Better Balance in Informatics: An Honest Discussion with Students

In recent years, there have been significant efforts to promote gender balance in the academic environment of Computer Science (CS). However, there is still a gender gap at all levels of CS academia, from students to PhD candidates and faculty members. The Department of Computer Science at UiT The Arctic University of Norway follows this trend. To address this issue within their department, the authors organized structured discussions with students to identify points of intervention that could increase gender balance among incoming CS students, current CS students, and those interested in entering CS academia. To ensure a high number of participants and a plurality of experiences, the authors hired two female student project assistants who were instrumental in reaching out to their fellow students and promoting the Better Balance in Informatics (BBI) agenda. They also redesigned the BBI website to include clear motivation for their mission and upcoming events. Various means were employed to advertise BBI discussion sessions including posting advertisements on department monitors and social networks, Canvas, UiT calendar, local student organization forums such as Discord server maintained by TD. Student assistants gave 5-minute talks about BBI during courses with high enrollment, created flyers and organized stands where students could casually socialize and talk about BBI. The discussions revealed ways to achieve a balanced flow of students into CS undergraduate programs, a balanced study environment for CS majors, and a balanced flow of graduates into higher levels of CS academia such as PhD programs. After analyzing data collected from these discussions, recommendations were made to the administration of the department along with a roadmap that other institutions could follow when organizing similar events as part of their gender-balance action plan. To begin with, it is crucial to encourage more female participation at an early stage by providing mentorship opportunities or creating outreach programs targeted towards girls in middle school or high school who may be interested in pursuing CS. The authors also recommend creating a more inclusive and supportive study environment for CS majors by providing mentorship programs, organizing networking events, and promoting diversity in hiring practices. Finally, to increase the number of female graduates entering higher levels of CS academia such as PhD programs it is recommended to provide more opportunities for research experience and funding as well as creating a supportive community that encourages women to pursue academic careers in CS.

Promoting Gender Balance in Computer Science Academia: A Case Study of UiT The Arctic University of Norway

Computer Science (CS) has seen significant efforts to promote gender balance in recent years, yet there is still a gender gap at all levels of CS academia. To address this issue within their department, the Department of Computer Science at UiT The Arctic University of Norway organized structured discussions with students to identify points of intervention that could increase gender balance among incoming CS students, current CS students, and those interested in entering CS academia.

The Better Balance in Informatics Initiative

To ensure a high number of participants and a plurality of experiences, two female student project assistants were hired to reach out to their fellow students and promote the Better Balance in Informatics (BBI) agenda. They redesigned the BBI website to include clear motivation for their mission and upcoming events. Various means were employed to advertise BBI discussion sessions including posting advertisements on department monitors and social networks, Canvas, UiT calendar, local student organization forums such as Discord server maintained by TD. Student assistants gave 5-minute talks about BBI during courses with high enrollment, created flyers and organized stands where students could casually socialize and talk about BBI.

Results from Discussions

The discussions revealed ways to achieve a balanced flow of students into CS undergraduate programs; create a balanced study environment for CS majors; increase the number of female graduates entering higher levels of CS academia such as PhD programs; provide mentorship opportunities or creating outreach programs targeted towards girls in middle school or high school who may be interested in pursuing CS; provide more opportunities for research experience and funding; create networking events; promote diversity in hiring practices; organize mentorship programs; create supportive communities that encourage women to pursue academic careers in CS.

Recommendations & Roadmap

After analyzing data collected from these discussions, recommendations were made to the administration along with a roadmap that other institutions could follow when organizing similar events as part of their gender-balance action plan. It is recommended that institutions should focus on encouraging more female participation at an early stage by providing mentorship opportunities or creating outreach programs targeted towards girls in middle school or high school who may be interested in pursuing CS. Additionally they should strive for creating an inclusive study environment by providing mentorship programs, organizing networking events and promoting diversity when it comes to hiring practices. Finally they should make sure there are enough opportunities for research experience and funding available so that more females can enter higher levels of academia such as PhD programmes which will ultimately lead towards achieving better gender balance across all levels within computer science departments around the world.