior Advisor for Evaluation, NSF Directorate for Education and Human Resources

Dr. Bernice Anderson

Dr. Bernice Taylor Anderson is the Senior Advisor for Evaluation in the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Education and Human Resources (NSF/EHR). Before taking on this position in June 2005, she was Acting Division Director for Human Resources Development and Acting Division Director for Educational System Reform. She is the co-author of Breaking the Barriers: Helping Women and Minorities Students Succeed in Mathematics and Science.

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Mini Workshops Part II

Why Do Students Lack Interest in Computing? A National Phenomenon

Computing is one of the fastest-growing occupations, according the Bureau of Labor Statistics, yet a there has been a 70 percent drop in interest in computer science degrees between 2000 and 2005. A serious workforce shortage is forcing American companies to look overseas for talent. With the pervasiveness of technology in our daily lives, it’s amazing that our teens are showing a serious lack of interest in computing degrees and careers. Come hear from the experts on recent research, public relations efforts, and creative approaches to making computing more appealing for students. You won’t want to miss this interactive and thought-provoking session.

Jill Ross

Director, Image of Computing National Task Force

Jill Ross is the Director for the National Image of Computing Task Force, housed at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Prior to this role, Jill spent 10 years at Lucent Technologies / Avaya, Inc. She joined Bell Labs in 1997 as a Partnership Architect, and later became Director of Technical Marketing. Most recently, she served as Director of Executive Relationships supporting the CEO and his executive staff. Jill is a seasoned public speaker and has appeared on CNN discussing industry trends. She is an Avaya patentholder who consults with some of the industry’s top visionaries and brightest technologists.

Director of Public Policy, Business Roundtable

Susan Traiman

Susan Traiman is Director of Public Policy at Business Roundtable where she oversees the Roundtable’s work with chief executive officers of leading corporations interested in improving education performance and workforce competitiveness in the U.S. Prior to joining Business Roundtable, Susan was Education Policies Studies Director at the National Governors Association where she worked with governors on the first National Education Summit and the development of National Education Goals. She also was a senior associate with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Research and Improvement where she served on the staff of the National Commission on Excellence in Education and contributed to its landmark 1983 report, A Nation at Risk.

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Mini Workshops Part II

Dr. Mark Guzdial

Professor, Georgia Tech

Dr. Mark Guzdial has been at Georgia Tech’s College of Computing for 14 years. He serves as the Director of Undergraduate Programs in the College. His focal areas are on computer-supported collaborative learning and computing education research. His lab produced the CoWeb (or Swiki) software - an education-oriented version of Ward Cunningham’s “WikiWikiWeb.” In 2001, Mark was selected as recipient of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents’ Award for Research in Undergraduate Education. He has written three textbooks for teaching in a multimedia context, and is currently working on a multimedia-focused data structures class and textbook. Mark is one of the Program Chairs for the 3rd ACM-sponsored International Computing Education Research workshop to be held this September at Georgia Tech.

President, North Castle Communications

Clif McFeely

Clif is President of North Castle Communications, a consumer advertising agency based in Stamford, CT. He serves on the board of directors for Domus, a Stamford-based not-for-profit serving at-risk youth in the areas of education, housing, and life skills. He was active in the creation of the “Sunday Mentor” group for Domus and, as a long-time “Big Brother” and mentor, takes an active interest in the critical educational issues affecting the lives of young people and the future workforce.

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Mini Workshops Part II

The AP CS Test: Getting Our House in Order

This session will consider how the CS AP exam affects women’s participation in computing, and how this test could be redesigned to promote broader participation. We will discuss access to and content of AP CS courses; foundational content that should be contained in an introductory college course (and therefore, must be covered by an AP course); and plan recommendations to the College Board for revising the exam. One likely outcome of this workshop will be some type of policy statement to be included at other gatherings of computing and IT professionals later in the year, such as the Microsoft Faculty Summit.

Dr. Robert Schnabel

Vice Provost for Academic and Campus Technology, University of Colorado at Boulder and NCWIT Co-founder

Dr. Robert Schnabel is Vice Provost for Academic and Campus Technology at the University of Colorado at Boulder and founding director of the ATLAS Institute. A faculty member in the Department of Computer Science at CU since 1977, he has been active in diversity-related activities, including being a co-founder and executive team member of NCWIT, and a PI of an NSF broadening participation in computing alliance between research universities and historically black universities.

Assistant Professor, University of Oregon

Dr. Joanna Goode

Dr. Joanna Goode is an assistant professor of Teaching and Learning at the University of Oregon’s Teacher Education Department. She received her Ph.D. in education, specializing in urban schooling from UCLA and completed Postdoctoral work at UCLA’s Institute for Democracy, Education, & Access and Diversity in Mathematics Education Center. She spent five years teaching mathematics and computer science in a highly diverse urban high school, and currently directs teacher and student outreach programs for the Computer Science Equity Alliance, a university-district alliance to support computer science education in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

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Mini Workshops Part II

JoAnne Benedict

Fairview High School, BVSD

JoAnne Benedict has been teaching in the Boulder Valley School District since 1982, where she has taught a wide variety of classes, including Computer Science, Computer Applications, Applied Technology, Keyboarding, Computer Maintenance, and Networking. Prior to her work as a high school and middle school teacher, JoAnne worked at International Business Machines in Boulder, Colorado as a Senior Associate Programmer. JoAnne is a professional member of The National Writers Club, and a high school advisor for the Future Business Leaders of America.

The College Board AP CS Development Committee and The Bishop Strachan School

Ann Shen

Ann Shen is a member of the Senior School Faculty at the Bishop Strachan School in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She teaches business and computer science and is Director of Community Service. Ann is a current member of the AP Computer Science Exam Development Committee and has participated in the grading of the AP Computer Science Exams.

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Keynote

Sum mi n g I t All Up:

A Call To Ac tion

Vice-Chairman, Colorado Board of Education and Founder, The Jared Polis Foundation

Jared Polis

Jared Polis caught the attention of the e-business world by cofounding bluemountainarts.com, an online greeting card website. In 1998, he launched a web company to sell flowers direct from growers to consumers (ProFlowers.com) that has expanded to become Provide Commerce, Inc. (PRVD), one of the fastest-growing and most successful online start-ups. Jared was named an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2000, and one of the top ten young entrepreneurs by Success Magazine. In 2001, he founded Sonora Entertainment Group, which has developed a chain of movie theaters that screen first-run Hollywood films dubbed or subtitled in Spanish. In 2000, Jared won statewide election to the Colorado Board of Education. During his six-year tenure, he was a strong advocate for school reform and enhancing educational opportunities. The Jared Polis Foundation was founded in 2000 to improve and expand access to education. Its annual Teacher Recognition Awards celebrate the enormous commitment and importance of teachers and hundreds of teachers and their schools have received micro-grants. The Community Computer Connection program refurbishes and donates more than 3,500 computers a year to schools and non-profit organizations that serve disadvantaged students. Jared also founded two innovative charter schools that meet the needs of underserved students. Jared was named Outstanding Philanthropist for the 2006 National Philanthropy Day in Colorado. He is a recipient of many awards, including the Boulder Daily Camera’s 2007 Pacesetter Award in Education; the Kauffman Foundation Community Award; the Martin Luther King, Jr. Colorado Humanitarian Award; and the Anti-Defamation League’s inaugural Boulder Community Builder Award.

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Inaugural Award Presentation

Award for Aspirations in Computing

The purpose of the “NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing” is to acknowledge the computing aspirations of young women at the high school level, and to raise the visibility of the work of these young women in the computing community. The seven award winners were nominated by teachers and administrators of Boulder/Denver area high schools, and have demonstrated outstanding aptitude and interest in IT/computing, leadership ability, good academic history, and have plans for post-secondary education. Each winner will be presented with $500 to recognize her aspirations in computing. Congratulations, award winners!

2007 Award Winners Pres e nte d by Jare d Poli s

Daniela Canizalez

Senior, North High School, Denver Public Schools

Junior, Thomas Jefferson High School, Denver Public Schools

Alia Gant

Christina Danek

Senior, Thomas Jefferson High School, Denver Public Schools

“It surprises me how few girls there are in the magnet [program] because there’s just as much stuff for us to do here …” -Christina Danek on her participation in The Computer Magnet, a comprehensive integrated technology training program offered at Thomas Jefferson High School and North High School.

Inaugural Award Presentation

“I’m a ninth grader and I won. It was amazing to think … I won this award - what else can I do?” -Colette Lyons, Denver School of Science and Technology

Junior, Denver School of Science and Technology, Denver Public Schools

Colette Lyons

Freshman, Denver School of Science and Technology, Denver Public Schools

Senior, Monarch High School, Boulder Valley Schools District

Britta Ulm

Kamaria Hakeem

Kim Nguyen

Junior, Denver School of Science and Technology, Denver Public Schools

Special thanks to Stephanie Hamilton and Aperture Art Productions, Inc. for their involvement in this award.

NCWIT Reception

NCWIT Reception

Reception Remarks Colorado Lieutenant Governer

Dr. Barbara O’Brien

Lt. Governer Dr. Barbara O’Brien has spent the last 15 years dedicated to improving the lives of Colorado’s children. As President of the Colorado Children’s Campaign since 1990, she has provided the vision for the state’s premier child-advocacy nonprofit agency and improved the lives of more than 1 million Colorado children. Barbara is widely respected both statewide and nationally for her effective work on children’s issues. In addition to her leadership at the Colorado Children’s Campaign, Barbara has served on the Mayor’s Leadership Team on Early Education, the Governor’s Commission on Children and Families, the National Kids County Steering Committee, and the Tony Grampsas Youth Services Fund. She also founded and co-chaired the Kids Caucus, a bi-partisan group of state legislators committed to supporting policies that benefit children. Previously, Barbara was the executive director of the Institute for International Business and the Director of Campus Affairs at CUDenver; she served in the office of the Governer (Gov. Richard Lamm) as head speechwriter and Deputy Director for Policy; and as a project assistant at the Institute for Urban and Minority Education at Columbia University, where she received her Ph.D.

