GSE/DIS: A Coherent Global Web Portal of Resources for Women and ICT

University Of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

A network of organizations headed by the Center for Women and Information Technology (CWIT) at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), in partnership with the Association of Progressive Computing Women's Networking Support Program (WNSP), Global Alliance for Diversifying the Science and Engineering Workforce, International Network of Women in Science and Technology (INWES), National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT), Women in Global Science and Technology (WIGSAT), WINNETEU25 (Web portal hosted by the 25 member Women's Resource Centers of the European Union), Women in Engineering Program Advocates Network (WEPAN), and World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) Capacity Building Committee will build a web portal that centralizes access to thousands of widely scattered resources on the issue of and solutions to the global technology divide between men and women, and the under-utilization of women in the development of information technology. This project will build a global bridge between research and practice by creating a centralized web portal that will open up lines of communication between international researchers and program implementation personnel to develop the best possible practices based on sharing global knowledge. This will allow U.S.-based programs to develop and implement the effective programs needed in education and the workforce to attract a diversity of workers, including women. Intellectual merit - The project will innovatively use user-centered web design and development methods to create a universally useable web portal. The portal content will be carefully selected and described by a content team representing both research and education practice to assure high quality resources. The value added is consolidation and access to already existing resources that are scattered across multiple research disciplines and across the spectrum from research and evaluation findings to international practice. Broader Impact -The Global Portal project will increase access to already existing resources and will support girls and women's access to, literacy in, and participation in IT around the globe and will enhance the U.S.' efforts to address women's continuing under-participation in IT by providing fuller access to international research in the area and by better connecting resources and knowledge about best practices to engage females. The web portal will enhance the infrastructure for research and education by focusing on providing access to quality global resources on subjects related to women and IT. Better access will enable international collaboration between researchers, and among those in the education and development fields, especially between a wide array of fairly recently created organizations. Increasing women's participation and facilitating degree completion fulfills the identified national need of increasing skilled and highly educated employees in these fields. CWIT will work to disseminate the information through traditional faculty networks and CWIT's expansive network of partners developed through conferences, papers, proceedings and its website, which receives over 150,000 visitors every month.