Conference PaperPDF Available

It is getting better, a little better – female application to higher education programmes on Informatics and System science

Authors:
Peter Mozelius at Mid Sweden University
Peter Mozelius
Download full-text PDF
Read full-text
Download citation

Abstract

With the ongoing digitalisation, the Swedish IT industry is rapidly expanding. It has been estimated by the Labour office that around 40 000 new system developers need to be recruited only in the coming four years. Salaries are high and companies ask for female system developers, but in higher education the majority of students on computer science programmes are male. University programmes on Informatics and System science are less technical and have a tradition of a higher female percentage. In earlier discussions, colleagues from universities in the north of the country brought up that the application figures has gone down, while persons working at other universities claim that the number of female students applying actually has increased. Who are right, who are wrong? The aim of the study is to analyse and discuss the official application statistics that are published by the Swedish Council for Higher Education. Application statistics from 2012 to 2017 have been analysed and compared for ten programmes at eight universities. The selection of universities has a nation-wide spread but was mainly based on their outline of programmes on Informatics and System science. Findings show that both opinions seem to be right, but the main tendency is an increase in female applications for the made selection. On the other hand, a slight decrease can be found for the northern universities where the programmes are given in a dual mode. The on-campus groups have a surprisingly higher percentage of males than the distance versions, when programmes with identical syllabuses were compared. More technical computer science programmes have fewer female students while the highest percentages of female students can be found in programmes on Web development, Web design and Interaction design.
Content uploaded by Peter Mozelius
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Peter Mozelius on Apr 12, 2018
Content may be subject to copyright.
Itisgettingbetter,alittlebetter–femaleapplicationtohighereducation
programmesonInformaticsandSystemscience
PeterMozelius,DepartmentofComputerandSystemsSciences,MidSwedenUniversity,
Sweden

Withtheongoingdigitalisation,theSwedishITindustryisrapidlyexpanding.Ithasbeen
estimatedbytheLabourofficethataround40000newsystemdevelopersneedtobe
recruitedonlyinthecomingfouryears.Salariesarehighandcompaniesaskforfemalesystem
developers,butinhighereducationthemajorityofstudentsoncomputerscience
programmesaremale.UniversityprogrammesonInformaticsandSystemscienceareless
technicalandhaveatraditionofahigherfemalepercentage.Inearlierdiscussions,colleagues
fromuniversitiesinthenorthofthecountrybroughtupthattheapplicationfigureshasgone
down,whilepersonsworkingatotheruniversitiesclaimthatthenumberoffemalestudents
applyingactuallyhasincreased.Whoareright,whoarewrong?
Theaimofthestudyistoanalyseanddiscusstheofficialapplicationstatisticsthatare
publishedbytheSwedishCouncilforHigherEducation.Applicationstatisticsfrom2012to
2017havebeenanalysedandcomparedfortenprogrammesateightuniversities.The
selectionofuniversitieshasanation‐widespreadbutwasmainlybasedontheiroutlineof
programmesonInformaticsandSystemscience.
Findingsshowthatbothopinionsseemtoberight,butthemaintendencyisanincreasein
femaleapplicationsforthemadeselection.Ontheotherhand,aslightdecreasecanbefound
forthenorthernuniversitieswheretheprogrammesaregiveninadualmode.Theon‐campus
groupshaveasurprisinglyhigherpercentageofmalesthanthedistanceversions,when
programmeswithidenticalsyllabuseswerecompared.Moretechnicalcomputerscience
programmeshavefewerfemalestudentswhilethehighestpercentagesoffemalestudents
canbefoundinprogrammesonWebdevelopment,WebdesignandInteractiondesign.
Keywords:Highereducation,Genderdifferences,Informatics,Systemscience,Computer
science
1. Introduction
InanarticleintheSwedishjournalÖstersundsposten(2017)itishighlightedthatthereis,
today,alackofaround30.000systemdevelopersandIT‐expertsintheSwedishIT‐industry.
Theneedforprogrammersandsystemdevelopersinthecomingfouryearsisestimatedto
around40000persons.Furthermore,thearticleishighlightingthefactthatfartoofewgirls
enroltouniversityprogrammesonSoftwareengineering,SystemdevelopmentorInformatics.
SwedishIT‐expertspointsoutthatitisimportanttochangethecurrentsituationwhereonly
25%ofthestudentsonprogrammesthatinvolveprogrammingarefemale.Theinterviewed
programmerAroshineMunasinghesaysthatshewantstoinspiremoregirlstoapplyforthe
maledominatedITprogrammesatuniversitylevelthatopenuprichcareeropportunities
(Östersundsposten,2017).
ComputerscienceatuniversitylevelisanimportantgatewaytotheIT‐industry,andoverhalf
ofthetop25highestpayingin‐demandjobstodayrequireprogrammingskills(Cooper&
Dierker,2017).Atthesametime,theunderrepresentationoffemalesonprogrammes
involvingprogrammingandsystemdevelopmentiswelldocumentedinresearchstudies
(Dryburgh,2000;Charles&Bradley,2006;Leeetal.,20015). Onediscussedreasonisthe
culturalidentificationoftechnologywithmasculinitybuttheexplanationisprobablymore
complex(Pechtelidisetal.,2015).Mostexpertsagreethatifthereexistgenderdifferences,in
thefieldsofMathematicsandEngineering,theyaresmallandmoreplausibleexplanations
havesocialandculturalorigins(Ybarra,2016).
