ITWF: Factors Concerning Recruitment and Retention of Women Graduate Students in Computer Science and Engineering

Computing Research Association, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

EIA-0203127 Cuny, Janice E. Aspray, William Cohoon, Joanne Jesse, Jolene Computing Research Association Title: Factors Concerning Recruitment and Retention of Women Graduate Students in Computer Science and Engineering This ITWF award provides support to the Computing Research Association (CRA) to study an important aspect of the largest under-represented group in the IT workforce, the graduate education of women. Using experience gained in a previous Best Practice Report (Janice Cuny and William Aspray, "Recruitment and Retention of Women Graduate Students in Computer Science and Engineering", Computing Research Association, Washington, DC 2001) on recruiting and retaining women in computer science and engineering (CS&E) graduate school, the project will study U.S. CS&E graduate programs in order to identify and quantify links between the program's recruitment and retention practices and their outcomes. Results expected from the study include a description and assessment of the existing recruitment and retention practices in 50 CS&E departments with doctoral programs; a measure of the impact recruitment practices have on the female proportion of new students enrolled; a measure of the impact retention practices have on the female proportion of students retained through the doctorate; a set of materials that departments can use to make self-assessments; an evaluation of the effectiveness and comprehensiveness of the practices recommended in the Best Practices Report; and findings that can be generalized on the link between recruitment and retention practices and their outcomes with respect to female graduate students.