Did you know how the state of the economy is impacting computer science education in Washington state? Two stories about technology education in the state caught our eye recently: one describes how Washington lawmakers in Olympia are debating whether to charge higher tuition for majors such as computer science that are more expensive to teach (and result in more lucrative careers for their students); and another details the struggle to spare the computer science programs at Western Washington University and Eastern Washington University from being eliminated in budget cuts, despite the surge of tech jobs in the state. Have budget cuts affected your department?
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Did you know that nearly one in every seven people on the earth has a disability? According to a new survey administered by the WHO (World Health Organization), there are more than one billion people currently living with a disability, or about 15 percent of the world’s population. Making technology accessible to people with disabilities is more important than ever before. One important way to do this is to make sure that people with disabilities are represented in the design off technology education, products, and services. People with disabilities can bring vital perspectives to solving problems and designing technology that serves a broad range of users, and including these perspectives is one more way in which diversifying can strengthen the field. For more information about integrating the participation of people with disabilities into computing and IT fields, check out AccessComputing.
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Do you know the difference between mentorship and sponsorship? Recent research has found that men are 46% more likely than women to have a sponsor, and formal programs that match protegees with an influential sponsor are cited as being more effective than mentoring programs at increasing the number of women and minorities on the fast-track to high-level positions. The Wall Street Journal recently looked at sponsorship programs within several Fortune 500 companies and profiled sponsors and protegees at IBM, Price Waterhouse Coopers, American Express, and Bank of America. Do you have a sponsorship program at your company? Have you benefited from a sponsorship relationship in your career?
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Did you know that female college students are more interested in work-life balance, finding meaningful work, and job stability, while male students more often seek high pay, management jobs, and technical expertise? (Which group do you think is three times as likely to prefer engineering or information technology careers?) These were among the findings of research firm Universum, which surveyed more than 350,000 undergrads.
The Houston Chronicle obtained data for more than 3,000 Texas-based students and found that, of those, the top five employers male students would want to work for are Google, Apple, NASA, Exxon Mobil Corp. and Shell Oil Co.; and the top five employers cited by female students are Disney, Google, Apple, the FBI, and the United Nations. The survey points out that an employer who wants to attract more women would do well to p osition itself in a way that reflects women’s career interests, such as offering opportunities to “serve a greater good” and communicating that it “cares about its employees.”
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Did you know that, in addition to supporting a growing community of tech start-ups, New York City also harbors some pretty impressive women founders? Check out the list published over at Beta Beat, which profiles 25 up-and-coming women whose companies are earning pageviews, customers, media attention, and funding. As the piece points out, some of these women have succeeded as founders in spite of encountering gender-related obstacles, but many more of them simply chose not to see the obstacles at all. Some bring a perspective or set of experiences that seems uniquely female, while others have always pursued male-dominated fields. But as our research with Vivek Wadwha and the Kauffman Foundation has shown, entrepreneurs of both genders have many more commonalities than they do differences.
Did You Know? is a brief round-up of information and news that crossed NCWIT’s radar this week that we think might be of interest to you. Practices or content of the news presented are not vetted or endorsed by NCWIT.
- K-12
- K-12
- I Want To
- K-12 Resources
K-12 Resources
Act and advocate for more inclusive computing learning experiences. Encourage and inspire students to explore computing pathways that match their interests and abilities.
- K-12 Programs
K-12 Programs
Inspire and encourage individuals of all backgrounds, equip K-12 and higher education influencers, and foster virtual and in-person communities at local, regional, and national levels.
- K-12 Alliance
K-12 Alliance
Mobilize year-round alongside formal and informal educators and other adult influencers nationwide working together to create lasting impact.
- Get Involved
- Higher Education
- Higher Education
- I Want To
- Higher Ed Resources
Higher Education Resources
Build consensus for action amongst colleagues, leaders, and advisors to create momentum for measurable, sustainable change within computing departments and institutions.
- Higher Ed Programs
Higher Education Programs
Recognize students’ computing aspirations, honor faculty for their outstanding mentorship, secure strategic buy-in for lasting change, and more.
- Higher Ed Alliance
Higher Ed Alliance
Mobilize year round alongside faculty, staff, administrators, department heads, and other mentors nationwide working together to create lasting impact.
- Get Involved
- Workforce
- Workforce
- I Want To
- Workforce Resources
Workforce Resources
Employ strategic approaches that avoid the typical pitfalls of traditional diversity, equity, and inclusion interventions.
- Workforce Programs
Workforce Programs
Volunteer to engage with the next generation of technologists, amplify the bottom-line benefits of diverse technological contributions, and more.
- Workforce Alliance
Workforce Alliance
Mobilize year round alongside corporate seniors, executives, and team leaders nationwide working together to create lasting impact.
- Get Involved
- Resources
- Resources
- Programs
- Programs
- Aspirations in Computing
Aspirations in Computing
Aspirations in Computing (AiC) provides encouragement, enables persistence, opens doors, and changes lives for women in technology from K-12 through career.
- BridgeUP STEM
BridgeUP STEM
BridgeUP STEM provides opportunities for individuals of all backgrounds to learn the skills of computer science and research methodology within a research university setting.
- Color of Our Future
Color of Our Future
The Color of Our Future focuses on broadening the meaningful participation of underrepresented women and girls of color (Black, Latinx, and Native American).
- Conversations for Change
Conversations for Change
Conversations for Change is an online thought leadership series that presents research-based recommendations and prompts peer-to-peer discussions to further inclusivity in computing.
- Counselors for Computing
Counselors for Computing
Counselors for Computing (C4C) offers professional development to school counselors, positioning them to effectively guide ALL students in exploring computing pathways.
- Higher Ed Programs
Higher Ed Programs
Higher Ed programs recognize students’ computing aspirations, honor faculty for their outstanding mentorship, secure strategic buy-in for lasting change, and more.
- NCWIT Recognitions
NCWIT Recognitions
NCWIT Recognitions foster great potential that otherwise may have gone unrecognized, and foster great ideas that might never have come to fruition.
- Regional Initiatives
Regional Initiatives
NCWIT’s Regional Initiatives bundle research-backed programs and practices to increase the local participation of women and girls in tech fields and careers. To understand local computing ecosystems, and cater content and programming to needs on the ground, NCWIT partners with community stakeholders to build awareness, inspire participation, and connect women to like-minded peers, role models, and opportunities.
- Sit With Me
Sit with Me
Sit With Me uses its iconic red chair to create in-person and virtual spaces where everyone can reflect on the value of diversity and inclusion.
- Tech Inclusion Journey
Tech Inclusion Journey
The Tech Inclusion Journey (TIJ) is a unique, scalable software platform that empowers change leaders to implement systemic, sustainable approaches to the creation of inclusive cultures.
- Aspirations in Computing
- News & Events
- News & Events
- NCWIT Summit
NCWIT Summit
The NCWIT Summit: where conversations lead to change is the world’s largest annual convening of change leaders focused on significantly improving diversity and equity in computing.
- News
News
Check out NCWIT’s latest press releases, press mentions, newsletters, blogs, and articles we are talking about!
- Events
Events
NCWIT offers various in-person and virtual events throughout the year and is also present at many other industry events. Find out about past and upcoming items here.
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