ComparedtopureComputerscienceandSoftwareengineeringuniversityprogrammeson
informaticsandSystemsciencearelesstechnicalandhaveatraditionofahigherfemale
percentage.Thisstudyhavecomparedtheapplicationpercentagesfortenuniversity
programmesonInformaticsandSystemscienceatnineuniversities.Inearlierdiscussions,
colleaguesfromuniversitiesinthenorthoftheSwedishnationhavementionedthatthe
applicationfigureshasgonedown,whilepersonsworkingatotheruniversitieshaveclaimed
claimthatthenumberoffemalestudentsapplyingtouniversityprogrammesinvolving
Computerscienceactuallyhasincreased.Whoareright,whoarewrong?
1.1 Aimofthestudy
Theaimofthestudyistoanalyseanddiscusstheofficialapplicationstatisticsthatare
publishedbytheSwedishCouncilforHigherEducation.Isthenumberoffemalestudents
applyingforIT‐relateduniversityprogrammesdecreasingorincreasingandwhichtypesof
programmeshavebeenmostsuccessfultoattractfemalestudents?
2. Extendedbackground
ThefindingsfortheprogrammesatDalarnaUniversity,LuleåUniversityofTechnologyandthe
MidSwedenUniversityarefilteredthroughtheconceptofblendedsynchronouslearning.A
teachingandlearningdesignthatisbasedontheideaofblendedlearningwheretraditional
teachingmethodsareblendedwithtechnologyenhancedlearning.
2.1 Blendedlearning
Highereducationhasrapidlyincreasedtheuseofblendedlearningduringthelastdecades
andashighlightedbyGarrison&Kanuka(2004)theinvolvementofblendedlearningdesignis
inevitableatuniversitylevel.Startingoutasanexperimentalideaindistanceeducationco,
blendedlearningaretodayfrequentlyusedinmainstreameducation.Inabroaderdefinition
blendedlearningcouldbedescribedasthecontinuumbetweenthetraditionalrostrum
teachingandtechnologyenhancedonlinedistanceeducation(Watson,2008),butthereisalso
morecomplexdefinition,includingtheintegrationofsynchronousandasynchronouslearning
activitiesinacarefuldesign(Garrison&Kanuka,2004).
Amoremediarichmultimodalmodelincludingsynchronousaswellasasynchronousteaching
andlearningdesignwasdescribedinPicciano's(2009)conceptualblendedlearningmodel.
Thereisnoobviousrecipeforblendedlearning,andalongthecontinuumfromfullyonlineto
fullyface‐to‐faceextremesthereexistmanyvariations.Campuscoursescaninvolve
asynchronousonlineactivities,atthesametimeasdistancecoursescanincludeface‐to‐face
teachingcomponents(Watson,2008).Inthiswidevarietyofblendedlearningdesignthere
havebeensuccessstoriesreported,butatthesametherehavealsobeenseverefailuresin
thedesignandimplementationofblendedlearning
2.2Blendedsynchronouslearning
Blendedlearningcouldbeimplementedasblendedsynchronouslearningwithablendof
virtualclassroomsandtraditionalphysicalclassrooms(Hastieetal.,2010).Thiseducational
designwiththeblendofon‐campusanddistancestudentshassometimesalsobeenreferred
toashybridlearning(Stewartetal.,2011),butinthisstudytheusedtermisalwaysblended
synchronouslearning.Inblendedsynchronouslearningteachingandlearningactivities,
distancestudentsparticipateinon‐campusface‐to‐facesessionsthroughtheuseofrich‐
mediasynchronoustechnologiessuchasvideoconferencingsystemsandvirtuallearning
environments(Boweretal.,2015).
Blendedsynchronouslearningenvironmentshavebeendescribedwithhaveapotentialto
increasestudentflexibilityaswellasenablingrichopportunitiesforstudent‐teacher
interaction,regardlessthestudents’location(Senn,2008).Ontheotherhandthereareother
studiesthathavepointedoutthatthepossibilitiesforinteractionaredifferentforthetwo
studentgroups(Popov,2009;Gill&Mullarkey,2015).Severalstudieshavefoundthatthetwo
differentstudentgroupsequallyachievethegivenlearningoutcomes,butthatthedistance
studentsaremoresatisfiedwiththeirlearningexperience(Szeto,2014;Said,2015).Thestudy
byStewartetal.(2011)alsoindicatesthatthissynchronousblendmightaffecttheon‐campus
studentsnegatively.Therearefewstudiesongenderdifferencesinblendedsynchronous
learning,butatSwedishuniversityprogrammesfemales,andespeciallyfemaleswithchildren,
tendtochoosethedistanceprogrammes.

3. Method
Thisstudyhasbeenconductedasacross‐sectionalstudybasedonopendatafromThe
SwedishCouncilforHigherEducation(2017a)and(2017b).Adisadvantagewithcross‐
sectionalstudiesarethattheymeasurethesituationatagiventimelikeasnapshot,buton
theotherhandtheycanbeusefulatidentifyingassociationsthatcanbefollowed‐upandmore
thoroughlystudied(Mann,2003).Thechosencross‐sectionalsnapshotwastocomparethe
applicationpercentagesfortheautumnsemesterof2012withtheapplicationpercentagesof
theautumnsemesterof2017tomeasurethechangefortenselecteduniversityprogrammes.
DatahasbeencollectedfromtheSwedishCouncilforHigherEducation(2017a)toinvestigate
whichIT‐relateduniversityprogrammesthatattractthehighestnumberoffemalestudents.
FurthermoredatafromtheSwedishCouncilforHigherEducation(2017b)hasbeenusedfor
lookingattheactualchangeinapplicationtrendsforthe2017autumnsemester.
