A Middle-School Code Camp Experience Emphasizing Data Science for Social Good
Caelin Bryant, Jonathan Gilmour, Beatriz Herce-Hagiwara, Anh Thu Pham, Halle Remash, Marli Remash, Jonah Zimmerman, Sarah Dahlby Albright, Samuel A. Rebelsky · 2018
The underrepresentation of women, students of color, and people from lower-SES (socio-economic-status) backgrounds within computer science remains a national issue. Recent studies demonstrate one reason: persistent stereotypes about "who does computer science" can cause minority groups to preclude interest in the field. Unfortunately, these stereotypes are not the only threat to diversifying the discipline. Engaging a diverse group of individuals in computer science is unlikely so long as computing curriculum is perceived as "irrelevant" and "asocial/". Confronting the stigma of triviality applied to computer science, much like approaching student perceptions about who can do computer science, is a necessary step for increasing the perceived applicability of the discipline.