Evidence for Teaching Practices that Broaden Participation for Women in Computing

Abstract

Computing has, for many years, been one of the least demographically diverse STEM fields, particularly in terms of women's participation [12, 36]. The last decade has seen a proliferation of research exploring new teaching techniques and their effect on the retention of students who have historically been excluded from computing. This research suggests interventions and practices that can affect the inclusiveness of the computer science classroom and potentially improve learning outcomes for all students. But research needs to be translated into practice, and practices need to be taken up in real classrooms. The current paper reports on the results of a focused systematic "state-of-the-art"review of recent empirical studies of teaching practices that have some explicit test of the impact on women in computing. Using the NCWIT Engagement Practices Framework as a means of organization, we summarize this research, outline the practices that have the most empirical support, and suggest where additional research is needed.