This document discusses strategies for making computer science more inclusive and addressing stereotypes. It summarizes views from several experts and provides recommendations such as splitting introductory courses based on experience to better serve beginners, recognizing that learning takes time and effort, learning about and addressing unconscious bias, building community among students, and making computer science a required subject. The overall message is that small changes can help broaden participation and make the field more welcoming to those from different backgrounds.

1. Fitting in CS when the
stereotypes don’t fit
@CSTeachingTips
Colleen Lewis
AssistantProfessor
DepartmentofComputerScience
HarveyMuddCollege
November 8,2017

2. Slides
posted
@CSTeachingTips

4. Colleen,
you won’t like
sitting alone in a
basement
coding until
3 in the morning
That’s true.
4

6. “have to be able to
make it their lifestyle;
can't just do it as a side thing,
have to be thinking about it
all the time.”
(Lewis, Anderson, & Yasuhara, 2016)

7. Prof. Karen Ashcraft
Univ. of Colorado
Boulder

8. 8

9. 9

10. 10

13. Prof. Nathan
Ensmenger
Indiana University

14. Microaggressions
You’re a
computer
scientist?! Of course
you got the
job, you’re
a woman.
Women are
better at…

16. What
makes you
say that?
Nonsense
NCWIT.org

18. I’ve heard you
have a lot of women
in CS at Mudd.
We don’t.
We must be doing
something wrong.
Probably…
Yep.

19. Make
everything
pink!
1

20. How do we interpret gender differences?
http://difference-works.com/wp-content/uploads/new-bell-curve-2013.png

21. 1
Show the
breadth of CS

22. http://cdn2.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diversity.png

23. 2 Split the
intro course
by experience

24. “[CS1is]like takingaforeign language class,
but the majority ofstudents are already native speakers …
you'd thinkthat'd help you,
but teachers adjust to the native speakers,
so people who are new to the idea
get left behind in the dust.”
(Lewis, Yasuhara, & Anderson, 2011)

25. Split the Intro Course
by Previous Experience
CS 5 - Gold
CS 60
AP CS
CS 70
CS 42
CS 5 - BlackHS CS

26. 3
Recognize
that learning
takes time

27. “Evenmy professor told us that
some people are just born that way,
with thatmentaloutlook
that is compatible withCS…
They feelit’s so easy for them...
Yeah,and he told the rest ofthe people that
some of you will try, but some of you won’t get it,
and it’s just that your mentaloutlook
isn’t made thatway.
It’s something you’re born with. You can’t help it.”
(Lewis, Yasuhara, & Anderson, 2011)

28. Prof. Carol
Dweck
Stanford

30. Prof. Claude Steele
UC Berkeley

31. Yet.

32. 4
Learn and
teach about
bias

35. Evaluation of Identical Resumes
Competence Hirability Mentoring

39. 39

40. 5
Teach
women
to fit

41. Prof. Becky
Wai-Ling Packard

43. vs.

44. 5
Build
community

45. Build Community
First-year students attend
Grace Hopper and Tapia

46. Build Community
First-year students recruited
for summer research

47. 6
Make CS
required

48. Slides
posted
@CSTeachingTips
Check out NCWIT.org

49. Book Recommendations
from
Colleen Lewis
@CSTeachingTips