STEM Education and Workforce Development: Addressing Equity and Inclusion for Underserved Populations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10125/107501

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    How Can Chatbots Improve the Gender Gap in Information Systems?
    (2024-01-03) Berthelsen, Rebecca; Chandler, Cherileigh; Dean, Lauren; Keith, Mark; Schuetzler, Ryan; Kettles, Degan; Anderson, Greg
    The underrepresentation of women in STEM fields, including information systems (IS), is an ongoing issue that warrants our efforts to understand why a gender gap exists in this domain and what can be done to mitigate it. Prior research shows that women often have lower levels of self-efficacy than men regarding information systems tasks, which may explain the discrepancy between genders. In a previous study, we explored the effectiveness of a chatbot programming tutor in building self-efficacy of IS students and found that chatbot usage, which was self-reported, improved self-efficacy for all students but had a greater effect on self-efficacy for women. We conducted a second iteration of our initial study using actual chatbot logs (as opposed to self-reported usage) and confirmed our initial finding that chatbots may be a valuable tool in lessening the gender gap. Furthermore, we explore private self-consciousness as another explanation for the gender gap.
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    Introducing Women to Data Science: Investigating the Gender Gap in a Learning Initiative on Kaggle
    (2024-01-03) Twyman, Marlon; Majchrzak, Ann
    Unlike many STEM fields, data science has emerged with online communities serving as prominent spaces for professional development and learning. This paper explores factors that contribute to gender differences regarding perceptions of satisfaction and difficulty in a learning initiative for data science hosted by the Kaggle community. We investigate multiple factors: prior experience and skills, professional role, and communication within a learning community. Our results, based on a survey of 2,707 aspiring data scientists, suggest that learners who identify as women do not perceive assignments to be more difficult than men, but complete fewer assignments. The increasing difficulty of the learning experience affected all learners, but men were still able to complete the hardest assignments at a higher rate than women despite experiencing similar barriers. Overall, the findings demonstrate how learning initiatives in technically intensive domains contribute to different outcomes between groups.
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    The State of Cybersecurity Programs in High Schools: A Case Study Analysis of Their Development, Sustainment, and Inclusiveness
    (2024-01-03) Williams, Tania; Daugherty, Jenny
    As the field of cybersecurity evolves, so does the field of cybersecurity education. Formal instruction of cybersecurity-related concepts has migrated down to the secondary level, with high schools around the country looking for ways to integrate cybersecurity programs into their existing student offerings. This paper provides the findings of case study research at four high school cybersecurity programs in order to understand how these programs were developed and sustained and their inclusiveness of students from underrepresented, vulnerable, and underserved populations. It provides a brief background of cybersecurity education at the secondary level, describes the methodology used, and provides data analysis and results. Included are recommendations for further study.
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    A Case Study of Integrating the Train-the-Trainer and Experiential Learning Models in Computer Skills Training
    (2024-01-03) Deng, Xuefei; Yi, Sheng
    We conducted a case study to focus on the development of the Train-the-Trainer Model (TTT) through the Experiential Learning Model (ELM) in computer skills training. We argue that integrating the two learning models would allow us to enhance the effectiveness of student learning in computer education. The research site is a minority-serving public university in the United States, where students with diverse backgrounds were recruited and trained to design and deliver a campus-wide Excel skills workshop to their peers. The student trainers were found going through the stages of ELM: Experience – Reflect – Think – Act during two major events, the co-designing of workshop modules and the co-delivering of the live workshop. Our thematic analysis revealed four themes on the skills development of the student trainers. The study contributes to the computer education of underserved students through effectively integrating TTT and ELM and provides guidelines for educators to adopt such integration.
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