HOW EDUCATIONAL PLATFORMS SUPPORT STUDENTS' ENTREPRENEURIAL PREOCCUPATION

Why do so few women major in computer science (CS) or management information systems (MIS)? Are the reasons for women’s underrepresentation in these two disciplines the same? I will address these issues by reporting on my research on female and male undergraduates majoring in CS or MIS. I hypothesize that results from one area of information technology (IT), such as CS, do not necessarily generalize to other areas of IT, such as MIS. Structural barriers exist that keep women from advancement in IT careers (cf. Ahuja, 2002). However, an examination of these is beyond the scope of this article, which focuses on gender differences in IT students. In 2002 only 27.6% of U.S. Bachelor’s degrees in CS and 36.8% in MIS were conferred on women (U.S. Department of Education, 2002), limiting the number of women qualified to enter into the IT workforce. The problem of women’s under representation in IT is not limited to the U.S. Women are underrepresented in CS majors in other Western countries such as Canada (Gadalla, 2001), Germany (Huber, Reiff, Ben, & Schinzel, 2001), Norway (Berg, Gansmo, Hestflatt, Lie, Nordli, & Sorenson, 2002), and Ireland (MacKeogh, 2003). IT cannot afford to underutilize such a valuable and significant part of the workforce. Increasing the representation of women is imperative because “greater diversity among those who create computing technology ensures that those technologies are relevant to and usable by a wider range of people” (Roberts, 2003).

At the University of Tennessee at Martin (UTM), freshman computer science majors were being successful in their first quarter in computer science, but many majors were not completing the year sequence (Programming Concepts and Problem Solving I, II, and III). This study describes a freshman studies program that helps increase student retention in the first computer science course.Two populations were used in this study. The first population (Group A) consisted of 25 freshman computer science majors (16 men and 9 women) enrolled Fall Quarter 85 in freshman orientation General Studies GS1000 for one quarter hour credit. The second population (Group B) consisted of 17 freshman computer science majors (12 men and 5 women) enrolled the Fall Quarter 86 in freshman orientation General Studies GS1001 for two quarter hours credit. Both groups were placed in the first course in computer science using the cutting scores ACT English > 17 or 0.78 (ACT English) + 0.49 (UTM Math Placement) > 33. Both Groups A and B had an average ACT English score of 20 and an average UTM Math Placement score of 55. Each quarter during the freshman year, the computer science major enrolls in calculus (4 hrs.), Programming Concepts and Problem Solving (3 hrs.), a laboratory science (4 hrs.), English (3 hrs.), and a humanities course (3 hrs.).Group A was offered a freshman orientation program that involved a pass/fail one quarter hour credit GS1000 which met one hour each day during freshman studies week. Each section consisted of twenty-five heterogeneously grouped students. The course content was review of study skills. Group B was offered a freshman orientation program that involved a pass/fail two quarter hour credit GS1001 which met one hour each day during freshman studies week, plus one hour each week during the first quarter. Each section consisted of only students of a particular major (computer science) and was taught by a faculty member of that department. The topics of this course consisted of a review of study skills, discussions of student problems, special academic speakers, field trips to professional sites, cultural events, meetings with deans and department heads, and a follow-up on study skills. In the meeting before the final exam week, the faculty member dealt specifically with suggestions on preparing for finals.Groups A and B were enrolled in the same first computer science sequence (Programming Concepts and Problem Solving I, II, and III) their freshman year. Both groups had the same instructors, text (Introduction to Computing and Computer Science with Pascal by H. Walker), and course syllabus for this sequence. Both groups carried the same academic course load their freshman year. However, in Group A only 20% (5 out of 25) of the students completed the first computer science sequence with a grade of C or better, while in Group B 41% (7 out of 17) completed the same sequence with a grade of C or better. Student retention is achieved through the students' integration into the academic and social systems of the college by two factors: (1) faculty-student interaction and (2) peer-group interaction. Although the population of this study was small, I believe GS1001 provides one way of increasing student retention in computer science.

Research Full Paper - Computer Science majors lack gender diversity in Brasília, Brazil. Women are an underrepresented minority group in these majors. At the University of Brasilia, one of the top ten universities in Brazil, female undergraduate students account for less than 15% of the students in the Department of Computer Science. In an effort to understand the lack of interest in Computer Science majors among women, this paper addresses the following research questions: 1)Are female students in high school aware that Computer Science majors are predominantly male? 2)Are families of girls from Brasília supportive of their enrolment in Computer Science majors? 3)Do girls from Brasília think that Computer Science majors need a lot of Math? 4)Do female students in high school think that it is difficult to get a job in the field of Computing, with a good salary, and sufficient leisure time? and 5)Which factors influence a female student's choice of a Computer Science major? We devised a questionnaire and applied it to female students in middle and high school on two occasions, in October 2011 (1391 responses) and in July 2019 (429 responses). This paper presents the analysis of the data from the responses, which indicates that the girls' perceptions of Computing have not changed in those years.

