Web Design & Gender

1. Web Design & Gender ED&G Leadership Meeting November 4, 2004 Barbara Bogue Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics and Women in Engineering

2. NAE Engineer Girl Project • Goal • Expose girls and boys to what engineering is about. • Audience • Middle school students, with a particular sensitivity to young girls • Pre-college students interested in engineering • Teachers, guidance counselors, and parents. • Objectives • Educate young people to the field of engineering (versus science, math, or technology in general) • Show the value that engineering contributes to our quality of life, • Make the pursuit of engineering something that is achievable and appealing to a broader segment of today’s young students.

3. Why Encourage Girls To Consider Engineering? • National Competitiveness • Women are an untapped source of talent • Women are half the workforce— • only 9-11 percent of engineering workforce • only 20 percent of those with information • Diversity leads to more diverse products, work environments • Financial • Shutting women out of engineering • Shuts them out of high paying field • Shuts them out of flexible work environments • Reduces combined family incomes • Women • Support families • Support the economy

4. Research vs. Beliefs/Opinions • What is the difference? • Research is based on scientific method • Define hypothesis and test it • Information presented here is based upon research • Beliefs are attitudes, viewpoints based on teachings and/or life experience/observation • Legitimate but not proved • Can be just plain wrong • Crediting research is important • AAUW Tech Savvy Report • Resources credited at end of slides

5. Why Look at Research When You Just Want to Create a Good Site? • Just like math, it provides a foundation—in this case for designing a good site • Not enough to make page pink! • If you know that girls prefer to collaborate, then you can design an activity that includes collaboration • If you know that teachers don’t know what engineering is, you can design an activity that addresses that • Expectation is not that you will target everything in your site— • Knowing helps you design sites/activities that address stereotypes and conditioning • Knowing helps you design a site that will be USED • Usability is THE critical issue in web design • Choose one area of research, one audience to target

6. Some Relevant Issues • Cultural Attitudes • Nature vs Nurture • Competitiveness • Influence of stakeholders • Peers • Teachers • Parents and guardians • Stakeholders often lack of knowledge of: • Preparation needed • Engineering as a profession • Overall impact on society of engineers and engineering • Wide variety of career options open to folks with engineering degrees

7. Nature vs. Nurture • What does this mean? • Nature—What we are born with • Brown eyes, athletic ability, intelligence • Nurture—What we make of it • Developmental • Athletic training, good schools, effective caregivers • Nature/Nurture Gender Issues • Some argue that girls just don’t naturally have “engineering genes” or “athletic genes” • What do you think? • Research: • Full sequence of the human genome documents 30,000 genes for humans-- barely twice the number of a fruit fly! (Science) • "We simply do not have enough genes for this idea of biological determinism [nature] to be right," asserted Craig Venter, president of Celera Genomics, one of the two teams that cracked the human genome.  • Differences are often a factor of a human continuum, rather than gender or race.

8. Collaboration and Competition • NOT Opposing Values • Research does show that girls prefer collaborative environments • Often misinterpreted as meaning that girls don’t like to compete • A look at Title IX helps to dispel that misconception • Since passage in 1972, girls participation in sports has increased by 847 percent • Before 1972, many people considered it unhealthy for girls to compete in sports and that girls wouldn’t compete even if they had the opportunity • Take away—Attitudes can, do, and should change

9. Research: Impact of Title IX • What is Title IX? • Passed by Congress as part of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title IX provides that “[N]o person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” • What’s missing?

10. What does Title IX have to do with Engineering? • Since Title IX • 57 percent of all bachelor’s degrees earned by women ( 44 percent in 1972) • Medical degrees increased from 9 to 43 percent. • From 1981 to 1999, the total number of college women’s teams increased by 66 percent. [2] • Over 846 new women’s soccer teams. • 2.7 million girls participate in high school athletics (294,015 in 1971). • An 847 percent increase. [3] • [1] National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education. 2002. Title IX at Thirty: Report Card on Gender Equity. • [2] Intercollegiate Athletics: Four-Year Colleges’ Experiences Adding and Discontinuing Teams, GAO-01-297, March 2001, p. 11. • [3] National Federation of State High School Associations. 2000. NFHS Participation Survey (NFHS), 1999-2000. • Team and competitive experience can make huge difference in • Vision of what is possible • Self confidence/efficacy • Ability to work in teams • Caveat—phenomenon of teams being removed from campus is not well investigated by popular reporting • Schools often use opportunity to get rid of expensive or low participation sports

11. Complexity of Your Assignment • Two intertwined considerations: • How to introduce engineering to audiences who don’t know what it is • How to make computer interface engaging, fun and educational • The medium is the message! • If girls and boys like to use your site, they will associate that with liking technology and engineering • If it is transparent, they will be empowered rather than discouraged

