Colloquium Details
Gender Equity in Computer Science Education
| Author: | Joanne McGrath Cohoon University of Virginia |
|---|---|
| Date: | April 18, 2003 |
| Time: | 15:30 |
| Location: | 220 Deschutes |
Note: Special Day
Abstract
Women enter the undergraduate computer science major at lower rates than men, and they leave at higher rates than men. The result is female under-representation that is among the more extreme of any discipline, and that is not following the attenuating trend of all other disciplines.
Dr. Cohoon will present national data that describe the gender gap in attrition from computer science. These data show that undergraduate computer science generally loses 19% of its women compared with 13% of its men. However, departments vary in the size of their gender gap. Some departments lose men and women at equal rates, while others lose women at disproportionately high rates. She will briefly discuss departmental factors that may contribute to the gender gap in attrition rates. The factors considered will be same-sex peer support, faculty turnover, institutional support, local job market, faculty attitudes toward female students, mentoring, and pedagogy. She will conclude by considering how and why the discipline of computer science might change its gender composition.
Biography
Joanne McGrath Cohoon applies both the perspective and empirical tools of sociology to issues concerning technology, higher education, and gender. With support from the National Science Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, she researches the features of academic departments that either foster or impede women?s success in computer science. Dr. Cohoon received her BA in Philosophy from Ramapo College of New Jersey; her MA in Student Personnel Administration from Teacher?s College, Columbia University; and her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Virginia in 2000. She is a former Coordinator of Student Activities at a women?s college, Research Project Manager and Methodology Consultant at the Cooper Center for Public Service, and Assistant Researcher at the UVA Center for Survey Research. She has taught courses to both returning and traditional students in sociology and in computer science. She is currently a Research Assistant Professor in the UVA Curry School of Education.