4. Findingsanddiscussions
InthelatesttrendreportfromtheSwedishCouncilforHigherEducationthatapproximately
60percentoftheapplicantsarefemale(SwedishCouncilforHigherEducation,2017b).This
clearlyindicatesthattheredonotexistanygeneralbarriertouniversitystudiesforwomenin
Sweden.Justafewdecadesago,Swedishuniversitiesweredominatedbymen,buttoday
nearlytwo‐thirdsofalluniversitydegreesinSwedenareawardedtowomen.Furthermore,an
equalnumberofwomenandmenarenowtakingpartinpostgraduateanddoctoralstudies
(GenderequalityinSweden,2017).
However,intherealmofInformaticsanduniversityprogrammesonSystemsciencethe
figureslookdifferentandthereisnomajorchangeduringthelastfiveyears.Table1below
presentsthenumberofapplicantsandthefemalepercentageforthenineprogrammesthat
weregiveninthefieldofInformaticsandSystemsciencein2012.
SemesterProgrammeProgramme
code
Educational
institution
Numberof
Applicants
Female
percentage
Autumn
2012
SystemscienceHDA‐H2GW3Dalarna
University
18921.1%
Autumn
2012
System
science,IT,
humansand
organisations
GU‐19736Universityof
Gothenburg
80626.1%
Autumn
2012
SystemscienceLIU‐50008Linköping
University
84617.7%
Autumn
2012
Systemscience
(Campus)
LTU‐87339Luleå
Universityof
Technology
15416.2%
Autumn
2012
Systemscience
(Distance)
LTU‐87340Luleå
Universityof
Technology
22428.1%
Autumn
2012
Systemscience
‐ information
systems
LU‐80420Lund
University
56221.2%
Autumn
2012
Informaticsfor
system
development
MIU‐27011MidSweden
University
25939.3%
Autumn
2012
Computerand
systemscience
SU‐43913Stockholm
University
170724.8%
Autumn
2012
SystemscienceUU‐P2202Uppsala
University
79717.0%
Table1.Applicationstatisticsforthe2012autumnsemester
Consideringthenorth–southperspective,theyoungeruniversitiesinthenorthernpartof
Swedenhavethehighestfemalepercentageswith39.3%womenfortheMidSweden
Universityand28.1%forLuleåUniversityofTechnology(distanceprogram).Inthesemore
sparselypopulatedregionsbothuniversitiestodayhaveamixofcampusanddistance
studentswithcoursesgivenasblendedsynchronouslearning.Consideringtheyoung–old
perspective,thetwooldestuniversities,Lund(21.2)andUppsala(17.0)haverelativelylow
percentagesoffemales.TheverylowestpercentagewasfoundforLuleåUniversityof
Technology(campusprogram)withonly16.2%,butwiththetwoprogrammesaggregated
(campus+distance)thepercentageforLuleåUniversityofTechnologywas23.2%.

SemesterProgrammeProgramme
code
Educational
institution
Numberof
Applicants
20122017
Female
percentage2012
2017
Autumn
2017
System
scienceHDA‐H2V9G Dalarna
University
18931621.1%20.2%
Autumn
2017
System
science,IT,
humansand
organisations
GU‐19740University
of
Gothenburg
806106326.1%30.3%
Autumn
2017
System
scienceLIU‐50008Linköping
University
846104017.7%22.2%
Autumn
2017
System
science
(Campus)
LTU‐87398Luleå
University
of
Technology
15427116.2%15.2%
Autumn
2017
System
science
(Distance)
LTU‐87397Luleå
University
of
Technology
22464628.1%32.0%
Autumn
2017
System
science‐
information
systems
LU‐80435Lund
University
56291421.2%31.9%
Autumn
2017
Informatics
forsystem
development
MIU‐C4391
(campus)
MIU‐C4381
(distance)
Mid
Sweden
University
259
159
563
39.3%
22.0%
37%
Autumn
2017
Computer
andsystem
sciences
SU‐43017Stockholm
University
1707 2238 24.8%27,8%
Autumn
2017
System
science
UU‐P2202Uppsala
University
7971126 17.0%24.5%
Table2.Applicationstatisticsforthe2017autumnsemester
Firstly,itisobvioushowthegeneralintakehasincreasedduringthefiveyearperiodaclearly
higherintakeforalltheselectedprogrammes.Secondly,therewasahigherpercentageof
femaleapplicantsfor5ofthe8universities,andespeciallyfortheolduniversitiesLundand
Uppsala.Thirdly,therewasaslightdecreasefortheyoungeruniversitiesmoretothenorthin
Swedenandinparticularfortheircampusprogrammes.15.2%ofwomenatthecampus
programmeattheLuleåUniversityofTechnologycomparedtothe32.0%forthedistance
students.AttheMidSwedenUniversitythedifferencewasevenhigherwith22.0%femalesin
thecampusgroupandwiththehighestpercentageofallprogrammeswith37.0%femaleson
thedistanceprogramme.Therewasalsoaslightdecreasefortheprogrammegivenatthe
DalarnaUniversity.
Anexplanationforthedifferencesbetweenthecampusandthedistancestudentsmightbe
theclearlyhigheraverageageamongdistancestudents.Anotherexplanationcouldbethe
commondenominatorforDalarnaUniversity,LuleåUniversityofTechnologyandtheMid
SwedenUniversity,theyallgiveprogrammesinblendedsynchronousmodewithamixof
campusanddistancestudents.Ablendwherebothstudentgroupscanperceive
disadvantages,andthatitisachallengingtasktoteachindualmode(Popov,2009).On‐
campusprogrammesshowclearlylowerfemalepercentagesthantheirdistancecounterparts.
Comparedwiththegeneral60%offemalestudentsatSwedishuniversitiesthepartsoffemale
applicantsforprogrammesonInformaticsandSystemsciencelooksurprisinglylow.