Dr. G.P. “Bud” Peterson

Chancellor, University of Colorado at Boulder

G.P. “Bud” Peterson was appointed Chancellor of the University of Colorado at Boulder beginning July 15, 2006. Prior to assuming this role, he served six years as provost at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. As Chancellor, Dr. Peterson is the chief academic and administrative officer of the CU-Boulder campus. Throughout his career, he has played an active role in establishing the national education and research agendas, serving on numerous industry, government and academic task forces and committees. Dr. Peterson served as a Visiting Research Scientist at the NASA Johnson Space Center and conducted research and taught courses in thermodynamics and heat transfer at Texas A&M. He was later named the Halliburton Professor of Mechanical Engineering and the College of Engineering’s Tenneco Professor. While at Texas A&M, he held leadership positions as Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department, Executive Associate Dean of the College of Engineering, and Associate Vice Chancellor for the Texas A&M University System. In 1993-94 he served as Program Director for the Thermal Transport and Thermal Processing Division of the National Science Foundation. A Fellow of both the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Dr. Peterson is the author or co-author of 12 books or book chapters, 160 refereed journal articles, more than 150 conference publications, and holds eight patents.

Promising Practices

There are many “good ideas” in the national community, especially among NCWIT Alliance members, for programs and resources that hold promise but have not been evaluated or tried within other organizations. NCWIT is gathering, evaluating, and distributing these practices as quickly as we can. This Summit on K-12 IT Education marks our release of five new NCWIT practices, which you’ll find on the following pages. These new practices target leaders and teachers at K-12, Undergraduate, and Career levels. NCWIT was founded on the idea that we must research, codify and implement practices focused on increasing the number of girls and women choosing IT educations and careers. We are dedicated to institutional reform based on these practices, and committed to building a sustainable culture of progress and evidence. Collaborative Learning Environments and Pair Programming

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LEARNING IS A SOCIAL ACCOMPLISHMENT. Physiology is important, but learning occurs within social environments, and it is mediated by the communication norms of those environments. As NCWIT Social Science Network member Margaret Eisenhart and colleague Elizabeth Finkel write, learning develops when one “changes from novice to expert, newcomer to old-timer, or naïve to Rmature O practitioners in a social practice such as the activities of a science curriculum or an engineering workplace” (p. 8).

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Decreased confidence among women is a frequently recurring theme in STEM and IT research. Women are more likely than men to lose confidence in their ability to complete the tasks required for earning acceptable grades, even when their performance is equal to males’. This loss of confidence can result from the suggestion that women do not fit the image of “scientist” or “engineer.” We know that students and professors maintain mental models of the types of people who belong and what they can or should contribute. For example, two studies in engineering showed that despite entering their engineering majors with stronger academic preparation than their male peers, women were often considered less capable academically or even described as “not the real engineering type.” Not surprisingly, women in these studies eventually came to view themselves in the same way, resulting in either dropping out or practicing on the margins in their project groups. With repeated and often subtle messages that one is not like the other students – not as smart, not interested in the same activities, not a “real” computing major – it becomes difficult to imagine oneself developing the identity of computer scientist. Classroom opportunities for holding intellectual conversations can help to alleviate the loss of confidence among women, while allowing them to develop support groups and networks of intellectual support. Hearing other students talk about what they are learning gives women better information for making judgments about whether they in fact do belong there. And other students hearing women’s intellectual talk forces them to recognize that women are competent contributors to the intellectual enterprise.

Both the physical and the social aspects of a learning environment influence student participation and satisfaction, as well as learning itself. For example, when students’ seats are bolted to the floor facing a lectern, student collaboration can be inhibited.

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An important aspect of a classroom learning environment is the communication climate. When instruction is mainly lecture-based with few or no opportunities for interaction, students have little expectation that they will, can, or should learn from each other. Under these circumstances students may resist different teaching methods such as student-led discussion or small group work. Studies show, however, that with effective teaching, small group discussion enables students to effectively internalize and apply interpretive procedures. Hearing other students talk about the concepts being taught has many benefits. Especially important in this process are the supportive relationships and the network of learning partners students can develop. So despite the years of socialization and expectations that students (and instructors) bring with them, new routines can quickly develop into new norms.

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National Center for Women & Information Technology

PROMISING PRACTICES Exposing Gender Stereotypes An Invisible Barrier to Women’s Advancement

Gender stereotypes also create different standards for evaluating women compared to their men colleagues. For example, when Catalyst asked senior-level executives in the United States and Europe to independently rate the effectiveness of women and men leaders on ten key leadership behaviors, both men and women respondents cast women as better at stereotypically feminine “caretaking skills” such as supporting and rewarding. And, both men and women asserted that men excel at more conventionally masculine “taking charge” skills such as influencing superiors and delegating responsibility. These perceptions inhibit women’s advancement because ‘taking charge’ skills and stereotypically ‘masculine’ behaviors often are seen as prerequisites for top-level positions. Gender stereotypes held by men are especially problematic in occupations where women are outnumbered and men’s views predominate. U.S. men believe that men are most superior to women in their problem-solving skills. Because leaders who command respect for their problem-solving expertise can use this respect to influence their followers, this stereotype means that women have to work even harder to get their followers to buy into their plans/instructions.

Recommendations Learning about how stereotypes operate can increase awareness of our biases. Awareness can also help limit automatic thinking and stereotyping when evaluating others. Another way to intercept stereotypes is to hold individuals accountable for bias. External pressure to be fair and deliberate can motivate individuals to become more aware of their thinking patterns. Organizations can use this knowledge in a number of ways.

Managerial training and diversity education.

Educating managers and employees about the origin and consequences of gender stereotypes is an important first step. A comprehensive training program should include information about o Ways to recognize bias o Inconsistencies between values (e.g., gender egalitarianism) and actual behavior o Causes and effects of gender inequality in the workplace

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A long tradition of research shows that well-managed collaborative learning environments lead to improved student outcomes, including:

improved critical thinking

increased retention, especially for women advancing from the introductory appreciation to second course of diversity

development of social and professional skills

In computer science, collaborative learning environments can improve retention and student learning. Pair programming is shown to improve retention of both female and male undergraduates. Students who pair in their introductory programming classes gain more confidence in programming than do their non-paired peers, are more likely to complete and pass the class, and are more likely to persist in IT majors. Aside from project-based courses, there are many other educational interventions based in collaborative learning, such as peer teaching and the non-lecture based “conversational classroom.” Collaborative learning environments have to be carefully planned and managed by instructors. For example, research shows that when there is too large a gap in collaborators’ experience or knowledge, the benefits of collaborative learning disappear. Tasks must also be “shareable” for true collaboration to occur.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Eisenhart, M. & Finkel, E. (1998). Women’s science: Learning and succeeding from the margins. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Hiemstra, R. (1991) Aspects of effective learning environments. In R. Hiemstra (Ed.), Creative environments for effective adult learning (pp. 5-12). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Stereotypes affect the experiences of women leaders and of women who aspire to leadership positions. Because our culture equates stereotypically “masculine” behaviors and traits with effective leadership, men are viewed as “natural” leaders, and women have to constantly prove that they can lead. These perceptions are even more salient when women try to advance in traditionally male-dominated fields, such as IT and engineering.

to work together on learning activities. Collaborative learning environments can involve both formal and informal activities and may or may not include direct assessment. For example, pairs of students work on programming assignments; small groups of students discuss possible answers to a professor’s question during lecture; and students work together outside of class to learn new concepts. Collaborative learning is distinct from projects where students “divide and conquer.” When students divide the work, each is responsible for only part of the problem solving and there are very limited opportunities for working through problems with others. In collaborative environments, students are engaged in intellectual talk with each other.

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What are Stereotypes? Stereotypes can be defined as “cognitive shortcuts” or generalizations that we use to make sense of our complex social world. These shortcuts help us differentiate among different groups of people and, in the case of gender stereotypes, between women and men. Gender stereotypes are widely shared within our culture. This can be problematic as they tend to over-simplify reality, especially when it comes to complex social behaviors. Gender stereotypes emphasize “essential differences,” but the empirical literature tells us otherwise. Through the extensive research on gender differences and similarities, we learn that women and men are actually more similar than different and that there is more variation among women and men than there is between women and men. By creating false perceptions that women and men are “planets apart”, however, stereotyping results in women being overlooked for the top jobs – no matter how strong their actual credentials.

making course content relevant to nonCS majors

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A collaborative learning environment occurs anytime an instructor requires students

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Most capstone courses in computing education include project learning. However, student collaboration should be introduced early, often, and in both graded and un-graded situations to give undergraduates greater experience and to avoid early socialization that computing is a career in which people work alone. Pair programming (see reverse) has been shown to be effective for realizing increased retention, application to the major, and learning outcomes, and is a frequently practiced method in the workforce. While implementing collaborative environments is complex, the benefits to students, faculty, and industry appear to be worth the cost.

IS COLLABORATION CHEATING? In an educational system that rewards individual work, student collaboration is often considered cheating. Computing syllabi around the world have statements like, “we encourage collaborative learning,” but “students must turn in individual work.” When students work together to design solutions to homework problems, however, their individual work may strongly resemble that of their collaborators. So how do you know whether a student learned or cheated? The answer requires careful thought about the behaviors that count as academic dishonesty. In the working world, individuals rarely complete assignments in isolation. The challenge for faculty is to find ways to assess individual outcomes, while leveraging the benefits of collaboration. Experts recommend revisiting course design and assessment and explicitly and concretely discussing the behaviors that will be interpreted as cheating, and they encourage faculty to make assignments meaningful to students and to explain the value of what students will learn by completing them. Most university campuses have resource centers that will work with faculty to integrate collaborative learning in ways that deter academic dishonesty.

