ITW: Departmental Factors in Gendered Attrition from Undergraduate IT Majors

University Of Virginia Main Campus, Charlottesville VA

Investigators

Abstract

Institution: University of Virginia Proposal Number: EIA 0089959 PI: Joanne Cohoon Title: Departmental Factors in Gendered Attrition from Undergraduate IT Majors This CISE Information Technology Workforce (ITW) proposal requests funds to address the disproportionate loss of women from undergraduate programs in computer science. The objectives are to profile the top-producing U.S. computer science departments, to identify the departmental characteristics and practices that affect equal retention of male and female computer science majors, and to disseminate this information and make recommendations for action based on the study results. One component of the project will be a survey of chairpersons and faculty from 227 computer science departments. Fifteen of these departments will be randomly selected for on-site interviews of chairpersons, faculty, and students. This project has the potential to provide significant insights about what kind of educational environment is likely to retain female students in computer science at rates comparable to male students.