Furthermore,thepercentagesareevenlowerwhenlookingatmoretechnicalprogrammes
onSoftwareengineeringandComputerscience.Engineeringhasamasculinetradition
(Pechtelidisetal.,2015),butitishardtoseethisasthemainexplanationforpercentagesof
femaleapplicantsdowntoaround10%.
InastudybyCooper&Dierker(2017)thesuggestionistodecreaseemphasisontraditional
didacticapproachestointroductoryprogramming,andinsteadincreaseinterdisciplinarywith
opportunitiestoworkwithrealworldproblemstoattractfemalesaswellasstudentsfroma
widerrangeofeducational,socialandeconomicbackgrounds.Theirsuggestionseemssound
andthehighestfemalepercentagescanbefoundonmoreinterdisciplinaryprogrammes
whereITandprogrammingarecombinedwithsubjectssuchasGraphicaldesign,Interaction
designandWebdevelopment.
SemesterProgrammeProgramme
code
Educational
institution
Numberof
Applicants
Female
percentage
Autumn
2017
Graphical
designandweb
development
HJ‐52205
Jönköping
University
104049,3%
Autumn
2017
Web
development
MIU‐F2231MidSweden
University
111744,7%
Autumn
2017
Interaction
designSU‐43014Stockholm
University
87046,3%
Table3.Universityprogrammeswithahighpercentageoffemaleapplicants
Alltheseprogrammeshaveahighnumberofapplicantsandfemalepercentagesabove45%.
Whenwillweseethesamepercentagesonthemoretraditionalprogrammes?Thereareno
obviousbarrierswhengirlstendtoperformbetterinnationaltests,andwithagreater
proportionofgirlscompletinguppersecondaryeducation(GenderequalityinSweden,2017).
Apossiblewaytochangethecurrentsituationcouldbetosupportfemalerolemodelsand
organisationslikeWomengineer(2017).
Thegendergapthathasbeenreportedtostartathome(Fisheretal.,1997),seemtoremain
atuniversityprogrammes(Carter,2007),andalsolateratworkplaces(VonHellensetal.,
2000).Recommendationsthatmightmakeachangeareearlyaccesstocomputersforgirls
(Adya&Kaiser,2005),mentorshiptoimprovethefemaleparticipation(VonHellensetal.,
2001),gameconstruction(Beltrán,etal.,2015)andpair‐programming(Werneretal.,2004).
5.Conclusion
Swedenisacountrywithamajorityoffemaleuniversitystudents,butstillwithasurprisingly
lowpercentageofwomentakingprogrammesonInformaticsandSystemscience.However,
thepercentageofwomenonprogrammesonInformaticsandSystemsciencehasincreased
duringthelastfiveyearsandonmoreinterdisciplinaryprogrammesthepercentagecanreach
above45%.Inblendedsynchronouslearningwomentendtoenrolforthedistance
programmesandtheon‐campusgroupshaveahighmalepercentage.
Toattractmorefemalesandalsomorestudentsfrommorediverseeducational,socialand
economicbackgroundstherecommendationseemstobemoreinterdisciplinaryIT‐
programmeswheretraditionalComputerscienceiscombinedwithgraphicaldesignandreal
worldapplications.Whatmightgiveamorerapidchangeofthecurrentsituationisthe
recentlystarteddigitalisationofprimaryandsecondaryschool.Ifcomputationalthinkingand
programmingareintroducedatayoungerage,andwithnewdidacticideastheremightbea
morediversegroupofapplicantstotheuniversityprogrammes.Thefirstconductedpilot
projectsseempromising(Mozelius&Öberg,2017),butwillgirlsbeincludedorexcluded?
6.Futurework
Aninterestingnextstepwouldbetoexplorehowcomputationalthinkingandprogramming
willbeimplementedinprimaryschoolcurriculainSweden.Whichdidacticalapproachescould
attractgirlstodivedeeperintoprogrammingandcomputerscience?

References
Adya,M.,&Kaiser,K.M.(2005).EarlydeterminantsofwomenintheITworkforce:amodel
ofgirls'careerchoices.InformationTechnology&People,18(3),230‐259.
Beltrán,M.E.,Ursa,Y.,Petri,A.,Schindler,C.,Slany,W.,Spieler,B.,...&Arredondo,M.T.
(2015,August).Inclusivegamingcreationbydesigninformallearningenvironments:“girly‐
girls”usergroupinNoOneLeftBehind.InInternationalConferenceofDesign,User
Experience,andUsability(pp.153‐161).SpringerInternationalPublishing.
Bower,M.,Dalgarno,B.,Kennedy,G.E.,Lee,M.J.,&Kenney,J.(2015).Designand
implementationfactorsinblendedsynchronouslearningenvironments:Outcomesfroma
cross‐caseanalysis.Computers&Education,86,1‐17.
Carter,L.(2006).Whystudentswithanapparentaptitudeforcomputersciencedon't
choosetomajorincomputerscience.ACMSIGCSEBulletin,38(1),27‐31.
Charles,M.,&Bradley,K.(2006).Amatterofdegrees:Femaleunderrepresentationin
computerscienceprogramscross‐nationally(pp.183‐203)
Cooper,J.,&Dierker,L.(2017).IncreasingExposuretoProgramming:AComparisonof
DemographicCharacteristicsofStudentsEnrolledinIntroductoryComputerScience
ProgrammingCoursesvs.aMultidisciplinaryDataAnalysisCourse.InternationalResearchin
HigherEducation,2(1).