Performance and evaluation management.

SEED’s participants must all be in Engineering and be regular Sun Microsystems employees. Applicants with superior annual performance ratings are preferred, and manager support is required for participation in SEED. In addition to these four general selection criteria, the SEED program requires that mentor applicants hold a senior position and have been with Sun for more than two years. Protégé applicants are accepted based on their potential value to Sun, taking Make into account both technical excellence and leadership ability.

sure the program has strong executive sponsorship. Publicly honor and

In the last five years, 385 protégés and more than 230 mentors participated. applaud both the protégés and mentors. Women and non-US staff take advantage of the SEED program at a consistently higher rate than their representation in Sun Engineering overall. About 25% of all SEED participants are women. This percentage far exceeds the percentage of new hire or existing women engineers. SEED’s effectiveness has been measured through program satisfaction ratings and by comparing participants with non-participants. Although participants are pre-selected for likely success at Sun, annual reviews of participants’ cumulative progress since 2001 showed the following patterns of career achievement among participants: B About four times the number of SEED participants than the company average were promoted. This trend continues even in the year after participation. B Participants earn about double the number of Sun’s highest performance rating (Superior) compared with the company average. B All participants and their managers provide a quarterly summary of their participation, level of satisfaction, suggestions, and professional development activities. SEED’s reported satisfaction levels consistently run about 90%.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS The SEED process works best where junior and senior staff can interact in an “open door” environment.

SEED depends on a partnership between Engineering and Human Resources. The program would not function if this communication and trust were missing.

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Secure strong executive sponsorship for the program.

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Document rules and processes; participant selection must be fair and be seen to be fair. Set forth the scope and expectations clearly and then meet them.

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If the program wants to have very senior or executive mentors, it has to be designed and run with a focus on their convenience and learning. They need to trust the program or they will not participate.

PROMISING PRACTICES Intentional Role Modeling

Have a quick “no fault divorce” option if the mentor and protégé pair is not getting along. Publicly honor and applaud both the protégés and mentors. They are sharing their time, experience, and wisdom and deserve both respect and thanks.

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Role models can overcome the negative effects of stereotypes by increasing self-ratings and by inspiring and motivating achievement. They may even shape opinions. For example, one study showed that videotaped role models improved girls’ attitudes toward computer science. These positive effects are the reason speaker programs invite successful women and members of other underrepresented groups, and why textbooks and websites highlight the achievements of diverse professionals. But effective role modeling may require more than simply parading a successful person before an audience. Inciting observers to compare themselves with and adopt a role model as a “possible self ” requires communicating the role model’s relevance to the observer’s life and goals and the attainability of her successes for the observer. Intentional role models consciously convey this information to observers.

How to intentionally role model Observers are most likely to compare themselves with someone they perceive as similar both demographically and in ability-related performance, so intentional role models communicate information about their own background, experiences, and concerns. Intentional role modeling involves the following: I I I I

Explaining what makes your role relevant to your audience. Describing your personal history and highlighting the elements that your observers are likely to share. Speaking about your strengths and weaknesses and how they relate to your expertise and experiences. Helping observers see how they could attain the position you are modeling, and describing barriers you encountered and how you overcame them. (A role is perceived as attainable only if the observer believes they have control over their future performance and could realistically reach their goal.)

Research cautions that role modeling’s positive effects are not

always obtained. For example, having more women faculty does not reliably increase enrollment of women students in an academic program. A large study showed that women graduate students did not want to become like women faculty members whose lifestyle included a poor work-life balance. Another undesirable outcome – reduced self-confidence – can result from presenting role models whose success seems unattainable to the observer.

Le ci a J. B ar k er a nd J. McG r a t h C oh oo n, aut ho r s w w w. nc w i t . org • N a t i on al C en t e r f or Women & I nf o r mat i on Tec h nol o gy • c o pyr i gh t 2 006

PROMISING PRACTICES

Professional recruiters know that being strategic about recruiting requires consideration of several elements, including making decisions that are aligned with your staffing or enrollment goals. A clearly defined recruitment strategy sets up a framework for focusing your efforts and planning beyond individual events or campaigns. The strategy defines what activities to concentrate on and what activities are unimportant.

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Organizational and work group climates vary widely. Some climates are largely challenging for women; others are more congenial. Recognizing that most climates fall somewhere in between these extremes, a good jumping-off place is to consider the endpoints.

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The least congenial climate for women’s leadership development is characterized by rigid hierarchy and vertical communication through the chain-of-command, by emphasis on leaders’ power and resources, and by singular attention to task performance. The leadership style that is most effective in these contexts - Contingent Reward - concentrates on rewarding subordinates’ satisfactory job performance. This context also can foster a management style that focuses on correcting mistakes and failures, although this approach is ineffective. In power-oriented Contingent Reward climates, women leaders can be seduced into adopting leadership strategies associated with power, dominance, and masculinity such as assertiveness, being autocratic and directive, and promoting one’s self. Each of these strategies can establish men’s leadership and power. For women, however, they often bring unintended negative consequences because they violate others’ expectations or stereotyping for women, and they can bias performance appraisals (see the case of Ann Hopkins). Teaching women in a Contingent Reward climate to behave in this way is likely to fail for both the individual woman and for the organization. Without addressing climate itself, these less congenial organizations still can work to develop women leaders. Leadership effectiveness in these settings is dependent on status, some of which comes automatically from being male, but also from have having the resources to reward subordinates. To level the playing field for women leaders, women need to have rewards to distribute and to be regarded by their subordinates as legitimate. Organizations can facilitate both of these outcomes by empowering women leaders with resources and by publicly recognizing their qualifications and skills. At the more congenial extreme are climates that develop in flatter, horizontal structures with open lines of communication; emphasize empowerment over power; and value outcomes beyond task performance such as followers’ satisfaction with the job and leader, followers’ motivation and professional development, leaders’ effectiveness as judged by followers and superiors, and leader, group, and overall organizational performance. In these contexts, the kinds of

“The role an organization can play to develop this favorable synergy between leaders and climate is to work on climate, that is, to foster a climate that values change and innovation, that rewards performance as well as social cooperation and social complexity, and that encourages the sharing of power and information.”

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leadership styles and behaviors shown to be effective include being an inspirational role model by building on followers’ trust and confidence, stressing team building and collaboration, valuing creativity and innovation, and serving as a mentor who actively seeks to empower followers. Sometimes the kinds of leadership styles and behaviors shown effective in these climates are referred to as “women’s ways of leading,” suggesting that these strategies are specific to women. Indeed, these approaches are compatible with stereotyping of women, avoiding the role conflicts inherent in more masculine views of leadership as power. However, men exercise this transformational form of leadership as effectively as women. The role an organization can play to develop this favorable synergy between leaders and climate is to work on climate, that is, to foster a climate that values change and innovation, that rewards performance as well as social cooperation and social complexity, and that encourages the sharing of power and information. Revisiting performance appraisals with these goals in mind takes a positive step toward changing, or capitalizing on existing, climate. Across all climates, paying attention to the proportions of women in upper and lower echelons of the organization can serve as a marker of the organization’s success in promoting women’s leadership. In addition, having women as both superiors and subordinates can have a positive impact on women’s performance appraisals. Finally, by assessing the climate of one’s organization, organizational leaders can identify the types of leadership style and behaviors documented to be most effective in that climate and train potential leaders to be cognizant of and responsive to those parameters.

J a n i c e Yoder, aut ho r www.ncwit.or g • National Center for Wo m e n & I n f o r m a t i o n Te c h n o l o g y • c o p y r i g h t 2 0 0 6

The program has three aspects: 1. An interactive, game-like tool, “Navigating Your Career,” (developed by Advance Director, Dr. Carol Colatrella; http://www.adept.gatech. edu/). Individual faculty members use the tool for academic career guidance. 2. Mentoring and career coaching. Faculty members apply and are paired with mentors in their own department. Mentors help new faculty members acclimate. They assist with and advise on decisions about teaching, research, and service roles, and about developing successful networks within the faculty. Faculty members may also participate in voluntary, periodic career coaching with a mentor outside their college. For the coaching sessions, faculty members select from a group of “coaches” who are available for that session. 3. Cross-college workshops on topics including “Interdisciplinary Grants,” “What Makes a Proposal Fundable,” “Family-Work Practices,” and “Career Planning for Faculty.”

Everyone knows how to encourage others. It involves expressing positive, supportive, motivational sentiments. Tips provided online from WriteExpress for writing “encouragement letters” recommend the following: Focus on what has been or could be accomplished, and keep your tone positive Express genuine appreciation Avoid strong language that could be discouraging Offer your help Written encouragement is particularly needed after a disappointment or setback. It is particularly motivational after successful completion of a task.

Additional features of effective encouragement that are relevant to encouragement in the form of praise include: Focus on the elements of performance over which the performer has control, rather than element over which he or she has no control.

ENCOURAGING WORDS COUNTER LOW CONFIDENCE Encouragement increases self-efficacy (belief in one’s ability to successfully perform a task). Because we are more likely to engage in tasks that we believe we can perform successfully, encouragement may be especially useful in male-stereotyped fields such as computing, which is marked by men’s over-confidence and women’s underconfidence. In this context, words of encouragement from supervisors and instructors increase women’s entry and persistence by raising their self-efficacy. Encouraging persistence is a simple practice that requires no additional resources. It is typically an element of mentoring, but there is no reason to restrict encouragement to the context of a mentoring relationship. Opportunities for offering encouragement abound during the normal course of daily interaction. It requires only a commitment to cultivating outstanding performance through positive communication. Encouragement is essential to retention when women express doubts about whether they belong in computing. At this point, the instructor/supervisor response can make the difference between women’s persistence and departure. An understanding and accepting response facilitates departure, whereas a sincere encouraging response that expresses confidence in the student/ employee’s ability to succeed and recommends her persistence facilitates retention.

