Action Research Project update

Action Research Project Title:

How can we increase enrollment in Computer Science courses in CISD, especially for women?

Blog URL: http://woessneredu.blogspot.com/

Number of AR Project Documented Hours: approximately 40

AR Project Summary (at least 250 words):

Universities in the United States are not producing enough Computer Science graduates to fill industry demand, and women are a shockingly small percentage of those students. As our society is becoming more and more dependent on technology, the expertise required to drive this industry is largely being ignored in our school system. Computer Science jobs are regularly associated with high quality of life, and good pay, and women have historically been a large part of the field.

I want to find out what current research is available to explain these issues, and find and develop some ideas to overcome them. I would also like to network with other high school computer science teachers to discover what they are doing to increase enrolment and encourage women to try Computer Science. My plan is to test some new ideas at my high school, see if any are successful, and share my experiences with other Computer Science teachers.