Blogs (4) >>
Thu 21 Mar 2024 16:10 - 16:35 at Meeting Rooms B117-119 - Internships & Diversity Chair(s): Miracle Etim-Andy

Although many undergraduate computing students participate in internships, little research explores these experiences. Using survey data from 1,018 undergraduate computing students at 15 U.S. research institutions and Social Cognitive Career Theory as a theoretical framework, this study explores the experiences of computing undergraduates who participated in computing internships and the extent to which their internship experiences shaped their reported interest in pursuing computing-related careers after graduation. The study investigates how students’ experiences in their primary computing internship may vary by gender and racial/ethnic identities. Findings indicate that a large majority of computing students felt that their internship experiences increased their professional skills and awareness of the skills most valued in the workplace; these findings held across gender and racial/ethnic groups. However, women, particularly white and Asian women, were more likely to report that their internship helped them increase their technical skills than their male peers. Indeed, growth in one’s professional skillset was the strongest predictor of students’ increased interest in a computing career. Also, identifying as a woman or gender non-conforming individual, working in an internship environment with same-gender peers, and having strong computing-self efficacy were positively associated with increased interest in a computing career. These findings highlight the key role that internships can play in retaining undergraduate women and non-binary students in computing as they transition from college to career. The full paper discusses these and other findings in the context of retaining talent from college into computing careers as well as efforts to broaden participation in computing fields.

Thu 21 Mar

Displayed time zone: Pacific Time (US & Canada) change

15:45 - 17:00
Internships & DiversityPapers at Meeting Rooms B117-119
Chair(s): Miracle Etim-Andy University of Maryland
15:45
25m
Talk
Micro-internships and Career Focused Programs as Mechanisms for Diversifying Computing
Papers
Kristina Kramarczuk University of Maryland, College Park, Kate Atchison University of Maryland, College Park, Monica Hilliard University of Maryland, Jandelyn Plane University of Maryland, College Park / Ripon College, Sally Bond The Program Evaluation Group-LLC, Caitlin Rudy University of Maryland, David Weintrop University of Maryland
DOI
16:10
25m
Talk
Sealing the Deal: Factors That Promote Computing Interns’ Interest in Computing Careers
Papers
Kathleen Lehman University of California, Los Angeles, Kaitlyn N. Stormes Momentum, UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, Katie Smith Temple University, Julia Lapan University of Virginia
DOI
16:35
25m
Talk
The Diversity-Hire Narrative in CS: Sources, Impacts, and Responses
Papers
Christopher Perdriau University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Vidushi Ojha University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Kaitlynn Gray Harvey Mudd College, Brent Lagesse University of Washington Bothell, Colleen M. Lewis University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
DOI