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Tenured and tenure-track faculty are the primary population for this program. All faculty members are eligible to participate in all aspects of the program, with the exception of the career coaching. Only women faculty members are eligible for career coaching sessions.

EVIDENCE OF EFFECTIVENESS The program has not been assessed yet, although evaluation is fully integrated. The chief criterion of success is “faculty advancement”—an increase in the number of female faculty members who reach senior rank and administrative positions, if desired, at Georgia Tech. An external evaluator will assess the overall Georgia Tech ADVANCE program using a set of indicators for participation and advancement of faculty. Data for specific assessment of user experience with the “Navigating Your Career” web-based instrument is conducted via a short questionnaire built into this mentoring tool. More general assessment data will be collected via a survey of all Georgia Tech faculty members. This survey includes questions for measuring level of awareness of, and participation in, ADVANCE activities and initiatives. Continuing outcome assessments will compare the participation and advancement of faculty who did and faculty who did not participate in the mentoring (and other) ADVANCE programs.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS One of the challenges of providing mentoring opportunities is that this research university is “decentralized” into departments (as are other peer institutions.) Reaching faculty and chairs at the departmental-level involves working through levels of the Colleges and the Schools (departments) within them. Owing to this decentralization, the “impacts” of mentoring programs will vary by department. Implementing the Georgia Tech Mentoring Program for Faculty Advancement requires commitment by diverse groups and by institutional leaders. For faculty to use the interactive tool, they need information

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“For faculty to participate in the one-on-one mentoring, their unit chairs/ heads must commit to creating and managing the mentoring.”

through department chairs and deans, as well as faculty peers. For faculty to participate in the one-on-one mentoring, their unit chairs/heads must commit to creating and managing the mentoring. In addition, chairs/heads need to signal how important the mentoring is for faculty development. The cross-college mentoring requires that university administration be involved to plan, facilitate, and support the workshops. Although cross-college workshops could be run by faculty representatives from individual units, our experience has shown that support of such efforts at the upper-level institute administration signals the importance of mentoring for the university’s goals of advancing faculty.

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IN THE FACE OF SO MUCH COMPETITION, TARGETED RECRUITMENT IS ESSENTIAL.

ROLE MODELING v. Mentoring Role models are people who exemplify to an observer the values, attitudes, and behaviors that are associated with a position. By describing the values, knowledge, expertise, strategies, and experiences that got them to their position, role models make it possible for observers to imagine themselves in a similar role. Role modeling is not the same as mentoring, although it is typically an element of mentoring (intentional or not). This connection often leads to confusing role modeling with mentoring. But role modeling is less interactive than mentoring, which involves interpersonal communication and is usually in the context of an ongoing relationship. In contrast, role modeling involves only demonstrating that a particular status is possible to achieve and how it can be achieved. Women’s role models may be more effective if they are the same sex (although cross-sex mentoring can be effective). Observers can be more or less open to being influenced, so role modeling is not always effective. Effectiveness can be maximized by intentionally demonstrating how relevant and attainable a role is, and by employing appropriate types of motivation. But overdoing it can have a negative effect. Role models motivate in a positive or negative fashion by exemplifying someone an observer will want to emulate (or not). The type of motivation that is most effective depends on the characteristics of the observer.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Lecia Barker and William Aspray, “The State of Research on Pre-College Experiences of Girls with Information Technology.” In McGrath Cohoon, J. and W. Aspray (Eds.) Women and Information Technology: Research on the Reasons for Under-Representation. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2006. Joanne McGrath Cohoon and William Aspray, “A Critical Review of the Research on Women’s Participation in Postsecondary Computing Education.” In McGrath Cohoon, J. and W. Aspray (Eds.) Women and Information Technology: Research on the Reasons for Under-Representation. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2006.

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Research shows that students with programming experience are more confident and more successful in introductory courses than are their inexperienced peers. Students with lower grades or less confidence are less likely to persist in an IT major. What is more, when introductory courses have limited opportunities for talking to other students (e.g., collaborative learning). inexperienced students have little information on which to judge whether they belong academically in the major. Hence more women than men switch out of IT majors (most often to other sciences or mathematics).

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Provide comparative information to make it clear how the performance compares with other performances.

exposing fundamental computing concepts to inexperienced learners

MAKING IT MEANINGFUL Educational researchers emphasize the importance of linking educational materials and curricular programs to OM students’ existing knowledge and experiences. When class syllabi list topics and assignments that focus on unfamiliar concepts with limited, if any, relationship to a student’s life experience or interests, she or he is unlikely to take that class. Under the existing educational policy of election, computing is rarely required in secondary schools. This means that students are likely to have a narrow and inaccurate view of what IT study involves, what careers are possible, or what kind of people “do” IT. Given the very small proportion of females who study computing in high school, this means that females are less likely to choose IT in college. The challenge to educators at all levels is to develop engaging assignments and curriculum that can appeal to a variety of students with different learning styles, interests, sociocultural backgrounds, and abilities, while maintaining the rigor of the discipline. Putting the concepts of computing in appealing contexts and building on existing competence can reduce the barriers of entry and level the playing field for those with limited experience.

The Georgia Tech Mentoring Program for Faculty Advancement is an integrated institutional program for supporting women’s full participation and advancement, and for modeling best practices.

Why encourage persistence? Anyone who has participated in sports or physical training knows the positive effects of encouragement. Research in sports medicine has measured the substantial improvements in effort and persistence that result from frequent exhortations like, “Great job!” and “Keep going!” Whether it works through positive reinforcement or instructions, this type of communication motivates people to work at a task harder and longer, so it can be a powerful tool in an overall effort to bring gender balance to computing. In workforce settings, career encouragement promotes women’s training and development, which is linked with managerial advancement. In academic settings, where women in computer science set higher standards for themselves than men do, encouragement from faculty members helps retain women in undergraduate computer science at the same rates as their male classmates. In addition to retention, women’s participation could even increase through encouragement, because women are more likely than men to say they entered the field as a result of encouragement from a teacher, family member, or friend.

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PROMISING PRACTICES Developing Women Leaders How IT Organizations Can Develop Women Leaders

CASE STUDY: GEORGIA TECH MENTORING PROGRAM FOR FACULTY ADVANCEMENT

PROMISING PRACTICES

Be sincere and be specific. Include descriptive information about the action or product you are praising.

CASE STUDY: Virginia Tech University

Recruiting Women and Girls into IT

Why intentional role modeling?

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fostering a climate where the nonpredisposed can belong both academically and socially

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Assignments that teach algorithmic thinking while calling on students’ existing knowledge or interests may serve to both recruit and retain students. When experienced and inexperienced students use non-computer-based assignments to learn computing concepts, they quickly realize that their peers with programming experience are not necessarily better at algorithmic thinking, just more experienced with programming. Building confidence through relevant and interesting assignments is a promising practice for motivating student enrollment and retention.

National Center for Women & Information Technology

Unmentioned, but fundamental to these recommendations is that communicating encouragement should be personal. It need not be private; however, public encouragement may be particularly effective.

Revolutionizing the Face of Technology National Center for Women & Information Technology

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Research papers, curricular materials, and implementation suggestions for the Media Computation approach can be found at http://coweb.cc.gatech.edu/ mediaComp-plan. Jane Margolis and Allen Fisher, Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women in Computing. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2002. The Joint Task Force for Computing Curricula 2005. Computing Curricula 2005: The Overview Report including The Guide to Undergraduate Degree Programs in Computing, April, 2005. http://www.acm.org/education/Draft_5-23-051.pdf.

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outreach to recruit students who are not predisposed to pursuing computing

Is prior programming experience required for students to be successful in an IT program? Most undergraduate departments would say no. That is, experience with programming is not the same as expertise in problem-solving, algorithmic thinking, or computing theory. Yet research shows that introductory courses and their embedded assignments work better for students who have some experience with programming.

The course changes students’ perceptions of computing and computer scientists.

A key element in the success of the first course is making assignments open-ended and providing an online web space for students to share their media. Most adopting schools have used assignments like the collage assignment, which allows students to use their own media in their own designs. Adopters who have then provided students with a place to share their collages (as well as other images, sounds, and movies) have had similar outcomes to those of Georgia Tech. Adopters who use open-ended assignments but don’t provide a place to share the media have not always seen the same improvements in retention.

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Appreciate that the benefit and effectiveness of a mentoring system grows over time. This program will not work well in an environment where only quick results have value.

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A challenge to securing faculty adoption of the sequence is that its goal is not to produce software developers. Even in courses explicitly for non-CS majors, many computing faculty want to emphasize standards for good programming rather than more domain-specific computing skills or more general concepts of computer science. However, students report that many of their learning experiences are powerful for helping them think about what computing can provide in their domains.

Because IT study is elective in almost all K-12 schools, developing assignments that appeal to a broader audience is recommended for:

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The program lasts one year for recent hires and six months for established staff. During that time, protégés regularly meet one-on-one with their mentors, attend monthly group meetings for all SEED participants, and take part in other SEED events, activities, and informational meetings. Many mentor-protégé pairs are geographically distant so they communicate mostly by phone and email. Participants maintain their current job while participating in the program; it is not a rotation program. During the mentoring period, participants focus on technical mentoring or specific engineering skills. Protégés typically learn about “soft skills”, ranging from how to improve teamwork skills to navigating the complex maze of office politics.

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Multi-year evaluation results of the Media Computation approach have been encouraging: C Retention has improved dramatically, from a 72% success rate (earning an A, B, or C) to an 85-90% success rate in both courses. The introductory course is about 300 students per semester and has a 51% female population. The second course was 75% female in its first offering. C Women in the media computation course are more likely to report that the course is relevant to their lives than are women in the traditional first course. C Women report finding the course to be creative, with a rich social context supported by an online environment for sharing media. C The course changes students’ perceptions of computing and computer scientists. C Comparable effects on retention and attitudes toward computer science also were shown at Gainesville College (a two year public college in northern Georgia).

