Encouraging Diversity in Computer Science

Having a diverse group of students (male and female students, students from a variety of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds) in computer science classes and in the information technology industry is important:
  • It may lead to innovation. People bring different approaches to problem-solving and create technologies often because of their unique experiences.
  • More diversity helps guard against bias and may lead to new ideas that improve life for everyone.

Below are presentations and resources that may help you recruit and retain a diverse group of students in your computer science classes.
Videos
  • Change the World - Hour of Code 2015 video by Code.org
  • she++ The Documentary - Good Girl Gone Geek (2013) Stories from high school girls, recently graduated female computer scientists now working in industry, female technology CEOs, Stanford academics, and Silicon Valley venture capitalists, build momentum as she++: The Documentary accumulates facts and statistics, and most promisingly, personal stories. This film will startle the world and inspire girls, young and old, to take the lack of a Y chromosome and make a girl's vision unique and useful in the world of code.
  • Code: Debugging the Gender Gap (2015) Exposes the dearth of American female and minority software engineers and explores the reasons for this gender gap.  CODE raises the question: what would society gain from having more women and minorities code?
Books
Posters