Enrollment Differences by Gender in Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, and Information Technology at Youngstown State University
Karen Duda Youngstown State University Youngstown, OH 44555 duda@cis.ysu.edu Alina Lazar Youngstown State University Youngstown, OH 44555 alazar@ysu.edu Louise Popio Youngstown State University Youngstown, OH 44555 lmpopio@student.ysu.edu
Abstract: National surveys on higher education show that in the last five years the number of freshmen entering the computer science programs across the country dropped significantly. The authors know from previous studies that computer science, computer information systems, and information technology are not very popular degrees among females. Our research goal is to study the gender differences of the enrollment trends for the last five years for the CSIS department and to compare them with national data.
Introduction
It has often been noted among educators that relatively few women pursue degrees in the area of computer science and information systems. In recent years, we have observed a decline in the number of women who are declaring majors in computer fields nationwide. Our goal is to examine this trend at Youngstown State University (YSU) and compare it to nationwide data, and then explore methods of increasing the number of women enrolled in the computer science and information systems programs. YSU is located in northeastern Ohio, halfway between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, and it features an urban campus that services almost 13,000 students. The majority of YSU students are commuters from Mahoning, Trumbull, and Columbiana counties. Our department (CSIS) offers associate and bachelor degrees in Computer Science (CS), Computer Information Systems (CIS), and Information Technology (IT).
Findings
Our research goal was to study the gender differences of the enrollment trends for the last five years for the CSIS department and compare them with national data. The total CSIS incoming freshman enrollment versus CS nation wide enrollment for 1995 through 2004 is depicted in Figure 1. Some specific trends in the 1995 through 2004 time period include an abrupt decline in overall enrollment between 2000 and 2004 and a significant decline in female enrollment.. Figure 1 also shows that the percentage of incoming freshmen in our department is higher than the nation wide percentage, but total enrollment follows the nation wide trends for CS. For the IT program, the total enrollment between 2000 and 2004 increased. It
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is interesting to observe in Figure 2 that while the number of male students increased more that four times, the number of female students remained constant since 2000.
Information Technology Enrollment 1995-2004
120 100
Number of Students
80 60 40 20 0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Year Total Men Total Women
Figure 1. Incoming Freshmen by Gender Gender Survey At YSU
Figure 2. Information Technology Enrollment
The authors surveyed 50 Computer Science and Information Systems male and female students. Data ascertained included gender, major, when and how they became interested in computing disciplines, why they decided to major in computing disciplines, what they thought the ratio of males and females was at YSU, and if they thought CSIS classes were geared more toward one gender or another. Currently, the CSIS student population at YSU is approximately 75 percent male and 25 percent female. The perception of current CSIS students is that males comprise a larger percentage of the total CSIS student population than they actually do. Figure 3 displays a chart of students’ perceptions versus reality. It is interesting to note that females’ perception is lower than male’s perception. Figure 4 shows the perception versus reality gender numbers by major. The low number of female students has a cascading effect. Females do not form a community, they do not have anybody else to rely on, and because of that, they have a bigger tendency to drop out of the computer related programs.
Perception vs. Reality: Percent Males and Females in CSIS at YSU by Major
100
80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Median -Males' Perception Median -Females' Perception Median -Overall Perception Actual Percent Male Percent Female
Perception vs. Reality: Percent Males and Females in CSIS at YSU by Gender
Percent of Total CSIS Students
Percent of Total CSIS Students
90
90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 CS Median CIS Median IT Median Actual Percent Males Percent Females
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Figure 3. Student Perception about Gender
Figure 4. Student Perception by Major
As noted previously, students were surveyed as to why they were interested in computing disciplines. Female responses included the following related to the question of why they were interested in the computing disciplines: “[Information Technology] was the only major I had an interest in and wanted to learn more.” “I found computing to be both interesting and challenging.” “I have been interested in computers since I was about eight years old when I got my first computer. My mom was going back to school, so we both learned about it together.” Male responses included the following related to the question of why they were interested in the computing disciplines: “I have always been interested in computers.” “I have liked computers all my life so I figured it’d be good to do something with them.” “A few years back (not exactly sure when) I found out I could build my own computer.” “[I’ve] been using computers since I was a kid. [I] mostly use them to play games. [I] thought the concepts of making something out of nothing was fascinating.”
Potential Opportunities for CSIS Recruitment
Student feedback as well as current literature indicates a number of potential opportunities for recruiting both female and male students. For recruiting female students, a women’s retreat before the semester begins could be held to encourage camaraderie among the females in the department. This opportunity would allow female students to discuss challenges of being in the program and to brainstorm ways to meet those challenges. Recruiting both male and female students should be expanded during the university-wide visitation days and preview days. Visits to high schools and middle schools could also be expanded to provide more students with information regarding careers and opportunities in computer science and information systems. Faculty should continue with mentoring opportunities that acquaint students with specific activities in computer science and information systems and they should also encourage “shadowing” of current students in the program. The CSIS Department at Youngstown State University currently has an endeavor for capturing video of current and former students in the computing disciplines. This program has been dubbed “CSIS and Friends,” and its creators have sought to carefully select interviewees that represent a diverse crosssection of computing professionals. Thus far three of the eight interviewees have been female, and each episode features a female student host. The department needs to develop a CD or DVD of these vignettes to be distributed to guidance counselors, teachers, parents, and students, to acquaint them with possibilities for careers and education in CSIS.
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References
Almstrum, V. L., & Last M. Z. (2005). What attracts women to CS? Proceedings of the 10th Annual SIGCSE Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education. Barker, L. J., Guzdial, M., Irani, L., & Zur, E. (2005). Contrasting women’s experiences in computer science at different institutions. Proceedings of the 36th SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, pp. 63-64. Barker, L. J., Garvin-Doxas K., & Roberts E. (2005). What can computer science learn from a fine arts approach to teaching? Proceedings of the 36th SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, pp. 421-425. Beyer, S., Colar M., DeKeuster M., Holcomb C., & Walter, K. (2005). Changes in CS students’ attitudes towards CS over time: An examination of gender differences. Proceedings of the 36th SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, pp. 392-396. Frieze, C. (2005). Diversifying the images of computer science: Undergraduate women take on the challenge! Proceedings of the 36th SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, pp. 397-400. Giguette, M. S., Lopez A. M., & Schulte L. J. (2005). Climbing onto the shoulders of giants. Proceedings of the 36th SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, pp. 401-405. Vegso, J. (2005, March). CS bachelor’s degree production grows in 2004: Poised for decline. Computing Research News. Vesgo, J. (2005, May). Interest in CS as a major drops among incoming freshmen. Computing Research News.
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