A gender gap still exists among U.S. college-bound students considering computing as a career, according to a new report by ACM and the WGBH Educational Foundation. The report, which covers the first phase of the New Image for Computing initiative, seeks to answer why interest in studying computer science in U.S. colleges and pursuing computer-related careers is declining. The report is based on a nationwide, online survey of 1,406 college-bound teens in late 2008. The survey found that 74 percent of males, regardless of race or ethnicity, thought that majoring in computer science was a “very good” or “good” choice for them, while just 10 percent of females thought it was “very good” and 22 percent thought it was “good.” “We know that the number of computer science majors is not meeting projected work force needs,” says ACM CEO and co-principal investigator of the project John White. “Many factors contribute to the low interest in computer science, but the image of the field is a key element in current perceptions among this population.” Perhaps the most troubling trend is that 80 percent of today’s college freshmen said they had no idea what computer science majors do, according to White. “The results of this initiative will provide us with the tools to turn around the misplaced notions and lack of information that surround the world of computing and reinforce the critical and exciting role computing plays driving innovation in a global economy,” White says.
For more information please visit: http://www.cpccci.com
Tags: Computer
This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009 at 9:40 pm and is filed under Business Internet News, Computer Science and Engineering News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.