Dryburgh,H.(2000).Underrepresentationofgirlsandwomenincomputerscience:
Classificationof1990sresearch.Journalofeducationalcomputingresearch,23(2),181‐202.
Fisher,A.,Margolis,J.,&Miller,F.(1997).Undergraduatewomenincomputerscience:
experience,motivationandculture.InACMSIGCSEBulletin(Vol.29,No.1,pp.106‐110).
ACM
Garrison,D.R.,&Kanuka,H.(2004).Blendedlearning:Uncoveringitstransformative
potentialinhighereducation.Theinternetandhighereducation,7(2),95‐105.
GenderequalityinSweden(2017)."Genderequalityatschool"Retrieved(09/11/2017)from:
https://sweden.se/society/gender‐equality‐in‐sweden/
Gill,T.G.,&Mullarkey,M.T.(2015).TakingaCaseMethodCapstoneCourseOnline:A
ComparativeCaseStudy.JournalofInformationTechnologyEducation,14.
Hastie,M.,Hung,I.C.,Chen,N.S.,&Kinshuk.(2010).Ablendedsynchronouslearningmodel
foreducationalinternationalcollaboration.InnovationsinEducationandTeaching
International,47(1),9‐24.
Lee,S.B.,Kastner,S.,&Walker,R.(2015).MendingtheGap,GrowingthePipeline:
IncreasingFemaleRepresentationinComputing.InASEESEAnnualConference.
Mann,C.J.(2003).Observationalresearchmethods.ResearchdesignII:cohort,cross
sectional,andcase‐controlstudies.Emergencymedicinejournal,20(1),54‐60.
Mozelius,P.,&Öberg,L.M.(2017).Play‐basedlearningforprogrammingeducationin
primaryschool:TheÖstersundmodel.InEuropeanConferenceone‐Learning‐ECEL2017(Vol.
16,pp.375‐383).AcademicConferencesandPublishingInternationalLimited.
Pechtelidis,Y.,Kosma,Y.,&Chronaki,A.(2015).Betweenarockandahardplace:women
andcomputertechnology.GenderandEducation,27(2),164‐182.
Picciano,A.G.(2009).Blendingwithpurpose:Themultimodalmodel.Journalof
asynchronouslearningnetworks,13(1),7‐18.
Popov,O.(2009).Teachers’andstudents’experiencesofsimultaneousteachinginan
internationaldistanceandon‐campusmaster’sprogrammeinengineering.TheInternational
ReviewofResearchinOpenandDistributedLearning,10(3).
Said,H.,Kirgis,L.,Verkamp,B.,&Johnson,L.(2015).On‐linevs.Face‐to‐FaceDeliveryof
InformationTechnologyCourses:Students’Assessment.JournalofInformationTechnology
Education:Research,14,297‐312.
Senn,G.(2008).Comparisonofface‐to‐faceandhybriddeliveryofacoursethatrequires
technologyskillsdevelopment.JournalofInformationTechnologyEducation:Research,7(1),
267‐283.
Stewart,A.R.,Harlow,D.B.,&DeBacco,K.(2011).Students’experienceofsynchronous
learningindistributedenvironments.DistanceEducation,32(3),357‐381.
SwedishCouncilforHigherEducation(2017a)."Sökaantagningsstatistik"(Seekapplication
statistics),Retrieved(06/11/2017)from:https://www.uhr.se/studier‐och‐
antagning/Antagningsstatistik/soka‐antagningsstatistik/
SwedishCouncilforHigherEducation(2017b)"Fewerapplicantsbutmoreacceptedto
highereducationinSweden",Retrieved(06/11/2017)from:
https://www.uhr.se/en/start/about‐the‐council/news/fewer‐applicants‐but‐more‐accepted‐
to‐higher‐education‐in‐sweden2/
Szeto,E.(2014).Acomparisonofonline/face‐to‐facestudents’andinstructor'sexperiences:
Examiningblendedsynchronouslearningeffects.Procedia‐SocialandBehavioralSciences,
116,4250‐4254.
Ybarra,M.E.(2016).STEMEducation‐AnExplorationofItsImpactonFemaleAcademic
SuccessinHighSchool(Doctoraldissertation,ChapmanUniversity).
Watson,J.(2008).BlendedLearning:TheConvergenceofOnlineandFace‐to‐FaceEducation.
PromisingPracticesinOnlineLearning.NorthAmericanCouncilforOnlineLearning.
Werner,L.L.,Hanks,B.,&McDowell,C.(2004).Pair‐programminghelpsfemalecomputer
sciencestudents.JournalonEducationalResourcesinComputing(JERIC),4(1),4.
VonHellens,L.A.,Pringle,R.,Nielsen,S.H.,&Greenhill,A.(2000).People,businessandIT
skills:TheperspectiveofwomenintheITindustry.InProceedingsofthe2000ACMSIGCPR
conferenceonComputerpersonnelresearch(pp.152‐157).ACM.
VonHellens,L.A.,Nielsen,S.H.,&Trauth,E.M.(2001).Breakingandenteringthemale
domain.WomenintheITindustry.InProceedingsofthe2001ACMSIGCPRconferenceon
Computerpersonnelresearch(pp.116‐120).ACM.
Womengineer(2017).Retrieved(10/11/2017)from:"Aboutus"
http://womengineer.org/we‐are‐womengineer/

Östersundsposten(25/02/2017,p.16)."Jagvillinspireratjejerattsöka"(Iwanttoinspire
girlstoapply)http:///www.op.se/
... Taking classes or joining after-school camps is also about making friends with like-minded peers (Sultan et al., 2023). For female students who are in the minority in CS classes, it is important to have female role models, and providing opportunities for mentorship have been a successful strategy (Chavatzia, 2017;Mozelius, 2018, Wang & Degol, 2017. Kumar and Raj (2022) point out the importance of recruiting mentors who share the identities of all your students, as well as recruiting both male and female teachers (Chavatzia, 2017). ...