12. Good Resource: AAUW Tech Savvy Project • What is AAUW? • American Association of University Women • Mission: To increase opportunities for girls and women • Other AAUW work: • How Schools Short Change Girls • Beyond the Gender Wars • http://www.aauw.org/research/girls_education/index.cfm

13. Research and Design Challenges • Research—Computer technology • Girls find programming classes tedious and dull • Computer career options uninspiring  Design Challenge: • Create activities that work against these stereotypes • Create activities that emphasis community and productivity

14. Demonstrate How Fun It Can Be

15. Research and Design Challenges • Research—Electronic Games • Girls find computer games too boring, redundant, and violent • Girls prefer games that feature simulation, strategy, and interaction. • Boys also like these games  Design Challenge: • Create software designed to appeal to BOTH girls and boys • Include simulation, strategy and/or interaction/collaboration • Avoid pandering to stereotypes • Engage everyone—not always the solitary gamer

16. Avoid “Pink Programming”

17. Apparently Offers Computer Expertise But Doesn’t

18. Falls Back to ShoppingAs a Career Goal

19. Research and Design Challenges • Research—Computer fluency • Email, PowerPoint and surfing are good, but not computer fluency • Proactive use of technology includes: • Interpret information that technology makes available • Understanding basic concepts and applications  Design Challenge: • Educate girls to be designers, not just users • Create activities that require them to interact with technology • Create activities that allow them to design and implement • Provide keys to the kingdom- • Basic tools and knowledge

20. Create Relevant, Challenging Interfaces

21. Demonstrate Basic Tools/Concepts

22. Research and Design Challenges • Research—Teacher education • “Drive by" approach to teacher training • Focuses on the technical properties of hardware, memorization • Relies on kids who already know how to use computers • Doesn’t emphasize application or innovation  Design Challenge: • Create sites for teachers to energize, engage teachers • Create sites for kids that don’t require teacher participation

23. Inspire, Engage Teachers

24. Provide Guide to Your Webpage

25. Research and Design Challenges • Research—Role Models are invaluable • Need attractive, ACTIVE ones  Design Challenge: • Challenge stereotypes • Popular image is of solitary, non-social techies • Uncover social work environments and results

26. Role Models: Static is Boring . . . and a Show Stopper

27. Active is Empowering & Engaging

28. Interactivity In Simple Formats

29. Research and Design • Research— • People don’t know what engineers do • Old Stereotypes • See it as non-creative, solitary career • Doesn’t support private/family life • Design Challenge: • Create positive, activist images of engineers in and out of the workplace • Create activities that demonstrate how engineering can positively impact the world • Environmental improvements • Systems • Medical applications • Music/animation • Easier lives • Others?

30. Find and Present Active Stories

32. Resources: Good Websites • Whyville • http://www.whyville.net/smmk/nice • Cool Math • http://www.coolmath.com/ • http://www.coolmath.com/home.htm • Comm Tech Lab Products • http://commtechlab.msu.edu/products/index.html • Women in Engineering Program Draft GEE • http://www.engr.psu.edu/wep/gee

33. Resources: Design & Gender • Comm Tech Lab, Michigan State • girls and game design & preferences for interfaces  • Carrie Heeter, Michigan State • http://commtechlab.msu.edu/principals/carrie.html  on • Imagination Place • Promotes design • Education Development Center http://www.edc.org/CCT/imagination_place/ • Center for Women and Information Technology • the best resource on women and technology on the web • http://www.umbc.edu/cwit/

34. Resources: Research on Gender and Computer Games • Books: • Gender Inclusive Game Design • Sheri Graner Ray • From Barbie to Mortal Combat • Justine Cassell and Henry Jenkins • Web: • AAUW Research Reports • http://www.aauw.org/research/girls_education/techsavvy.cfm#below • Whyville research • Pamela Aschenbacher, CalTech • http://www.capsi.caltech.edu/research/documents/GenderDiffernecesAschbacher_000.pdf • Comm Tech Lab • Carrie Heeter, Michigan State • http://commtechlab.msu.edu/publications/index.html

35. Resources: Go Fishing  • Gender Digital Library • http://gsdl.enc.org/ • Enter “engineering & middle school”   • NSF—The National Science Foundation • Research on Gender in Science and Engineering (GSE) • http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/ehr/hrd/ge/women2.htm • http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/ehr/hrd/ge/girls-rev.html (sites for girls) • Center for Women and Information Technology • http://www.umbc.edu/cwit/ •  Google • Identify what is relevant and meaningful, and why • Good exercise in info gathering/assimilation

36. Questions? • Barbara Bogue • bbogue@psu.edu