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Experience with computers between boys and girls has equalized, but boys continue to have greater knowledge of computing and programming concepts than do girls. Not so in biology, chemistry, or mathematics: both boys and girls are encouraged to provide evidence of proficiency in these subjects when they apply to college. High school study familiarizes students with the subject matter and gives them confidence. Today, women’s undergraduate completion rates have neared parity in these other disciplines.

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PROMISING PRACTICES Compelling Education: K-12 and Early Computing Concepts

fostering a positive social climate in the class

Revolutionizing the Face of Technology

Involve the protégés manager in the process and program.

HR practices, such as recruiting and performance evaluations, should employ objective and unambiguous evaluation criteria. When evaluation criteria are not clearly defined or are based on individual (rather than standardized) estimates, there is more room for assessments to be influenced by stereotypes. Well thought-out human resource practices also increase managers’ accountability to avoid bias.

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The Sun Engineering Enrichment and Development (SEED) program pairs promising new hires and established employees with executives and senior Engineering staff volunteer mentors. The goal of the program is to make both the protégé and mentor more valuable to Sun and more satisfied with their careers.

Use evaluation results to evolve, expand, and change the program.

emphasizing creative opportunities in computing

Like traditional introductory courses, the two-course sequence introduces computing concepts and data structures in a context of creating and manipulating media. For example, in Introduction to Media Computation, students learn about loops by creating picture negatives or reversing sounds, learn about conditionals by implementing red-eye removal and edge detection, and learn about string processing by writing programs that pull information out of web pages. In Representing Structure and Behavior, students experience linked lists, trees, stacks, and queues by creating animations through continuous and discrete event simulations.

CASE STUDY: SUN ENGINEERING ENRICHMENT AND DEVELOPMENT (SEED) PROGRAM

EVIDENCE OF EFFECTIVENESS

National Center for Women & Information Technology

The Media Computation approach to teaching introductory computing developed at Georgia Tech is being effectively implemented now at over a dozen institutions. The two-course sequence aims to make computing more attractive to a wider range of students, especially women, by focusing on computing in an interesting context that is relevant to students’ everyday lives. The purpose in developing the course was to solve problems that, in studies, were shown to drive away students from computer science, by:

PROMISING PRACTICES

PROMISING PRACTICES Inclusive Pedagogy: Classroom Climate

CASE STUDY: MEDIA COMPUTATION AT GEORGIA TECH

National Center for Women & Information Technology

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Developing a strategic recruiting plan means going beyond specific tactics, like website development or a visit to a local university, to setting goals, finding partners, developing an evaluation plan, and developing and delivering materials. Create a specific and quantifiable goal. Who do you want to reach? Is there a particular quality of student or employee? How many? Is there more than one target group? Once you have a goal in mind, it will be easier to implement a plan and develop a plan for tracking your progress. Leverage existing efforts and relationships. Establish partnerships with people who already interact with your target audience and who are more likely to understand the audience’s needs. For example, research shows that family and teachers have significant influence on children’s academic and career choices. Training or informing teachers might get more “bang for the buck” than trying to interact with every child. Leveraging existing relationships like friendships or trusted authorities can bring an important personal touch. Message content should be based on research about your audience. What do they believe about IT careers or academic programs now? What are their current goals? Messages can pre-emptively overcome misconceptions while appealing to existing desires. For example, the Information and Computing Sciences School at UC-Irvine is planning an introductory programming course on biological applications of computing to take advantage of female students’ interest in biology. The course content will include information on computing careers within health and other biology-intensive settings. Craft a message that emphasizes content aimed specifically at the goals and interests of your target group, but remember to be truthful from the onset. Use more than one way of getting the message across. The more times someone hears a message, and the more believable it is, the more likely they are to act on it. Take advantage of the media your audience pays attention to, but target the media of those who might influence them, too. And consider incentives and recognition for the influencers, like “teacher of the year.” Keep in mind that a contact situation, the environment in which you meet with your target audience, will influence how your audience members interact with you. People have multiple identities and the priority each is given changes by age group. For example, middle school kids might feel strong pressure to conform in a group, but might be more persuadable in another context. Contact should be made by a credible person and information source.

RECRUITING QUICK LIST

Audience

Target audience Opinion leaders Influencers

Message

Needs, goals, interests of target sector Challenging wisdom of typical choices Truth in advertising

Method of Delivery Medium, multiple media Contact situation Deliverer

Leveraging & Building Relationships

Existing efforts, contacts

Problems & Opposition

Costs, resources Opposing viewpoints Misconceptions Competing pressures Beliefs about whether they can belong

Time Frame, Timing, & Repetition

Professor Scott McCrickard has worked with undergraduates since he was a Ph.D. student at Georgia Tech, where he served as a graduate mentor in two summer outreach programs. Both mentoring experiences resulted in publications for him and his students. They have also influenced his research career at Virginia Tech, where he established the Virginia Tech Undergraduate Research in Computer Science (VTURCS) program in 2001. Despite enrollment decreases in the major and the program’s slow start, VTURCS matured to include over 50 undergraduate students in 2005. In 2006, McCrickard expanded VTURCS with NSF funding for an HCI-focused REU site that targets women and minority students. Why does he continue to do it? McCrickard says he benefits as much as the students. He has published several small articles based on his partnerships with undergraduates, some of which combined nicely as case studies for journal papers. But he says the most valuable result is that it has created a research group and community around his interests.

CASE STUDY: Oregon State University An REU need not be administered through a formalized program. Since 1992, Professor Margaret Burnett has always had one or two undergraduate researchers working for her. What does she get out of it? Burnett describes three kinds of benefits to her own career: increased productivity, relationships with new researchers, and making a difference in the students’ lives. The undergraduates round out her research group. When they take on research tasks otherwise done by graduate students, it allows graduate students to be more productive. She says that some of her undergraduates are more productive than some grad students at tasks such as software development, data analysis, user studies, and interface design. Some even have better writing skills than their graduate student team-members. Burnett believes that she is

How does he work with undergraduates? McCrickard suggests giving undergraduates simple, focused tasks. This method allows him to see the capabilities of the undergraduates, and also helps his Ph.D. students create focused tasks and do something with the results of those tasks. He prefers to meet with his undergraduates and graduate students as a research team; these teams are composed of four to six undergraduates and his graduate students. Still, he recommends meeting with each undergraduate individually a few times each term as well. As the students gain confidence and experience, they can be given more complex tasks with deadlines further apart, leading them to the point where perhaps they will define their own thesis or dissertation topics.

Typical planning, decision making Multiple times Imminent entry v. long-term influence

RESOURCES: Barker, L. J., Snow, E. S., Garvin-Doxas, K. & Weston, T. (2006). Recruiting middle school girls into information technology: Data on girls’ perceptions and experiences from a mixed demographic group. In McGrath Cohoon, J. and W. Aspray (Eds.) Women and information technology: Research on the reasons for under-representation. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 115-136. National Institute for Women in Trades, Technology, and Sciences Recruitment Strategies: http://www.iwitts.com/html/recruiting_strategies.html

Lecia J. B ar ker a nd J. M cG rat h Coh oon , aut hor s w w w.nc wi t.org

  
 

 

     
   

   
  

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Revolutionizing the Face of Technology Le c i a J . Ba rk e r a nd J . M c Gra th Coh oo n, a utho rs www.ncwit.or g • National Center for Women & Information Technology • copyright 2006

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Constructing On-Ramps Compelling Education: K-12 and Early Computing Concepts Helping mid-career women return to work Lehman Brothers Encore program, created by chief diversity officer Anne Erni, is an innovative initiative that aims to recruit and support professionals who have left the workforce but are interested in resuming their careers. The program began in response to the “Off-Ramps and On-Ramps” study published in Harvard Business Review in March 2005. The study, co-sponsored by Lehman Brothers, identified some of the barriers women face as they attempt to re-enter the workforce after taking time off for a variety of familial responsibilities. According to President Joe Gregory, the program is also part of Lehman’s effort to counter Wall Street’s “last coat on the chair” culture and instead provide the flexibility that will enable the company to “get and keep the best people.” (Fortune Magazine, 2007) Lehman Brothers launched Encore in November 2005 with an informational seminar and luncheon in New York that offered participants the chance to network, learn about industry updates, and explore flexible work possibilities at Lehman Brothers. A similar kick-off event was held in London in February 2006. To identify potential attendees, the company used the contacts and networks of its current employees, tracking down former Lehman employees and other professionals who had left Wall Street jobs. Additional referrals came from organizations such as Women on Wall Street. Approximately 70 candidates attended the New York event, and the London event attracted more than 50 attendees. Encore candidates are eligible for all open positions within the company and are invited to interview based on the open positions at the time and the qualifications of the candidate. A significant portion of the first-year attendees participated in followup interviews. To foster the success of these applicants, the company established a unique Encore email address and assigned two designated recruiters to handle these applications. This was important for ensuring that “nontraditional” resumes with gaps for child-rearing, eldercare, or other familial responsibilities would not end up being tossed aside. In this first year of the program, Lehman Brothers hired 20 new employees – nearly 20% of the seminar attendees – through this process. Once hired, these employees have access to a number of flexible work arrangements including reduced or compressed work weeks, “flextime” or flexible hours, “flexspace” or telecommuting options, and job sharing. A lateral recruiting team works with hiring managers to help accommodate specific requests for flexible work arrangements. Roughly half of the Encore recruits work part-time or flexible hours. Because these kinds of programs sometimes create resentment among employees with more traditional career paths, Lehman brothers also offers flexible work arrangements to all employees in good standing. All employees also have access to ongoing training and mentoring to help them update and enhance their current skills and experience. Since the program is still in its infancy, long-term evaluation efforts have yet to be completed; likewise further research is needed to determine how beneficial programs like Encore will be for technical women. Meanwhile, though, the program is garnering increasing interest in its second year. Erni and her team emailed 16,000 employees to identify contacts who may be interested in the program, and, during the second year seminar, a panel of employees hired during Encore’s first year spoke about their experiences with the company. Out of 200 referrals, Encore has invited approximately 50 candidates to interview. In addition, the program is now open to men, and this year seven men are among the interviewees. Similar efforts are being conducted later in the year in Tokyo and in London. For more information see the Lehman Brothers Encore website listed below. RESOURCES:

