Communications of the ACM
Bringing Women Back to Computer Science: w in National Spotlight Over Efforts
The University of Washingtons Department of Computer Science and Engineering may have found a way to bring more women to computer science.
Credit: Dennis Wise/University of Washington
Only about 18% of computer science bachelor's degrees currently are earned by women. The drop-off in participation was largely due to the narrative that computer science is for boys, a misconception that has taken a stronger hold as time has passed. The numbers remain low because of lingering gender bias, and limited support for women pursuing the male-dominated major, as well as other issues.
However, the University of Washington's Department of Computer Science and Engineering (UW CSE) may have found a method that could reverse the trend. Last year, 30% of the bachelor degrees in computer science awarded by UW went to women, a figure that is twice the national average. The accomplishment recently garnered the first-ever award from the National Center for Women & Information Technology, which is focused on bringing more women to the field.
The UW CSE program conducts outreach to K-12 teachers and students, as well as to UW students, attempting to funnel freshmen and sophomores into the introductory course, which has supportive professors that use various mechanisms to help underrepresented students succeed.
"The only thing we can do is encourage highly capable people from underrepresented groups to apply to be a major and make sure they are the best," says UW CSE chair Ed Lazowska.
From Crosscut.com
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