... Combining computer science with design and using design-related activities help engage diverse groups of learners (Ko et al., 2023;Mozelius, 2018). According to Ko et al. (2023) "design and engineering is a never-ending duality and should be taught as such". ...
... Integrating real-world applications into computer science education enhances the relevance and engagement of all students, with particular significance for female students (Mozelius, 2018;Kumar and Raj, 2022;Ko et al., 2023). This also exposes students to the complexities and challenges they may encounter in their future careers and prepares them for the dynamic nature of the field (Kumar and Raj, 2022). ...
Essential Aspects of Gender-inclusive Computer Science Education
Conference Paper
Full-text available
  • Apr 2024
Computer science is a higher education domain that still show a significant male dominance. Many research studies have highlighted the importance of diversity and gender balance in computer science related areas such as software engineering and system development. However, there is still a well-identified problem that university programmes and courses on computer science fail to attract the female audience. The objective of this study is to investigate the concept of gender-inclusive computer science (CS) education with the aim of broadening participation in CS courses and programs. This is conducted through a literature study, initially focusing on keywords and research areas, and subsequently searching into existing research. The research question that guided the study was: "What concepts can be found in literature to make computer science education more gender-inclusive?". Data were analysed thematically in a two-step analysis process inspired by the grounded theory methods of Open coding and Axial coding. Findings suggest that there is significant room for learning in this field, particularly from Critical CS education studies. The Open coding analysis showed that the findings can be categorised into eight main themes. In the Axial coding the themes were merged, refined, renamed, and centred around the main axial theme of 'Epistemological pluralism'. Other essential themes that all are related to the axial main theme were: 'Design and creativity', 'Bias awareness and ethics', 'Collaboration and communication', 'Self-regulated learning', 'Real-world applications', and 'Role models and mentorship'. The result of this study is presented through a visual model that illustrates essential aspects of inclusive computer science education. The paper also proposes various directions for future research.
View
... Moreover, the tester opinion that "Creating your own shapes and figures is a fun way of programming", could be a key to girl inclusive design for educational games in programming education and STEM. As concluded in [39], to involve graphic design in computer science and programming could be a success factor for girl inclusion also at university level. ...
3 GAMES 4 CODING -DO GIRLS FEEL WELCOME?
Conference Paper
Full-text available
  • Mar 2023
Learning games have become mainstream in many educational contexts, where one of them is programming education. Today there exists a wide variety of games where the players can learn about different programming concepts. However, earlier research reports that far from all these games appeal to a female audience. If game-based learning should reach the identified potential of a highly motivating learning environment, the game design must be an inclusive one where girls feel welcome. This study examines three games for learning fundamental programming in a test group with girls only in an after-school Maker community. The research question in the study was: "Which game design concepts do girls find appealing?" Data were collected through interviews with girls in a makerspace after testing 3 games on computer programming. The tested games were: Minecraft Education Code Builder, CodeCombat, and imagiLabs. The interviews focused on the girl's perceptions of the games and of programming. Thematic analysis with a six-phase process of coding were used to analyse the collected data and cluster the codes in themes that supported in answering the aim and research question. The study shows that all three games were perceived as engaging and that they supported development of programming skills. When asking which of the three games the girls would like to spend more time on to learn programming, opinions were divided. The girls also disagreed on which type of game graphics they found most appealing. However, findings indicate that there are clear patterns in what game design concepts the girls find important. These patterns can be grouped in the following categories: Creativity, customisation, flow, reward and feedback, exploration and programming skills. Firstly, the game should encourage exploration and creativity in both playing and programming. Secondly, for the programming tasks to be fun and challenging it is important to keep players in a flow state with help of rewards, instant feedback and a low threshold at start. Lastly, the possibility for customization and an engaging backstory were also appreciated by the girls in the study. These findings are recommended to take into consideration in future game development.
View
... These new findings are for several reasons worth considering and one idea with introducing programming early is to increase the percentage of girls in IT-related programmes in higher education. Even if the percentage seem to slowly increase, there still exists a clear gender difference (Mozelius, 2018). ...
Factors to consider when using learning games for learning programming in K-9 education
Conference Paper
Full-text available
  • Jun 2018
Learning games are played for various learning objectives in different educational contexts. Programming education is one context where several research studies have reported on positive outcomes. This study reviews games and gamified concepts that have been developed for K-9 students to learn basic programming with the aim to identify important factors to consider when using learning games for K-9 programming education. The study was designed and carried out inspired by the six step method described by Machi and McEvoy (2016). This type of literature study could be described as exhaustive with selective citation, with the aim of considering all the relevant sources, but only describing a selected sample. Findings show that there is a wide variety in the use of games for learning of basic programming concepts and also different game types. Through a thematic analysis best and worst practices in recent research have been grouped into categories, as well as a number of factors to consider when implementing game-based learning of programming in K-9.
View
State-of-the-Art Review on Current Approaches to Female Inclusiveness in Software Engineering and Computer Science in Higher Education
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2024
Software engineering (SE) and computer science (CS) programs in universities worldwide are marked by a gender gap, which subsequently translates into a gender gap at the industry level. However, there are positive activities that can help attract more women to these male-dominant professions. This study maps the literature related to the achievement of gender balance in SE and CS university-level education and identifies future research directions. More specifically, this article reports on a systematic mapping study of female-inclusive SE and CS tertiary education programs. The authors collected 882 publications between 2015 and 2022 from five databases (ACM, IEEE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct), selecting 143 peer-reviewed papers for further analysis. The results showed that the main academic contributors were researchers from the USA. The majority of the publications contained observations and explanations regarding the gender gap in computing education. However, an important part of the literature considered proposals and practical activities for achieving gender balance in SE and CS programs. Finally, the authors classified the literature related to female-inclusive SE and CS tertiary education programs, identified the main research focuses and regional distribution, and considered ideas for future research.
