One hundred eighteen graduate students (n = 75 women, n= 143 men) indicated (a) the degree to which they endorse the stereotype that women are less capable in computing that men; (b) how much they felt they “belong” in computing and (c) their self-efficacy in computing. Men endorsed the negative stereotype to a greater degree than women, p < .01. However, among women, stronger endorsement of the negatively stereotype was associated with a lower sense of belonging and lower sense efficacy in computing, ps < .05; men’s stereotype endorsement was unrelated to their belonging and self-efficacy. These results highlight the importance of fostering a stereotype-free training environment so that women’s self-concept in computing is unconstrained by negative cultural beliefs about their ability.

CERP recently compared critical outcomes of 187 undergraduate computing students who had participated in a formal research experience (REU) during the 2012 academic year. Students of racial minority who had participated in a REU reported greater gains in (a) knowledge about the graduate admission process, (b) academic and career self-efficacy, and (c) intentions to persist in computing compared to students of racial majority. These findings suggest that REUs in computing provide students of racial minority with an opportunity to be better prepared to apply for graduate study and develop self-efficacy. Further, formal REUs may be a particularly effective strategy for facilitating the matriculation of racial minority students through the computing pipeline.

251 faculty members (82 women; 169 men) from a sample of 56 computing departments in the U.S. indicated that they feel over worked (i.e., the average response was above the midpoint). Women reported feeling significantly more overworked than men, p < .05. One explanation for this gender difference may be that women tend to take on more responsibilities outside of their normal workload than men (e.g., departmental or university service).

We asked 161 college graduates who had earned a B.S. in computing to think about activities they wished they had participated in during their undergraduate career, but had not. Then, we asked “what prevented you from participating in those activities?” As seen from the graphic above, the most prominent hindrance to participating in activities was Time. This finding highlights the time-constraining nature of the undergraduate experience, particularly among computing students.