Voices of women in a software engineering course: reflections on collaboration

Abstract

_________________________________________________________________________________________Those science, mathematics, and engineering faculty who are serious about making the education they offer as available to their daughters as to their sons are, we posit, facing the prospect of dismantling a large part of its traditional pedagogical structure, along with the assumptions and practice which support it. [Seymour and Hewett 1997].Prior research indicates that female students can be concerned about the insularity of working alone for long periods of time, as they perceive to be the case with computer science and information technology careers. We studied an advanced undergraduate software engineering course at North Carolina State University to characterize the potential of collaborative learning environments created via pair-programming and agile software development to ameliorate this concern. A collective case study of three representative women in the course revealed that they held the following four themes in common: working with others; productivity; confidence; and interest in IT careers. Three conjectures concerning collaboration emerged from our study, including the importance of face-to-face meetings, an increased confidence among women based on product quality, and a reduction in the amount of time spent on assignments. While our findings are not generalized to early undergraduate courses, the young women we studied were at a critical junction in deciding whether to pursue a career in IT upon their near-term graduation. Additionally, we propose a model for future testing with both males and females that connects these three factors with an increased interest in IT careers.

Participación de las mujeres en la carrera de Ingeniería Informática de la Universidad Nacional y su desempeño en los cursos de programación

“…Entendiendo la importancia de incrementar la representación femenina en las carreras informáticas, se ha sugerido que acciones como los ambientes de aprendizaje colaborativo o la programación con pares pueden facilitar el éxito de estudiantes con menos experiencia en programación (Murphy et al, 2006). Más aún, algunos estudios han determinado que dichas técnicas contribuyen no solo a ayudar a las estudiantes, sino que también incrementan el éxito y reducen la deserción de estudiantes de ambos sexos (Berenson, Slaten, Williams y Ho, 2012;McDowell, Werner, Bullock y Fernald, 2003).…”

A Metacognitive Approach to Pair Programming: Influence on Metacognitive Awareness

“…Pair programming is a collaborative programming technique where all the programming of a programming task is done by two programmers working at the same computer (Berenson, Slaten, Williams, & Ho, 2004). In the educational context, when two learners work as a pair on a progamming task, each fulfils a specific role.…”

“…In the educational context, when two learners work as a pair on a progamming task, each fulfils a specific role. The driver is actively busy typing on the computer or coding a design (Nicolescu & Plummer, 2003), whereas the navigator observes the driver's work, identifies problems, asks questions and makes proposals to improve the program design or code (Berenson et al, 2004). The navigator is responsible for http://dx.doi.org/10.14204/ejrep.32.13104 guiding the problem-solving process by suggesting alternative strategies and using applicable resources (Bipp, Lepper, & Schmedding, 2008).…”

“…A social-constructivist context is created (Berenson et al, 2004) in which learning is seen as a process sparked off by the social interaction between the two learners (Chaparro, Yuksel, Romero, & Bryant, 2005). Learners in collaborative learning environments have to provide explanations to each other, which is one of the best ways to extend one's knowledge and make new knowledge connections (Kramarski, 2004).…”

A Metacognitive Approach to Pair Programming: Influence on Metacognitive Awareness

“…In the educational context, when two learners work as a pair on a progamming task, each fulfils a specific role. The driver is actively busy typing on the computer or coding a design (Nicolescu & Plummer, 2003), whereas the navigator observes the driver's work, identifies problems, asks questions and makes proposals to improve the program design or code (Berenson et al, 2004). The navigator is responsible for guiding the problem-solving process by suggesting alternative strategies and using applicable resources (Bipp, Lepper, & Schmedding, 2008).…”