ABSTRACT
The UC Berkeley CS Kickstart initiative represents a novel approach in addressing the underrepresentation of women in the tech industry. This paper evaluates the efficacy of its one-week intensive curriculum in computer science, particularly focusing on first-year female-identifying university students. The 2023 program cohort witnessed the introduction of a dual-track system, accommodating both beginners and students with prior experience. This study emphasizes the findings from enhanced survey methods and involved detailed pre-program and post-program assessments that gauged the initiative's success in imparting foundational knowledge and fostering enthusiasm in computer science. The findings reveal that such targeted, short-term educational programs significantly contribute to advancing diversity and inclusion in computer science education. The results suggest that early intervention at the university level can play a pivotal role in shaping a more diverse future in the tech landscape.
- Nguyen, A. & Lewis, C. M. 2020. Competitive Enrollment Policies in Computing Departments Negatively Predict First-Year Students' Sense of Belonging, Self-Efficacy, and Perception of Department.Google Scholar
- Lewis, C. M., Bruno, P., Raygoza, J., & Wang, J. 2019. Alignment of Goals and Perceptions of Computing Predicts Students' Sense of Belonging in Computing. International Computing Education Research (ICER) Conference. 11--19.Google Scholar
Index Terms
- Computer Science Kickstart: An Innovative Bootcamp to Ignite Passion in First-Year Female-Identifying University Students
Recommendations
Female computer science doctorates: what does the survey of earned doctorates reveal?
Women and ComputingBased on the National Center for Education Statistics (2000), in the 1997-1998 academic year 26.7% of earned bachelors' degrees, 29.0% of earned masters' degrees and 16.3% of earned doctorates' degrees in computer science were awarded to women. As these ...
Preparing students for the first AP computer science principles exam: the perspective of CS teachers
This research presentation reports on a case study examining the teaching practices of seven high school computer science (CS) teachers from schools located across the Western New York (WNY) area. The interviews focused on the challenges and successes ...
Exploring societal factors affecting the experience and engagement of first year female computer science undergraduates
Koli Calling '15: Proceedings of the 15th Koli Calling Conference on Computing Education ResearchDespite many women playing an important role in the history of Computer Science (CS), such as Ada Lovelace and Grace Hopper, the proportion of female students completing computing degrees is steadily declining, particularly in the USA, UK, and several ...
Comments