Engaging Girls in Computer Science: Do Single-Gender Interdisciplinary Classes Help?
Computing-driven innovation cannot reach its full potential if only a fraction of the population is involved. Without girls and their non-stereotypical contribution, the innovation potential is severely limited. In computer science (CS) and software engineering (SE), the gender gap persists without any positive trend. Many girls find it challenging to identify with the subject of CS. However, we can capitalise on their interests and create environments for girls through interdisciplinary subcultures to spark and foster enthusiasm for CS. This paper presents and discusses the results of an intervention in which we applied a novel interdisciplinary online course in data science to get girls excited about CS and programming by contributing to the grand goal of solving colony collapse disorder from biology and geoecology. The results show the potential of such programs to get girls excited about programming, but also important implications in terms of the learning environment. The startling results show that girls from single-gender classes (SGCs) are significantly more open to CS-related topics and that the intervention evoked significantly more positive feelings in them than in girls from mixed-gender classes (MGCs). The findings highlight the importance of how CS-related topics are introduced in school and the crucial impact of the learning environment to meet the requirements of truly gender-inclusive education.
Thu 18 MayDisplayed time zone: Hobart change
11:00 - 12:30 | Studies on gender in SESEIS - Software Engineering in Society / Technical Track / SEET - Software Engineering Education and Training at Meeting Room 101 Chair(s): Ita Richardson Lero - The Irish Software Research Centre and University of Limerick | ||
11:00 15mTalk | “STILL AROUND”: Experiences and Survival Strategies of Veteran Women Software Developers Technical Track Sterre van Breukelen Eindhoven University of Technology, Ann Barcomb Department of Electrical and Software Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, Sebastian Baltes SAP SE & University of Adelaide, Alexander Serebrenik Eindhoven University of Technology Pre-print | ||
11:15 15mTalk | The ABC of Pair Programming: Gender-dependent Attitude, Behavior and Code of Young Learners SEET - Software Engineering Education and Training Pre-print | ||
11:30 15mTalk | Engaging Girls in Computer Science: Do Single-Gender Interdisciplinary Classes Help? SEET - Software Engineering Education and Training Kai Marquardt Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Lucia Happe Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Ingo Wagner Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Pre-print | ||
11:45 15mPaper | Fundamentalists, Integrationists, & Transformationists: An Empirical Theory of Men Software Engineers' Orientations in Gender Inequalities SEIS - Software Engineering in Society Yi Wang Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Xinyue Zhang Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Wei Wang Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications | ||
12:00 15mPaper | Draw a Software Engineer Test - An Investigation into Children's Perception of Software Engineering Profession SEIS - Software Engineering in Society Claudia Maria Cutrupi Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Irene Zanardi USI Università della Svizzera italiana, Letizia Jaccheri Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Monica Landoni USI Università della Svizzera italiana | ||
12:15 15mFull-paper | Benefits and Limitations of Remote Work to LGBTQIA+ Software Professionals SEIS - Software Engineering in Society Ronnie de Souza Santos Cape Breton University, Cleyton V. C. de Magalhaes CESAR School, Paul Ralph Dalhousie University Pre-print |