There has been much debate in the past few years about the appropriate mathematics requirements for an undergraduate computer science major. The discussion has focused primarily on two issues: (1) the underlying mathematical content of computer science courses and (2) the content of mathematics courses which would serve as appropriate cognate requirements for computer science major programs. While this discussion has been helpful, it has been too narrowly focused--it has not started from an understanding of the relationship between the disciplines of mathematics and computer science, but rather has sought to identify mathematical prerequisites that computer science majors need in order to take existing computer science courses. This paper is a small step in seeking to apply an understanding of the relationship between the disciplines of mathematics and computer science to the undergraduate computer science curriculum.

In 2004 Northern Kentucky University began offering a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Technology. As these new majors began to enroll alongside Computer Science majors in the required and standard Computer Science 1 (CS 1) course, the context of CS 1 shifted. Accordingly, we made curriculum changes to adapt the introductory programming sequence to this new context. These changes included: creating a “CS 0.5” preparatory programming course taught in a variety of languages; allowing the scheduled laboratory component of CS 1 to be optional; and lowering the mathematics prerequisite for CS 1 from Pre-Calculus to College Algebra. We have studied the impact of these changes on student success. Because many Computer Science Departments in the U.S. began offering Information Technology degrees since 2000, in part to offset the downturn in CS enrollment, our results may be of broader interest. We found that gender, major, the programming language used in CS 0.5 and student attitudes toward technology (as revealed by surveys) did not affect student success in CS 1. Factors that were positively correlated with CS 1 success included mathematics ACT score, completing CS 0.5, and enrolling in the optional CS 1 laboratory section.

The instructional value of web-based education systems has been an important area of research in information systems education. This study investigates the effect of various teaching methods on program design learning for students with specific learning styles in web-based education systems. The study takes first-year Computer Science and Information Engineering majors as the sample population. In an earlier study (Hung & Huang, 2008), Bayesian Network analysis of experimental data showed that students with “Input-oriented” and “Perception-oriented” learning styles performed less well on program design tests. Following on these results, this study further analyzes student learning performance in the program design course with a focus on the relationship between teaching methods and learning styles. Students are divided into experimental groups and a control group. The subjects' learning performances are analyzed with the bi-factor variable analysis in SPSS. The results indicate that (a) in learning program design, input-oriented students taught with the diagram method exhibit significantly better learning performance than those using other teaching methods; and (b) in learning program design, perception-oriented students taught with the analogy method exhibit significantly better learning performance than those using other teaching methods.

Based on the perspective of the integration of specialization and innovation, in order to improve students' innovative practical abilities, this paper innovates the talent cultivation mode of computer science and technology majors, proposes the "three carriers" co creation progressive talent cultivation mode, optimizes the curriculum system of specialization and innovation integration, scientific research and education projects, and scientific and technological innovation activities as carriers, and jointly cultivates students' innovative practical abilities at the hierarchical level of school enterprise and teacher-student collaboration. At the same time, from the curriculum system propose relevant strategies in terms of innovative practice platforms, diverse assessment standards for innovative talents, etc., to promote the cultivation of innovative applied talents in computer science and technology majors.

In recent years, to cultivate international computer professionals and improve the education quality for foreign students, some Chinese universities have established computer science majors where all the courses are taught in English. As the introductory course to computer science majors, "introduction to computer science" plays an important role in helping students lay a professional foundation and cultivate their interest in the major. As one of the pioneering universities in China to set up computer science majors taught in English, Jinan University has ten years' teaching experience in delivering such a course. The reform and practice of teaching "introduction to computer science" in English at Jinan University is expounded in this paper from the following three aspects: (1) Developing a teaching-content system that conforms to professional training direction, adapts to the characteristics of freshmen and the teaching characteristics of a course delivered in English; (2) Comprehensively using various advanced teaching methods; (3) Creating an evaluation system with multiple assessment modes that focuses on examining students' comprehension and practical skills. The reforms and practices at Jinan University provide a reference for other universities, especially those in non-English-speaking countries.

Graduation rates are generally low among undergraduate Computer Science (CS) majors, so we are motivated to employ flipped classroom model at CSUB to improve 4-year graduation rates. There is a plethora of literature supporting improved information retention using the flipped classroom model. However, its impact on upper-division core CS courses has been understudied. An active learning environment using Just-in-Time-Teaching (JiTT), pair instruction, and computational thinking has been implemented in this study. This flipped classroom model was applied to two upper-division CS courses, Computer Architecture II and Artificial Intelligence. A year-long study measured the impact on performance through surveys, performance on group activities, and class performance such as test scores, with comparison to a control population (non-flipped classroom class) normalized for a specific instructor. An increased student performance and ultimately better graduation rates among the 40 flipped classroom model students is anticipated.