Shellenbarger, S. (2006). Employers step up efforts to lure stay-at-home mothers back to work. Wall Street Journal, February 9. Sellers, P. (2007). A kinder, gentler Lehman Brothers. Fortune Magazine, January 17. Lehman Brothers website: http://www.lehman.com/careers/experiencedhire/diversity_encore.htm# ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Center for Work-Life Policy, http://www.worklifepolicy.org/ Women Entrepreneur’s Inc Flex Options for Women, http://www.we-inc.org/flex.html

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The “Opt out revolution” – fact or fiction? How can companies attract and retain mid-career female employees? Recent media attention to the so-called “opt-out revolution” – the trend where well-qualified women choose to leave productive careers – paints a simplistic picture of what is happening. Systematic research reveals several complicating factors that are important for corporations to understand if they are to retain top female talent. r


While many women (37%) choose to leave their careers for a short time – 93% of these women want to return to work. Only 74% succeed, and only 40% are able to secure full-time jobs.

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Only 5% of women who return to work want to return to their former company; however, 80% wanted to remain in the same type of position, and more than 60% wanted to remain in the same industry. This finding suggests that these women feel unsupported by their previous employers.

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While caring for children is a significant reason for off-ramping (44%), other factors, such as eldercare (11%) or additional education (23%), also lead women to off-ramp.

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A number of “push” factors – features about the job itself – also contribute to this decision. Lack of fulfillment (17%) or feeling stalled in their careers are two common “push” factors women cite (23%).

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On average, women off-ramp for two years and lose 18% of their earning power if and when they return to work. For those who off-ramp for more than three years, this figure climbs to 37%. *Above stats taken from Hewlitt, 2005

These findings make it clear that women’s so-called “choice” to leave their careers is not a simple one, and that most of these women would prefer to continue working if industry would make this possible. In fact, 93-94% of women who would like to “on-ramp” indicate that they would take advantage of industry efforts to do so.

What Industry Can Do Research has identified policies that industry can adopt to retain female employees: r
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Reduced-hour jobs or job-sharing These policies stand to benefit everyone, including male employees and employees without children, and initial results among companies who have implemented these policies are promising. In a survey of employees participating in FWAs at Ernst & Young, two-thirds said they would have left or would not have joined the company if such programs had not existed. Similarly, in a focus group with female managers at Johnson & Johnson, all of the women expressed high levels of satisfaction with the company largely because of its FWA policies. (Hewlitt, 2005) A Word of Caution:

Research indicates that these opportunities are more readily available to women who have already “made it.” Women in their mid-careers, who often need these policies the most, are not always able to access them. Furthermore, taking advantage of these opportunities is often stigmatized and results in unspoken penalties (e.g. not being promoted). Addressing these barriers is important if such policies are to succeed in preventing the “hidden brain drain.”

RESOURCES: Hewlett, S.A., Luce, C. B., Shiller, P., & Southwell, S. (2005). The Hidden Brain Drain: Off-Ramps and On-Ramps in Women’s Careers. Harvard Business Review Research Report. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation. Friedman, S. D. & Greenhaus, J. H. (2000).Work and family – Allies or Enemies? What Happens When Business Professionals Confront Life Choices. New York: Oxford University Press.

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C at h eri ne S. A s hc ra ft, a uthor www. n c w it . or g • N at i ona l C ent er f o r Wo me n & I n f o rma t io n Te c h n o l o g y • c o p y rig h t 2 0 0 7

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Unplugged Education: K-12 and Early Computing Concepts Compelling An engaging way to introduce computing Computing is often a mystery: While people may know how to use computers, they rarely know what makes computers work. “CS Unplugged” uncovers the mystery by exposing students to computer science concepts, such as the nature of data or how data is sorted, but without the computer. The activities in “CS Unplugged” help to shatter the image of computing as long, lonely hours in front of an LCD screen by exposing learners to the kind of reasoning needed for inventing the next great ideas in computing. “CS Unplugged” activities engage students in learning computer science concepts using hands-on activities. The activity described here, “Sorting Network,” illustrates the structures used in parallel sorting networks, exposing learners to sorting, parallelism, and binary comparison through active, kinetic learning. In teams of six, students compare numbers (small or large) and follow simple logic.

How do you do it? Start by drawing the layout below on the ground, using chalk on a pavement, masking tape for indoor surfaces, or electrician’s tape on a tarpaulin. Each student on the team holds a card with a number on it (for the first time, use the numbers from 1 to 6). The goal is to get the numbers sorted into order. Each student stands on one of the squares on the “in” side of the diagram. Students follow the arrow to step onto the first circle, where they meet another student and compare numbers. The student with the smaller number follows the arrow out on their left, while the student with the larger number follows the arrow out on their right. Students continue following the arrows to each circle as another student steps to the circle, each time comparing numbers. The smaller always goes left and the larger goes right. Eventually they will reach the “out” side in sorted order. (The full lesson plan,“Beat the Clock: Sorting Networks” can be found on the website described below.) The exercise can be extended in a number of ways. For example, students could be timed to discover how quickly they can complete the sorting. For this, use larger numbers so it is hard to see where you are supposed to end up. And there are many questions to ponder: What if the smaller one goes to the right each time? How would you design a layout for sorting three numbers? Thirty numbers? Does it work backwards? Can you design a smaller layout to find the smallest number?

What computing concepts do students learn? When three pairs of students are comparing numbers at the same time, it takes much less time than comparing only one pair of numbers at a time. This “Sorting Network” demonstrates parallel computation, one of many ways that computer scientists have devised to sort data quickly. Instructors tell students that they have just learned about the computing concepts behind computer applications with which they are familiar, such as alphabetical lists of files, etc. Initial evaluations of sessions involving this activity and others show that children gain a better appreciation of what Computer Science is about, and girls in particular respond positively to the logic and problem solving. More detailed international evaluations are underway. For more information on this activity and a pdf of the complete teacher’s version, see http://csunplugged.org. “Computer Science Unplugged” is a free collection of activities and ideas for learning about Computer Science without using a computer. K-12 Summit • 33 C a se s tu d y c on t r ib u t ed b y Dr. Tim Be ll • ti m .b el l @can terbu ry.ac.n z

How do you introduce computing in an engaging way? Experience with computers between boys and girls has equalized, but boys continue to have greater knowledge of computing and programming concepts than do girls. Not so in biology, chemistry, or mathematics: both boys and girls are encouraged to provide evidence of proficiency in these subjects when they apply to college. High school study familiarizes students with the subject matter and gives them confidence. Today, women’s undergraduate completion rates have neared parity in these other disciplines. Because IT study is elective in almost all K-12 schools, developing relevant and interesting assignments that appeal to a broader audience is recommended for:

outreach to recruit students who are not predisposed to pursuing computing fostering a climate where the nonpredisposed can belong both academically and socially

exposing fundamental computing concepts to inexperienced learners

Is prior programming experience required for students to be successful in an IT program? Most undergraduate departments would say no. That is, experience with programming is not the same as expertise in problem-solving, algorithmic thinking, or computing theory. Yet research shows that introductory courses and their embedded assignments work better for students who have some experience with programming. Research shows that students with programming experience are more confident and more successful in introductory courses than are their inexperienced peers. Students with lower grades or less confidence are less likely to persist in an IT major. What is more, when introductory courses have limited opportunities for talking to other students (e.g., collaborative learning). inexperienced students have little information on which to judge whether they belong academically in the major. Hence more women than men switch out of IT majors (most often to other sciences or mathematics). Creative assignments that teach algorithmic thinking while also calling on students’ existing knowledge or interests may serve to both recruit and retain students. When experienced and inexperienced students use non-computer-based assignments to learn computing concepts, they quickly realize that their peers with programming experience are not necessarily better at algorithmic thinking, just more experienced with programming. Building confidence through relevant and interesting assignments is a promising practice for motivating student enrollment and retention.

MAKING IT MEANINGFUL Educational researchers emphasize the importance of linking educational materials and curricular programs to students’ existing knowledge and experiences. When class syllabi list topics and assignments that focus on unfamiliar concepts with limited, if any, relationship to a student’s life experience or interests, she or he is unlikely to take that class. Under the existing educational policy of election, computing is rarely required in secondary schools. This means that students are likely to have a narrow and inaccurate view of what IT study involves, what careers are possible, or what kind of people “do” IT. Given the very small proportion of females who study computing in high school, this means that females are less likely to choose IT in college. The challenge to educators at all levels is to develop engaging assignments and curriculum that can appeal to a variety of students with different learning styles, interests, socio-cultural backgrounds, and abilities, while maintaining the rigor of the discipline. Putting the concepts of computing in appealing contexts and building on existing competence can reduce the barriers of entry and level the playing field for those with limited experience.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Lecia Barker and William Aspray, “The State of Research on Pre-College Experiences of Girls with Information Technology.” In McGrath Cohoon, J. and W. Aspray (Eds.) Women and Information Technology: Research on the Reasons for Under-Representation. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2006. Joanne McGrath Cohoon and William Aspray, “A Critical Review of the Research on Women’s Participation in Postsecondary Computing Education.” In McGrath Cohoon, J. and W. Aspray (Eds.) Women and Information Technology: Research on the Reasons for Under-Representation. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2006.

