Equity and Computing: A Study of Computer Science Education in an Informal Setting

• In Event: Centering Equity in STEM+C Education

Abstract

Aiming to promote equity in computing, this study proposes an educational model and examines a learning environment grounded in this model. The guiding research questions are: What did the students learn from the experience? In what ways did the experience impact students beyond cognition? Adopting a qualitative naturalistic research perspective, this case study took a design-based approach where data collection spanned one and a half years. The context is an online Girls Who Code club, a free after-school program for grades 3-12 girls. The results show that the underrepresented population has enhanced understanding of not only computing, but also work ethics, digital citizenship, and beyond. They also have broadened view about computing-related fields with expanded career pathways.

Authors

• Qing Li, Towson University

• Qijie Vicky Cai, Towson University

• Mahnaz Moallem, Towson University

• Jeremy Boettinger, Towson University