This study was conducted to determine factors that promote success in an introductory college computer science course. The model included twelve possible predictive factors including math background, attribution for success/failure (luck, effort, difficulty of task, and ability), domain specific self-efficacy, encouragement, comfort level in the course, work style preference, previous programming experience, previous non-programming computer experience, and gender. Subjects included 105 students enrolled in a CS1 introductory computer science course at a midwestern university. The study revealed three predictive factors in the following order of importance: comfort level, math, and attribution to luck for success/failure. Comfort level and math background were found to have a positive influence on success, whereas attribution to luck had a negative influence. The study also revealed by considering the different types of previous computer experiences (including formal programming class, self-initiated programming, internet use, game playing, and productivity software use) that both a formal class in programming and game playing were predictive of success. Formal training had a positive influence and games a negative influence on class grade. 1

A human-centric issue that has not been considered in the design of end-user programming environments is whether gender differences exist that are important to the design of these environments. Ignoring this issue would miss the opportunity of enhancing the effectiveness of end-user programmers by incorporating appropriate mechanisms to support gender-associated differences in decision making, learning, and problem solving. This paper takes a first step toward building a foundation for investigating this issue by surveying gender difference literature from five domains with an eye toward possible implications for end-user programming. We present a taxonomy of this literature, and derive a number of specific issues for each element of the taxonomy (stated as hypotheses). This foundation provides a starting point for organized investigations into issues that may be important for making breakthroughs in the effectiveness of end-user programmers.

Departmental attrition data from one state show that the difference between male and female rates of undergraduate attrition from computer science varies by institution. This analysis suggests that departmental factors are important in attrition from CS. Some CS departments inhibit female persistence at the undergraduate level while other departments promote persistence. The observed variation encourages research that compares departmental characteristics such as structure and culture, and relates them to departmental outcomes. Shifting the research focus to departmental characteristics and outcomes will identify effective methods for retaining women. 1.1 Keywords undergraduate education, gender, retention, attrition 2.

This paper reports on an investigation into first year students ’ perceptions of IT as a career. There are many stereotypes of the typical IT professional. These stereotypes are often depicted in the media and affect students ’ perceptions of the career and whether they should study IT or not. An exploratory study into male and female first year students ’ perceptions of the IT professional is presented. The participants included students studying the Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Information Systems degrees at ACU National in Melbourne, Australia. The study investigated the differences and similarities between the perceptions of males and females as well as where they came by those perceptions. The study found that the majority of students had chosen to drop IT as a subject at school by Year 10 of their schooling. Males and females differ in their reasons for giving up IT, with females listing computer illiteracy and dislike of being called a nerd as their main reasons and males listing boredom, teachers not being encouraging and little creativity as their main reasons for stopping. The students were then asked questions relating to the IT industry. A t-test showed that females were significantly more negative about the industry in their answers to three of the questions, namely “Is it ‘uncool ’ to be interested in computers? ” “Does the IT industry offer good job prospects?”

Abstract: This paper identifies three rationales for closing the gender gap in computing – economic, cultural and political – in the relevant literature. Each rationale implies a different set of indicators of present inequalities, disparate goals for creating equality, and distinct principles for software and web site design that aims to help girls overcome the gap by increasing their interest and knowledge about computing. It is argued that designers should pay greater attention to the political rationale for equity, conceiving software and web sites that cultivate girls ’ civic uses of computers, so that women can exercise equal control over the architecture and policy of the information age. In the recent literature on the gender gap in computing, arguments for pursuing greater equity among males and females may be urged for economic, for cultural, or for political reasons. Each rationale is significant, and often they are entwined in practice, but they are worth disentangling because each suggests different goals for achieving equity, distinct measures of current inequalities, and disparate design principles for media that aim to help girls overcome the gap. Focusing exclusively on one rationale is likely to obscure designers ’ understanding of the gender gap and how to address it. This paper compares each strand of thinking, and considers their implications for designing educational and recreational multimedia and hypermedia aimed

This paper is the first of a series of studies of a research program aimed at achieving a better fit between university study and professional practise of information systems. The paper reports the results of two surveys: the first of university information systems (IS) students and a second of employers of information systems graduates. Students were asked what they perceived as important technical knowledge, academic knowledge, and personal attributes sought by employers of new IS graduates. A similar questionnaire was sent to employers and consulting firms that advertised positions for junior IS professionals, asking what was actually sought by them in new IS graduates. The results of the two surveys are compared and similarities and differences noted. Implications for new graduates preparing themselves for employment and for curriculum planning that takes into account the competing needs students and employers in the IS field are discussed.