National Center for Women & Information Technology

Revolutionizing the Face of Technology L ecia J. Bar ker a n d J . M c G ra th C o h o o n , a u th o rs w w w. ncw i t. org • Na ti ona l C enter fo r Wo m e n & In fo rm a tio n Te c h n o lo g y • c o p y rig h t 2 0 0 7

34 • K-12 Summit

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K-12 Education

Undergraduate Career Graduate Academic Career

National Center for Women & Information Technology

PROMISING

PRACTICES

Peer-Led Team Learning K-12 and Early Computing Concepts Compelling Education: Retaining women through collaborative learning Lower course drop rates and higher grades are the common outcomes achieved through peer-led team learning in computer science at seven institutions – Beloit, Duke, Georgia Institute of Technology, Loyola College in Maryland, University of WisconsinMadison, University of W i s c o n s i n-M i l wau ke e , and Rutgers University. Similar results have occurred at the University Copyright NCWIT/photo by Stephanie Hamilton of Houston-Downtown and the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), two of five institutions in the Computing Alliance for Hispanic-Serving Institutions that have adopted or are in the process of adopting PLTL. In addition to the advantages for PLTL participants, peer leaders also benefit from this experience, e.g., gaining greater confidence to continue in CS. UTEP conducts weekly training sessions for peer leaders to focus on deepening their understanding of cooperative team and professional skills such as conflict management, shared leadership, and techniques for dealing with adversity. These weekly sessions improve the effectiveness of the PLTL sessions and ultimately improve the retention of women and development of leaders. An example training activity would have peer leaders role play a workshop session that is planned for the coming week. The other peer leaders together with the faculty mentors, who have expertise in cooperative learning techniques, critique the scenario — what is or is not working and why this is the case. These training activities allow students to dig deeper into understanding their role in building effective learning communities. These institutions offer weekly two-hour workshops for students in introductory CS courses. At some institutions, recruitment for the workshops targets women, minority students, and students from small rural high schools. Each workshop has five to eight students led by a welltrained undergraduate. The students work together on interesting group exercises, helping and learning from each other. Susan Horwitz, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, provided the following sample group exercise for PLTL in computer science. This exercise is designed to improve understanding of several concepts in Java programming: r
r
r


What happens when objects are declared and created, and when methods are called? What is the difference between copying from one variable to another when the variable is an object and when it is a primitive type? What is the difference between changing values of variables that are objects and that are primitive types?

Steps in the PLTL “Car Class” Activity 1. 2. 3.

Group members read through the Car class definition provided by their leader. Each student chooses one variable that she will represent. Students act out the role of their variable as specified in the code fragment to the right:

For more sample exercises and information about the NSF-funded PLTL consortium in computer science, see: http://pltlcs.org

PLTL “Car Class” Code Car myCar, yourCar, anotherCar; int oldSpeed, currSpeed; myCar = new Car(“beep”); yourCar = new Car(“honk”); anotherCar = myCar; currSpeed = myCar.getCurrSpeed(); yourCar.changeSpeed(7); anotherCar.changeSpeed(20); currSpeed = myCar.getCurrSpeed(); myCar.blowHorn(2); yourCar.blowHorn(3); anotherCar.blowHorn(4); oldSpeed = currSpeed; myCar = yourCar; currSpeed = myCar.getCurrSpeed(); myCar.changeSound(“ooga”); myCar.blowHorn(currSpeed/5); yourCar.blowHorn( yourCar.getCurrSpeed()/2 ); anotherCar.blowHorn( myCar.getCurrSpeed()/10 ); anotherCar = myCar; class Car {

/******************** * data members ********************/ private int currSpeed; private String hornSound;

/******************** * public methods ********************/ /* constructor */ public Car(String sound) { currSpeed = 0; hornSound = sound; } /* changeSound: change the horn sound */ public void changeSound(String newSound) { hornSound = newSound; } /* blowHorn: blow the horn; * parameter numTimes tells you how many times */ public void blowHorn(int numTimes) { while (numTimes > 0) { S y s t e m . o u t . println(hornSound); numTimes--; } } /* changeSpeed: change speed */ public void changeSpeed(int milesPerHour) { currSpeed = currSpeed + milesPerHour; } /* getCurrSpeed: return the current speed */ public int getCurrSpeed() { return currSpeed; } }

K-12 Summit • 35

How do you retain women through collaborative learning? Collaborative learning environments require that students work together on formal or informal learning activities. For example, collaborative learning occurs when students work in pairs on programming assignments; small groups of students discuss possible answers to a professor’s question during lecture; and when students work together outside of class to learn new concepts. Collaborative learning is distinct from projects where students “divide and conquer” the work for an assignment because it requires that they actually work through problems together, that they engage in intellectual talk with each other. A long tradition of research shows that well-managed collaborative learning environments improve outcomes for all types of students. Outcomes include:

improved critical thinking

increased retention, especially for women advancing from the introductory to second course

appreciation of diversity

development of social and professional skills

In computer science, collaborative learning environments can improve retention and learning for men and women, and seems to shrink the gender gap in these outcomes. For example, pair programming is one form of collaborative learning with evidence of increased retention of both female and male undergraduates. Other forms of collaborative learning that could succeed in computer science include Peer-Led Team Learning and conversational classrooms. Collaborative learning environments must be carefully planned and managed by instructors. For example, research shows that when there is too large a gap in collaborators’ experience or knowledge, the benefits of collaborative learning disappear. Tasks must also be “shareable” for true collaboration to occur. Most capstone courses in computing education include project learning, however, student collaboration should be introduced early, often, and in both graded and un-graded situations to give undergraduates greater experience and to avoid early socialization that computing is a career in which people work alone. Using collaborative learning in an educational system that rewards individual work can be a challenge for faculty who need to assess individual outcomes while leveraging the benefits of collaboration. Most university campuses have resource centers that will work with faculty to integrate collaborative learning in ways that ensure individual accountability. These examples demonstrate that implementing collaborative environments can be complex. Nevertheless, the benefits to students, faculty, and industry appear to be worth the cost. For information on Peer-Led Team Learning, see the CCNY website at: http://www.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/~chemwksp/index.html It offers a guidebook, some sample problems, references to papers on PLTL, and more.

Peer-Led Team Learning is a form of collaborative learning Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) is a collaborative and active learning technique that forms students in a course into a community of scholars and leads them to take responsibility for their learning. It involves teams of six to eight students that meet weekly in a workshop with a trained peer leader who is under direction of the instructor. During the meeting, the group engages in interesting problem solving exercises. According to a description of peer-led team learning provided by the PLTL Project at the City College of New York, project evaluations identify six key workshop features:

1. All students in the course must attend the workshops, which are a regular component of the course. This feature encourages students to view the workshop as important to their learning, and integrates workshop activities with course lectures. 2. Course instructors are closely involved with both workshops and workshop leaders. Instructors prepare and review workshop materials and preview problems with peer leaders. 3. Workshop leaders successfully completed the course, are familiar with the assigned workshop problems, are well trained in teaching and learning techniques and leadership of small groups, and they are closely supervised. 4. Workshop materials are challenging at an appropriate level, integrated with other course components, and encourage active and collaborative problem solving. 5. Physical space, allocated time, and other organizational arrangements promote learning. 6. The institution supports innovative teaching. Instructors must invest time and energy to initially organize PLTL instruction and to assemble workshop materials. After this initial investment, the amount of work involved with a PLTL course is often less than a standard course because fewer students require help during office hours.

National Center for Women & Information Technology

Revolutionizing the Face of Technology L e c ia J . B a r ke r and J. Mc Gr ath C ohoon, aut hor s w w w. n cw it.o rg • N a tio n a l C e n te r f or Women & I nfo rmat i on Tec hnol ogy • copyr i ght 2007

36 • K-12 Summit

SM

National Center for Women & Information Technology

PROMISING

K-12 Education Undergraduate

PRACTICES

Career Graduate Academic Career

Storytelling Education: K-12 and Early Computing Concepts Compelling An engaging way to introduce computing Learning to Program with Alice is an innovative approach to teaching and learning introductory programming and other computing concepts. Beginning students, including middle and high school students and undergraduates, use the Alice programming environment to populate a virtual world with 3D models of objects (e.g., people, animals, vehicles, and more). The Learning to Program with Alice approach has two major learning outcomes: Fundamental concepts of programming: Alice allows students to immediately visualize how their animation programs run, fostering understanding of the relationship between the programming statements and constructs and the behavior of their animations. Students learn the basics of computing by manipulating objects that are actors and scenes in a virtual world of their own creation.

Problem solving and logical thinking: The traditional steps of problem solving are applied through story telling or task performance. Students use animation storyboards as design tools, creating a sequence of steps (in pseudocode) that they eventually implement, test, and revise. Students learn if-else and Boolean logic by creating interactive animations and simple games.