Computer science (CS) is defined in wikipedia as a branch of human knowledge “relating to computation, ranging from abstract analysis of algorithms and formal grammars, to subjects like programming languages, software, and computer hardware” (Computer Science, 2005). Computer science emerged as a distinct field in the 1940s and 1950s with the development of the first electronic digital computers. To limit computer science to just computer use or its knowledge bodies, however, is reductive; CS is embedded in a complex, unquantifiable cultural context, including socio-economic and gendering practice. Computer hardware and software are designed to complement and supplement human activity and processes such as warfare, industrial applications, information management, including education, the Internet, a knowledge commons, and most recently biotechnology. Although CS is typically considered neutral and scientific, its episteme and practice is androcentric or male centered, often to the exclusion of females (Herbst, 2002). Female attributes have not typically been associated with computer science or computers. Although there is general agreement that women are as intellectually capable as men in CS, the fact remains that women today do not have equal participation in CS majors, CS engineering, programming, software design, Web site construction, or computer repair. (Jepson & Perl, 2002). In the technetronic 21st century, when computers are becoming standard for education and in symbolic analytic jobs, women’s enrollment in CS has declined, and many women do not feel confident using computers for more than e-mail transmissions, e-commerce, and social interaction in forums or newsgroups. Women who do not have knowledge or confidence in their abilities to work in CS not only have unrealized potentials in CS but also are left out of employment activities. Reasons for gendering in CS are complex and debated. Socialization, overt and tacit discrimination, and epistemological plurality are three dominant explanations. CS industries, educators, cognitive scientists, parents, and women professionals in CS are some of the groups currently working to attain gender equity in CS.

ABSTRACTGiven growing interest in computing fields, as well as a longstanding gender gap in computer science, this study used nationwide survey data on college students during 4 decades to: (a) document trends in aspirations to major in computer science among undergraduate women and men; (b) explore the characteristics of women and men who choose to major in computer science and how this population has evolved over time; and (c) identify the key determinants of the gender gap in the selection of computer science majors during the past 4 decades. The data included 8 million students attending 1,225 baccalaureate-granting institutions from 1971 to 2011, with selected-year multivariate analyses of 18,830 computer science majors (and 904,307 students from all other majors). The results revealed heavy fluctuations in students’ interest in computer science from 1971 to 2011, with trends highlighting a significant downturn between the late 1990s and 2011 as well as a persistent, sizeable underrepresentation of women across all years. The study also showed that while some of the traditional explanations for the gender gap in computer science held true, there have been distinctive shifts in who pursues computer science and why some students may be particularly interested in or dissuaded from the major.

Playing digital games is described as a pathway to computer science (CS) classes and majors, but not all gamers want to study CS. The goal of this chapter is to explore which gaming motivations and practices are most strongly related to an interest in studying computer science, and whether the connection between gaming and computer science is similar for men and women. The data are from 545 male and female gamers taking an introductory computer science class at one of 15 community colleges in the US. Survey responses were analyzed to provide a picture of what, how often, and why they play, and interviews from 39 of the most avid gamers were analyzed for why and how they play. The results show that, on average, men play more frequently than women, and there are gender differences in the type of games they like to play and why they play them. However, playing more frequently was not associated with greater interest in studying CS for either gender. Interest in CS was highest among men who were motivated to play in order to increase skills, be with friends, connect with the game features, and by the art or graphics. However, CS interest was highest among women who consider themselves to be more serious gamers, play racing and puzzle games, play on a game console, and are motivated by fun, relaxation and social interaction. The results can inform efforts to increase the number of women that pursue computer science. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future research on how game play and interest in CS are related.

Numerical simulation using high performance computing has become a key technology for many scientific disciplines. Consequently, high performance computing courses constitute an essential component within the undergraduate and graduate programs in Computational Engineering at University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. These courses are also offered as optional courses in other degree programs, such as for majors in computer science.

The course "Principles of Operating System" is a basic compulsory course for various majors in computer science. Taking the School of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence of Anhui Xinhua University as the background, this paper explores the teaching reform of excellent offline open courses from the aspects of curriculum construction introduction, curriculum construction objectives, teaching reform process and organization, and explains the effects achieved after the implementation of curriculum construction.

The goals of computer science department and software engineering courses are not always clear as they could be, and exactly how much of a computer science curriculum should be spent on software engineering topics at the expense of topics with more immediate relevance to computer science majors is far from clear. Computer science students are sometimes skeptical about the relevance of software engineering course topics, particularly those who have had some experience in industry. They report that the techniques and procedures covered in standard software engineering texts are seldom used in industry. There is not enough communication between Industry and Academia, and graduates often must be re-trained for their new jobs. This is a proposal for a modification in the approach to software engineering education for computer science majors, and for clarification of the goals of computer science programs, and calls for procedures to increase the relevancy of computer science and software engineering courses to meet the needs of industry.