Wendy M. DuBow

Perceived access to fruits and vegetables associated with increased consumption.

OBJECTIVE To examine the association between fruit and vegetable access in the community and change in fruit and vegetable consumption among participants in community-based health promotion programmes. DESIGN Fruit and vegetable consumption and perceived access to fresh fruit and vegetables were measured by self-administered questionnaires at programme start, end and 1-year follow-up. Community produce availability was determined by grocery store assessments measuring the display space devoted to fruit and vegetable offerings, as well as price, variety and freshness. A total of nine communities were studied; 130 participants completed the fruit and vegetable portions of the questionnaires and could be linked to grocery store assessments. RESULTS Participants made modest but significant increases in fruit and vegetable consumption from programme start to end: the average increase was 2.88 (95% CI 1.52, 4.25) servings weekly; the average increase from start to follow-up was 2.52 (95% CI 1.09, 3.95) servings weekly. Greater perceived access to fruits and vegetables was significantly associated with higher increases in fruit and vegetable consumption from programme start to programme end. Greater availability of produce was associated with greater increases in fruit and vegetable servings from programme start to programme end as measured by store assessments. CONCLUSIONS Environmental factors, such as access to fruits and vegetables, can modify the effects of community interventions. Interventions with the goal of increasing fruit and vegetable consumption should consider focusing on increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables in target communities. Similarly, researchers may want to study access as an intervention, not just a contextual variable.

Efforts to Make Computer Science More Inclusive of Women

T wo decades ago, many academic and industry professionals had given little thought to the gender or racial composition of their classrooms or offices. In the early 2000s, that perspective shifted dramatically. The dotcom bubble burst and, with that, the computing field seemed to lose its luster with prospective students and employees. Some, however, recognized that computer science and engineering would remain critical to our nations economy and would, in fact, grow in importance. They also recognized that a lack of diversity in the field is not only an equity problem, it is problematic for innovation and workforce development. These forward-thinking individuals and entities focused on the need for women to be a much greater part of the equation as the field moved into its next phase. Among the many groups working on issues of diversity in the computer science discipline, three organizations have been instrumental in shifting the conversation and the composition of the technology workforce around the nation and the Information Technology works to develop and support change leaders in organizations across the computing talent pipeline, including faculty and administrators at our nations colleges and universities. NCWIT has a number of programs and initiatives to empower change leaders in the post-secondary arena including , but not limited to, the Academic Alliance, Pacesetters, Extension Services for Undergraduate Programs, the Aspirations Collegiate award and community, the Data Tracking Tool, and most recently, the EngageCSEdu platform. ACM-W. As the numbers of computing degrees awarded to women began to decline in the early 1990s, ACM reacted by forming the ACM Committee on the Status of Women in Com

Attracting and Retaining Women in Computing

The National Center for Women & Information Technology is helping institutions and businesses increase the number of women in computing majors and the tech workforce.

Bringing young women into computing through the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing program

A program to encourage and support girls and women in pursuing their computer science interests.

Multiple factors converge to influence women's persistence in computing: A qualitative analysis of persisters and nonpersisters

Previous research has suggested that access and exposure to computing, social supports, preparatory privilege, a sense of belonging in computing and/or a computing identity all contribute to women pursuing computing as a field of study or intended career. What we know less about is what keeps young women persisting in computing despite the obstacles they encounter. This paper describes findings from analysis of 64 in-depth interviews with young women who in high school expressed interest in computing by looking into NCWITs Aspirations in Computing Award. The dataset includes Award winners and non-winners, some of whom have persisted in computing and some who have not. Our findings suggest that multiple, redundant supports, with community support and factors bolstering identity/belonging at their center, may make the difference in who persists and who does not.