View
The digitalisation of the Nordic bioeconomy and its effect on gender equality
Article
Full-text available
  • Oct 2021
With digitalisation, the male-dominated bioeconomy sector becomes intertwined with the male-dominated tech sector. We focus on the effects on gender equality within the bioeconomy sector when these two gender unequal sectors are merged. We review the existing literature by studying three concepts – bioeconomy, digitalisation and gender – as a way to highlight the current state of knowledge on gender in the Nordic digitalised bioeconomy. Through this investigation we provide directions for future research and suggest actions to be taken. The contemporary literature discusses two major areas of focus: the impact of history on today’s situation and gender inequality as a women’s issue. We propose four areas of future research focus: moving beyond a historical perspective, understanding the effectiveness of women-only activities, focusing on men’s role in gender equality work, and developing sustainability. We identify four points of action for practitioners in the literature: female role models, mentorship programmes, networks for young professionals and students and incorporating gender into bioeconomy-related education. However, together with the proposed future research, we suggest two considerations when practitioners in the Nordic digitalised bioeconomy take action: being mindful of the purpose and structure of women-only activities and including men when working with gender issues.
View
Play-based learning for programming education in primary school - the Östersund model
Conference Paper
Full-text available
  • Oct 2017
Learning to program has been classified as problematic learning with high drop-out rates and low motivation at university level. Like the learning of a natural language the learning of syntax and basic techniques in a programming language is easier and more natural if started at a younger age. This study is based on an evaluation of a pilot project for students in a Primary school where computational thinking and programming concepts have been introduced as play-based learning. Students have learnt concepts such as 'Bubble sort' by playing the algorithm without any computer. Later the learnt concepts and algorithms have been implemented with Scratch and the Python programming language as main tools. The aim of the study is to describe and discuss a model for implementing computational thinking and programming for fifth grade students by play-based learning. As the overall research strategy the case study approach was used to evaluate this pilot project. Data has been collected in a combination of observations, interviews and group discussions during a 15 session pilot course and three workshops on teacher training. Findings have been analysed thematically and presented using the SWOT framework to identify and discuss strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the Östersund model. Learning outcomes of the pilot were promising but with individual variations in the student group. The idea of introducing programming and computational thinking as early as in primary school seems like a good idea, but the recommendation is to keep sessions play-based and with enjoyment as the key feature to engage primary school students. Conducted sessions in the pilot are worth replicating and so are the teacher training workshops. However, the challenge that remains is to create a sustainable and scalable implementation of the described model including primary school teachers' professional development.
View
Online vs. Face-to-Face Delivery of Information Technology Courses: Students' Assessment
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2015
This paper investigates students' assessment of on-line vs face-to-face delivery of lecture-based information technology courses. The study used end-of-course surveys to examine students' ratings of five course quality indicators: Course Organization, Assessment and Grading Procedures, Instructor Performance, Positive Learning Experience, and Perceived Success. The study analyzed five semesters of students' ratings and found no significant differences in the overall ratings of the course quality indicators between the on-line and face-to-face courses. There were differences between the overall ratings of the course quality indicators, with instructor performance and course organization receiving the highest ratings. More importantly, there was a significant interaction between the course quality indicators and the course structure. Examination of this interaction indicated that the course organization, the assessment and grading procedures, and the students' perceived success in the course, were higher in on-line courses, while instructor performance was better in face-to-face courses. These findings suggest different ways to improve both the on-line and face-to-face courses. Finally, the most surprising outcome was that students perceived greater success in on-line courses. However, this result needs further exploration in future studies.
View
Taking a Case Method Capstone Course Online: A Comparative Case Study
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2015
A capstone course is normally offered at the end of a program of study with the goal of helping students synthesize what they have learned in the courses preceding it. The paper describes such a course-an undergraduate capstone course for MIS majors-that was built around case discussions and projects and originally offered in a face-to-face format. Over the course of the study, an asynchronous online version of the course was developed that was intended to be as faithful as possible to the classroom version. The paper examines the design, delivery, and learning outcomes of the online offering, contrasting it with the classroom version. The transition to an online course required many adaptations. Among the issues that we needed address are the following: 1) moving the highly synchronous face-to-face discussions of each case study to an asynchronous format without losing fidelity and energy, 2) changing how "student participation" was defined and evaluated, 3) adapting the project component of the course- which ended with a very popular "science fair" activity at the end of the semester in the classroom version-to a delivery mechanism where students never interacted with each other face-toface, and 4) evaluating the relative learning outcomes of the two approaches. The results of the conversion proved to be consistent with some of our expectations and surprising in other ways. Consistent with expectations, the online tools that we employed allowed us to create an online design that was relatively faithful to the original version in terms of meeting learning objectives. Also consistent with our expectations, student perceptions of the course- while quite positive overall-were more mixed for the online course than for its face-to-face predecessor. The course offering produced two surprises, however. First, the online approach to the project component of the course actually seemed to result in higher quality project presentations than the face-to-face version. Second, when results were compared from the instrument we used to evaluate student learning gains, the classroom and online versions of the class proved to be nearly indistinguishable. Given the very different delivery mechanisms employed, we had anticipated far more differences in student perceptions of what they had learned over the course of the semester. Given the challenges of taking a highly interactive class online, we viewed this surprise to be a very pleasant one.
