Peggy Doerschuk

Pilot summer camps in computing for middle school girls: from organization through assessment

It is a well-known fact that women are under-represented in computing, and that trend has been worsening. In recent years, very few entering female freshmen have expressed an interest in computer science. Research has shown that girls lose interest in computing at an early age. If we are to fill the pipeline with women we must reach out to girls to remove the hurdles and dispel the misconceptions that turn them away from computing. This paper describes our experience in conducting pilot summer camps in computing for middle school girls. It covers the whole process, from conception through assessment, including how we worked with local schools to organize and devise the content of the camps, and how the camps were funded, conducted, advertised and assessed. We include lessons learned from this experience to benefit those who want to implement such camps. Other organizations can use the information in this paper to guide them in developing similar programs.

A modular approach to intelligent control of a simulated jointed leg

Each module handles one phase of the running stride. A self-organizing fuzzy takeoff controller controls the size and angular momentum of the stride. A neural network based ballistic controller controls the movement of the airborne leg; and a similar landing controller repositions the leg for takeoff of the next stride.

A research and mentoring program for undergraduate women in computer science

This paper describes a new program for female undergraduate computer science students. The program uses recognized strategies for engaging women in computer science. It includes multi-faceted mentoring, community building activities, and a research program with significant educational components. The research component gives women an opportunity to work in research teams under the direction of a female faculty member who serves as role model. While there are other programs that allow students to work with female faculty on their research, this research program was designed to develop our female students. The research team presents its research at an appropriate conference each year. The team members also reach out to other students by participating in recruiting activities and presenting their research to high school students at local career days. Our program is currently in its second year. This paper describes the program and changes that we have made based on what we learned during the first year.

INSPIRED computing academies for middle school students: lessons learned

If we are to attract more women and minorities to computing we must engage students at an early age. As part of its mission to increase participation of women and underrepresented minorities in computing, the Increasing Student Participation in Research Development Program (INSPIRED) conducts computing academies for middle school students. University students from underrepresented groups organize, coordinate, and present the instructional materials. This not only provides role models for the kids but also helps develop the skills of the university students and thus aids in their retention. This paper describes the organization, coordination, content and assessment of the academies. Lessons learned are presented for the benefit of those who are considering adopting this practice at their institutions.

INSPIRED Broadening Participation in Computing: Most successful strategies and lessons learned

Lamar Universitys Increasing Student Participation in Research Development Program (‘INSPIRED’) is an NSF-sponsored Broadening Participation in Computing project that seeks to increase participation of females and underrepresented minorities in computing. This comprehensive multi-dimensional program includes a broad spectrum of supporting activities that are designed to attract, retain and transition students to the computing workforce. This paper briefly describes the motivation for the program, the research that underpins its strategies, and a comparison of the INSPIRED approach with other existing efforts. Well-developed approaches for assessing the impact of the strategies on student participants are also discussed. The paper focuses on practical methods for the implementation of the most effective program components and includes suggestions for those who would like to adopt them. Lessons learned from experience are used to address components receiving variable ratings or having the least positive impact.

An INSPIRED game programming academy for high school students

The demand for computing professionals is growing, but the number of college freshmen selecting computing majors has declined in recent years. Many organizations host academies that attempt to engage students in computing at an early age by exposing them to fun applications. Lamar Universitys Increasing Student Participation in Computing Program has developed a high school computing academy that uses game programming as an engaging hands-on approach to teach kids computing concepts. The game programming platform is freely downloaded and so is easily accessible to teachers and students. A formal assessment of the 2011 academy found that the high school participants experienced a significant increase in knowledge and interest in computing. This paper describes how the academy is organized, taught and assessed. The paper also has pointers to a website from which the instructional and assessment materials for the academy can be freely downloaded. The intent of the paper is to provide all of the information that is needed for others to host such academies and further promote the effort to increase participation in computing.

Work in progress — A survey of popular game creation platforms used for computing education

Because of the large appeal of video games, many educators are introducing computing concepts through video game development. By teaching students through video game development, teachers have the opportunity to continuously engage students, and students have fun while learning. In this paper, we present a review of game development platforms that have been used as teaching tools. We survey the attributes of different game development environments as well as their pros and cons. We investigate each platform to determine the following metrics: the type of interface the platform uses (graphical, textual or both), the language used to program the game (if applicable), the level of the intended user, whether the platform provides a debugging mechanism, and whether it provides a sharing mechanism. This literature review can be used to assist future development of teaching materials that engage students in computing via game development.

INSPIRED: Promoting diversity, retention, outreach and globalization readiness

The Increasing Student Participation in Research Development Program (ldquoINSPIREDrdquo), funded by a National Science Foundation Broadening Participation in Computing Grant, is designed to increase the participation of women and minorities in computing. This is needed to meet the growing demand for computer scientists and to strengthen the discipline by the infusion of their diverse ideas and perspectives. INSPIRED engages and develops students through an enriched research experience that includes mentoring, tutoring, and other support. INSPIRED is innovative in two respects. First, teams include students from all levels, freshmen through graduate students, and students can participate in multiple years. Secondly, the teams of students form the nucleus of a set of activities that are designed to retain and attract more students to computer science. Through involvement in outreach programs, INSPIRED students inspire others to enter and stay in the field. Working in diverse teams that include men and women from different cultures helps prepare students for the global workforce.

Increasing Participation of Females and Underrepresented Minorities in Computing

The demand for computer scientists is growing, but production of CS degrees in the US has been declining and we may face a shortage in the computing workforce in the next decade. In recent years, women earned fewer than 20 percent of computing degrees in the US, and African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans combined earned fewer than 8 percent of computer science and engineering degrees. The low participation of women and underrepresented minorities not only contributes to the shortage of computer scientists but also hampers creativity within the discipline by reducing the richness in perspectives that would accompany diversity. Therefore, recruiting and retaining women and underrepresented minorities in computing is an important issue for computing educators.

INSPIRED High School Computing Academies

If we are to attract more women and minorities to computing we must engage students at an early age. As part of its mission to increase participation of women and underrepresented minorities in computing, the Increasing Student Participation in Research Development Program (INSPIRED) conducts computing academies for high school students. The academies are designed to increase students’ knowledge of and interest in computing and to encourage females and minorities to participate in computing. INSPIRED academies differ from others in several ways. They are relatively easy to organize and require relatively few resources; they focus on computing concepts and object-oriented programming; they expose students to successful female and minority computer scientists; and they actively engage university students from underrepresented groups to organize, coordinate, teach, and help assess the academies. This not only provides role models for the high school students but also helps engage the university students and promote their professional development. Our assessment results show that high school student participants have gained significant knowledge and interest in computing through participation in the academies. This article describes the organization, coordination, content, and assessment of the academies, along with suggestions for those who would like to design academies like these. It also discusses how to prepare university students for their roles in the academies and how their participation has helped in their professional development. It includes pointers to sites from which the instructional and assessment materials can be downloaded for those who wish to replicate or adapt these materials.