Increasing Diversity in the Face of Enrollment Increases

Recently, many computing departments in universities and colleges around the nation have seen increases in enrollments in the major. While these increases are largely welcome, it is important that the student population be diversified even as enrollments swell. What are departments doing to ensure that women are both recruited and retained in this changing environment? This panel will share interventions undertaken by three U.S. post-secondary institutions that have focused on increasing their female and underrepresented student enrollment. Their efforts all include multi-pronged approaches, which is consistent with the social science research on how to create institutional reform in academic departments [1]. These institutions have made changes that reflect increased departmental engagement with recruitment and retention for diversity: a shift in individual faculty pedagogical strategies, introductory course restructuring, as well as more outreach and preparatory programs for incoming students. These departments have not only implemented existing evidence-based practices to make these lasting changes, but have tried new ideas as well.