View
A Comparison of Online/Face-to-face Students’ and Instructor's Experiences: Examining Blended Synchronous Learning Effects
Article
Full-text available
  • Feb 2014
The blended synchronous teaching and learning mode is gaining currency in higher education, while its effects on students’ and instructors’ experiences are yet to be fully explored. Little research has been done to contextualize the teaching and learning effects of this teaching and learning mode. This paper reports a qualitative study of the experiences of simultaneously teaching online and face-to-face students in an engineering course. It aims to gain better understandings of the effects on the students’ learning and instructor's teaching in terms of 3 dimensions: instructional, social and learning, in the advent of information and communication technology. What teaching and learning effects were revealed in the blended mode? How did the effects impact on attaining the intended learning outcomes? This paper focuses on the potential of blended synchronous teaching and learning effects for quality educational experiences. The results reveal that (1) there were different teaching and learning effects on the blended synchronous instruction; (2) an unexpected pattern of interactions emerged in the blended synchronous communication; and (3) both the online and face-to-face students attained similar learning outcomes. This paper concludes that universities adopting blended synchronous learning need to provide sufficient support for both the students and instructors in the instructional, social and learning dimensions.
View
Design and Implementation Factors in Blended Synchronous Learning Environments: Outcomes from a Cross-Case Analysis
Article
Full-text available
  • Mar 2015
  • COMPUT EDUC
Increasingly, universities are using technology to provide students with more flexible modes of participation. This article presents a cross-case analysis of blended synchronous learning environments—contexts where remote students participated in face-to-face classes through the use of rich-media synchronous technologies such as video conferencing, web conferencing, and virtual worlds. The study examined how design and implementation factors influenced student learning activity and perceived learning outcomes, drawing on a synthesis of student, teacher, and researcher observations collected before, during, and after blended synchronous learning lessons. Key findings include the importance of designing for active learning, the need to select and utilise technologies appropriately to meet communicative requirements, varying degrees of co-presence depending on technological and human factors, and heightened cognitive load. Pedagogical, technological, and logistical implications are presented in the form of a Blended Synchronous Learning Design Framework that is grounded in the results of the study.
View
Blending with Purpose: The Multimodal Model
Article
Full-text available
  • Apr 2009
The purpose of this article is to propose a blending with purpose multimodal conceptual model for designing and developing blended learning courses and programs. A blended learning model is presented that suggests teachers design instruction to meet the needs of a variety of learners. Specifically, Blending with Purpose: The Multimodal Model recognizes that because learners represent different generations, different personality types, and different learning styles, teachers and instructional designers should seek to use multiple approaches including face-to-face methods and online technologies that meet the needs of a wide spectrum of students. A major benefit of multiple modalities is that they allow students to experience learning in ways in which they are most comfortable while also challenging them to experience and learn in other ways as well. Critical to this model is the concept that academic program and course goals and objectives drive the pedagogical approaches and technologies used. Issues related to definitions of blended learning, how teachers and students use technology, generational characteristics among student populations, and learning styles are examined
View
View
Increasing Exposure to Programming: A Comparison of Demographic Characteristics of Students Enrolled in Introductory Computer Science Programming Courses vs. a Multidisciplinary Data Analysis Course
Article
  • Nov 2016
Upward trends in programming careers and increases in programming in less traditionally computer-oriented occupations threaten to further increase the current underrepresentation of both females and individuals from racial minority groups in these disciplines. Using administrative data (2009 – 2014), the present study compares demographic characteristics of students enrolled in a course that introduced programming: a multidisciplinary data analysis course, an introductory programming course, or an introductory computer science (CS) gateway course. The multidisciplinary data analysis course enrolled significantly more female students and students with lower Math SAT scores. Females were overrepresented in the data analysis course and underrepresented in the introductory programming and CS gateway courses relative to the larger campus community, with similar findings for underrepresented minority students. Less emphasis on traditional approaches to introductory programming and increased interdisciplinary opportunities to tackle real world questions may be one way to improve access to programming experiences for students from a wider range of educational, social and economic backgrounds.
View
Inclusive Gaming Creation by Design in Formal Learning Environments: “Girly-Girls” User Group in No One Left Behind
Conference Paper
  • Aug 2015
  • Lect Notes Comput Sci
The education sector in Europe is facing one of the toughest challenges on how to attract, motivate and engage students with content from an academic curriculum and at the same time supporting the formal learning process and providing a learning experience that matches the dynamics of the 21st century. More than ever, Albert Einstein’s words are a reality: “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” Using games in formal learning situations is an important topic of current research but is still largely underexplored. This paper presents how the “No One Left Behind” project aims at unlocking inclusive gaming creation and experiences, by and for students in day-to-day school life. It outlines the project’s use cases as well as explores cultural identity and gender inclusion when games framed in an educational environment are created by and for young girls (“girly-girls”).
View
Between a rock and a hard place: women and computer technology
Article
  • Feb 2015
  • GENDER EDUC
This paper explores certain possible reasons behind the uneasy relationship between women and technology. The cultural identification of technology with masculinity has been well documented through previous research. However, we feel it is useful to revisit this complex relationship through the scope of a more subtle distinction between ‘users’ and ‘connoisseurs’, and the struggle over power, which revolves around a specific form of hegemonic masculinity. We draw on interviews that examine students’ experiences, emotions, and statements about gender, technology, mathematics, and education, and we try to offer an understanding of the ways women negotiate their position within the dominant discourse about computing and mathematics. Our analysis employs post- structuralist discourse theory.
View