Women in introductory computer science: experience at Victoria University of Wellington

ABSTRACT

This paper documents efforts that the department has made to support women students between 1991 and the 1996. Our major goal has been to reduce the high withdrawal rate of women students in our entry level course in computer science. We describe the approaches that have been taken to address this concern, and present the data which has been collected to track the results of our efforts. Our data suggests that providing a gender neutral content is not enough to ensure that men and women will retain similarly. In this paper we suggest policies which we feel may be beneficial in achieving similar male and female retention rates.

REFERENCES

• 1: BYRNE, E. Women, science and the snark syndrome: Myths out, policy strate~es in. In Celebrating Women in Science (PO Box 184, Wellington, New Zealand, 1993), The New Zealand Association for Women in the Sciences Inc.
• 2: Neill Graham, Introduction to computer science (3rd ed.), West Publishing Co., St. Paul, MN, 1985
• 3: Maria Klawe , Nancy Leveson, Women in computing: where are we now?, Communications of the ACM, v.38 n.1, p.29-35, Jan. 1995 [doi>10.1145/204865.204874]
• 4: TOYNB/~, C. Why women drop computer science. Department of Sociology & Social Work, Victoria University, Wellington, 1992.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.2 Computer and Information Science Education
          Subjects: Computer science education

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.1 MODELS AND PRINCIPLES

  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.2 Computer and Information Science Education
          Subjects: Curriculum

General Terms:
Design, Human Factors, Management, Measurement, Performance, Theory