Formal assessment of this approach has been performed in several college and university environments. In published results, Alice is reported to be a successful intervention technique for students who have less mathematics preparation and/or programming experience. When these students used Alice first, their average grade was a 3.0 GPA in CS1 – comparable to the grades of their peers with greater mathematics backgrounds and prior programming experience. Without Alice, these “atrisk” students earned an average 1.2 GPA in CS1. Implementing the approach is supported by an extensive collection of curriculum and instructional materials. Sample course calendars, presentation notes, labs, projects, and test banks are included. An online community and Alice newsletter provide quick and easy access to online assistance. RESOURCES:

Alice software: http://www.alice.org Curriculum and instructional materials, workshops: http://www.aliceprogramming.net Moskal, B., Cooper, S. & Lurie, D. (2004, March). Evaluating the Effectiveness of a New Instructional Approach. Paper presented at the meeting of SIGCSE 2004, Norfolk, VA. The Al i c e te a m co n si sts o f R a n d y Pa u sc h (d evel oper ), Wanda D ann, S t ephen C ooper, and D on S l ate r. K-12 Summit • 37 Ca s e s t u dy c o nt rib ut ed by Wanda D ann • w pdann@i thaca. edu

How do you introduce computing in an engaging way? Experience with computers between boys and girls has equalized, but boys continue to have greater knowledge of computing and programming concepts than do girls. Not so in biology, chemistry, or mathematics: both boys and girls are encouraged to provide evidence of proficiency in these subjects when they apply to college. High school study familiarizes students with the subject matter and gives them confidence. Today, women’s undergraduate completion rates have neared parity in these other disciplines. Because IT study is elective in almost all K-12 schools, developing relevant and interesting assignments that appeal to a broader audience is recommended for:

outreach to recruit students who are not predisposed to pursuing computing fostering a climate where the nonpredisposed can belong both academically and socially

exposing fundamental computing concepts to inexperienced learners

Is prior programming experience required for students to be successful in an IT program? Most undergraduate departments would say no. That is, experience with programming is not the same as expertise in problem-solving, algorithmic thinking, or computing theory. Yet research shows that introductory courses and their embedded assignments work better for students who have some experience with programming. Research shows that students with programming experience are more confident and more successful in introductory courses than are their inexperienced peers. Students with lower grades or less confidence are less likely to persist in an IT major. What is more, when introductory courses have limited opportunities for talking to other students (e.g., collaborative learning). inexperienced students have little information on which to judge whether they belong academically in the major. Hence more women than men switch out of IT majors (most often to other sciences or mathematics). Creative assignments that teach algorithmic thinking while also calling on students’ existing knowledge or interests may serve to both recruit and retain students. When experienced and inexperienced students use non-computer-based assignments to learn computing concepts, they quickly realize that their peers with programming experience are not necessarily better at algorithmic thinking, just more experienced with programming. Building confidence through relevant and interesting assignments is a promising practice for motivating student enrollment and retention.

MAKING IT MEANINGFUL Educational researchers emphasize the importance of linking educational materials and curricular programs to students’ existing knowledge and experiences. When class syllabi list topics and assignments that focus on unfamiliar concepts with limited, if any, relationship to a student’s life experience or interests, she or he is unlikely to take that class. Under the existing educational policy of election, computing is rarely required in secondary schools. This means that students are likely to have a narrow and inaccurate view of what IT study involves, what careers are possible, or what kind of people “do” IT. Given the very small proportion of females who study computing in high school, this means that females are less likely to choose IT in college. The challenge to educators at all levels is to develop engaging assignments and curriculum that can appeal to a variety of students with different learning styles, interests, socio-cultural backgrounds, and abilities, while maintaining the rigor of the discipline. Putting the concepts of computing in appealing contexts and building on existing competence can reduce the barriers of entry and level the playing field for those with limited experience.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Lecia Barker and William Aspray, “The State of Research on Pre-College Experiences of Girls with Information Technology.” In McGrath Cohoon, J. and W. Aspray (Eds.) Women and Information Technology: Research on the Reasons for Under-Representation. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2006. Joanne McGrath Cohoon and William Aspray, “A Critical Review of the Research on Women’s Participation in Postsecondary Computing Education.” In McGrath Cohoon, J. and W. Aspray (Eds.) Women and Information Technology: Research on the Reasons for Under-Representation. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2006.

National Center for Women & Information Technology

Revolutionizing the Face of Technology Le c ia J . Ba r k e r and J. McG ra th C ohoon, aut hor s w ww. ncwit .o rg • N a tio n a l C e n te r f or Women & Inf or mat i on Tech nol ogy • copyr i ght 2007

38 • K-12 Summit

SM

K-12 Education Undergraduate Career Graduate Academic Career

National Center for Women & Information Technology

PROMISING

PRACTICES

Meet Them Where They AreK-12 and Early Computing Concepts Compelling Education: A n eng ag ing w ay to i ntrodu ce compu ti ng To educate girls about information technology and potential careers in the field, the Girl Scouts, Hornets’ Nest Council in North Carolina runs a Girls are I.T. program, sponsored by a National Science Foundation research grant. Through its two key components – an educational website and a mobile technology bus—the program aims to increase access to technology by meeting girls where they are, both geographically and experientially. Since its inception, the bus has reached over 5,200 girls, many of whom are in rural locations with limited exposure to technical experiences. The Technobile is a school bus that has been converted into a mobile technology classroom with 12 workstations designed to showcase technology and technology careers in ways that tend to appeal to many girls. For example, four hands-on activities explore how technology helps people live better lives – (see detailed descriptions below). In each activity, girls are encouraged to imagine the future of technology based on the program component they’ve just completed. The girls then upload their ideas to www.girlsareit. org, a website that presents the history of technology and highlights women who have exciting IT careers.

Examples of hands-on activities offered on the Technobile Nanotechnology -- Girls explore how a nanodevice is built, what “nano” means, and how tiny nanodevices will be used in the future. Using laptop computers, they create four different nanodevices – light emitters, oscillators, mesh fabric and DNA Scaffold. Assistive Technology -- Girls “see” and “talk” using computer software and hardware designed to assist the visually-, hearing- and speech-impaired. They begin to understand how technology aids those with disabilities, software’s limitations in this area, and the need for continued progress. HTML Webpage Design -- Girls learn to create and edit a web page with HTML code. They then design a web page for their troop or for a local non-profit in need of a website.

While this unique program might be difficult to replicate, educators can increase girls’ access to IT through curriculum that adapts several key components:

Use hands-on activities that solve real-life problems and/or call on girls’ existing knowledge and interests

Wireless Sensors -- Girls operate an explorebot, similar to the Mars Rover. From their laptops, they see what the robot sees and maneuver through various terrains located in the back of the bus, learning how technology enables us to go places that may not be safe for humans. The missions include New Species Discovery, Earthquake Search and Rescue, and Shipwreck in the South Seas.

Build in strategies for reaching girls with limited access to technology (e.g. remove geographical or other logistical barriers)

Develop all-girl activities that are collaborative

RESOURCES:

For more information about this program see the Girls are I.T. website, www.girlsareit.org or contact Sally Daley, [email protected], 704-731-6500. For more information about other Girl Scouts of the USA technology programs see www.GirlsGoTech.org. Girl Scouts, Hornets’ Nest Council and Girl Scouts of the USA, Case Study Contributors

K-12 Summit • 39

How do you introduce computing in an engaging way? Experience with computers between boys and girls has equalized, but boys continue to have greater knowledge of computing and programming concepts than do girls. Not so in biology, chemistry, or mathematics: both boys and girls are encouraged to provide evidence of proficiency in these subjects when they apply to college. High school study familiarizes students with the subject matter and gives them confidence. Today, women’s undergraduate completion rates have neared parity in these other disciplines. Because IT study is elective in almost all K-12 schools, developing relevant and interesting assignments that appeal to a broader audience is recommended for:

outreach to recruit students who are not predisposed to pursuing computing fostering a climate where the nonpredisposed can belong both academically and socially

exposing fundamental computing concepts to inexperienced learners

Is prior programming experience required for students to be successful in an IT program? Most undergraduate departments would say no. That is, experience with programming is not the same as expertise in problem-solving, algorithmic thinking, or computing theory. Yet research shows that introductory courses and their embedded assignments work better for students who have some experience with programming. Research shows that students with programming experience are more confident and more successful in introductory courses than are their inexperienced peers. Students with lower grades or less confidence are less likely to persist in an IT major. What is more, when introductory courses have limited opportunities for talking to other students (e.g., collaborative learning). inexperienced students have little information on which to judge whether they belong academically in the major. Hence more women than men switch out of IT majors (most often to other sciences or mathematics). Creative assignments that teach algorithmic thinking while also calling on students’ existing knowledge or interests may serve to both recruit and retain students. When experienced and inexperienced students use non-computer-based assignments to learn computing concepts, they quickly realize that their peers with programming experience are not necessarily better at algorithmic thinking, just more experienced with programming. Building confidence through relevant and interesting assignments is a promising practice for motivating student enrollment and retention.

MAKING IT MEANINGFUL Educational researchers emphasize the importance of linking educational materials and curricular programs to students’ existing knowledge and experiences. When class syllabi list topics and assignments that focus on unfamiliar concepts with limited, if any, relationship to a student’s life experience or interests, she or he is unlikely to take that class. Under the existing educational policy of election, computing is rarely required in secondary schools. This means that students are likely to have a narrow and inaccurate view of what IT study involves, what careers are possible, or what kind of people “do” IT. Given the very small proportion of females who study computing in high school, this means that females are less likely to choose IT in college. The challenge to educators at all levels is to develop engaging assignments and curriculum that can appeal to a variety of students with different learning styles, interests, socio-cultural backgrounds, and abilities, while maintaining the rigor of the discipline. Putting the concepts of computing in appealing contexts and building on existing competence can reduce the barriers of entry and level the playing field for those with limited experience.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Lecia Barker and William Aspray, “The State of Research on Pre-College Experiences of Girls with Information Technology.” In McGrath Cohoon, J. and W. Aspray (Eds.) Women and Information Technology: Research on the Reasons for Under-Representation. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2006. Joanne McGrath Cohoon and William Aspray, “A Critical Review of the Research on Women’s Participation in Postsecondary Computing Education.” In McGrath Cohoon, J. and W. Aspray (Eds.) Women and Information Technology: Research on the Reasons for Under-Representation. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2006.

National Center for Women & Information Technology

Revolutionizing the Face of Technology Le c ia J . Ba r k e r and J. McG ra th C ohoon, aut hor s w ww. ncwit .o rg • N a tio n a l C e n te r f or Women & Inf or mat i on Tech nol ogy • copyr i ght 2007

40 • K-12 Summit

SM

Notes

K-12 Summit • 41

Notes

42 • K-12 Summit

Notes

K-12 Summit • 43

See you next time!

44 • K-12 Summit

National Center for Women & Information Technology University of Colorado Campus Box 322 Boulder, CO 80309-0322 303.735.6671 [email protected] www.ncwit.org