Communications of the ACM
Researchers Engage Communities to Support Women in It Careers
Credit: Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech's Appalachian Information Technology Extension Service (AITES) is a research-based extension program designed to provide support for young women seeking careers in information technology (IT) in the Appalachian region.
The researchers say girls from the targeted regions tend to choose fields and careers not related to technology because of preconceived notions, stereotypes, and lack of support from those around them. The AITES program works to increase community capacity and support economic development in the targeted regions through the development of community cohort teams. The teams focus on training parents, teachers, and school counselors to be good support systems for girls who are interested in technology.
The researchers say the "train-the-trainer" model greatly increases the reach of AITES. "With the multiplier effect of the train-the-trainer model, the circle of informed individuals in the community who reach the girls will get wider every day, so that eventually girls will be reaching girls," says Virginia Tech researcher Peggy Meszaros.
From Virginia Tech News
View Full Article
Abstracts Copyright © 2010 Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA 
No entries found