Programming Plush Toys as an Introduction to Computer Science: The (Fraught) Question of Motivation

Computer science education has long grappled with a central difficulty: despite the fact that the discipline is of undeniable cultural importance, and despite the fact that in America (as indeed in most countries) there is a perceived need for trained computer scientists, it is difficult to motivate younger students to pursue computing as a personal interest. This problem is particularly acute for female students, whose numbers among computer science undergraduate programs are consistently small. In this chapter, we discuss a project whose goal is to provide a more motivating introduction to middle-school students (particularly, though not exclusively, girls), employing tangible programming of plush toys as its central activity. Forty-six students, aged 12–14, completed a 7.5-week study in which they used a system called Plushbot to create and program their own plush toys; the students also completed pre- and post-surveys designed to elicit their attitudes toward programming and computer science. This chapter discusses the ideas behind using tangible programming as a motivating activity for computer science; the results of the surveys, while in many ways not encouraging for our purposes, highlight the difficulty both of measuring (and understanding) students’ attitudes toward programming and the continuing need for innovative research and design in responding to this issue.

Increasing Diversity in the Face of Enrollment Increases

Recently, many computing departments in universities and colleges around the nation have seen increases in enrollments in the major. While these increases are largely welcome, it is important that the student population be diversified even as enrollments swell. What are departments doing to ensure that women are both recruited and retained in this changing environment? This panel will share interventions undertaken by three U.S. post-secondary institutions that have focused on increasing their female and underrepresented student enrollment. Their efforts all include multi-pronged approaches, which is consistent with the social science research on how to create institutional reform in academic departments [1]. These institutions have made changes that reflect increased departmental engagement with recruitment and retention for diversity: a shift in individual faculty pedagogical strategies, introductory course restructuring, as well as more outreach and preparatory programs for incoming students. These departments have not only implemented existing evidence-based practices to make these lasting changes, but have tried new ideas as well.

Growing female undergraduate enrollments in computer science: some successful approaches

Computing has seen dramatic decreases in the major across the past decade, especially among under-represented populations. Recently, however, some institutions have begun to see an increase. What are these departments doing to reverse this historical trend? Learn about practices undertaken by U.S. universities that have increased undergraduate enrollments overall, with particular increases in female enrollment and retention. Computer science faculty from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Virginia Tech and Florida A&M will present their interventions and results. National Center for Women & Information Technology will share results from other institutions that also have used evidence-based practices resulting in increased enrollments and distribute materials describing those practices.

The Authentic Inclusion and Role of Community Colleges in National Efforts to Broaden Participation in Computing: (Abstract Only)

Over half of community college (CC) students are non-white, and more than half of all Hispanic and Black undergraduates start at community college. Given that community colleges (CCs) enroll minorities and women in larger numbers than four-year institutions, it is imperative for both, CCs and four-year institutions, to engage in collaborative efforts to broaden the participation of diverse peoples into computing and facilitate unobstructed pathways from the two-year to four-year educations. While CCs are rich in diversity, their students face an inordinate number of obstacles transferring to a bachelors degree particularly in computer science (CS). The complexities of the CC landscape require that experts from various backgrounds come together to share knowledge and experiences to contribute to a better understanding of the role CCs can play with four-year institutions in broadening the participation efforts in CS and information technology (IT).

Expanding our understanding of backbone organizations in collective impact initiatives

Abstract This article explores the question of what mechanisms a backbone organization uses in a collective impact initiative to help diverse participants make organizational and social change. Qualitative data gathered from interviews with and observations of the participant organizations illustrate the ways that the backbone organization facilitated movement toward a common goal, making change. In this initiative, the participants were responsible for making their own organizational changes, which in turn, help to change the larger inequitable ecosystem. Data revealed five key mechanisms the backbone organization used to facilitate change-making among participating organizations: regular convenings, accountability, national visibility, top-level leader involvement, and coaching. These mechanisms helped participant organizations integrate new knowledge and implement multi-pronged, customized strategies to navigate systemic change together. Finally, four suggestions for intentional backbone facilitation are proposed to help strengthen collective impact initiatives.