Computer science faces a continuing crisis in the lack of females pursuing and succeeding in the field. Companies may suffer due to reduced product quality, students suffer because educators have failed to adjust to diverse populations, and future generations suffer due to a lack of role models and continued challenges in the environment. In this book, we draw on the latest research in sociology, psychology, and education to first identify why we should be striving for gender diversity (beyond social justice), refuting misconceptions about the differing potentials between females and males. We then provide a set of practical types (with brief motivations) for improving your work with undergraduates taking your courses. This is followed by in-depth discussion of the research behind the tips, presenting obstacles that females face in a number of areas. Finally, we provide tips for advising undergraduate independent projects or graduate students, supporting female faculty, and initiatives requiring action at the institutional level (department or above).

Computer science faces a continuing crisis in the lack of females pursuing and succeeding in the field. Companies may suffer due to reduced product quality, students suffer because educators have failed to adjust to diverse populations, and future generations suffer due to a lack of role models and continued challenges in the environment. In this book, we draw on the latest research in sociology, psychology, and education to first identify why we should be striving for gender diversity (beyond social justice), refuting misconceptions about the differing potentials between females and males. We then provide a set of practical types (with brief motivations) for improving your work with undergraduates taking your courses. This is followed by in-depth discussion of the research behind the tips, presenting obstacles that females face in a number of areas. Finally, we provide tips for advising undergraduate independent projects or graduate students, supporting female faculty, and initiatives requiring action at the institutional level (department or above).

Global Perspectives on Teaching with Technology presents a wealth of current research on how teacher education and training programs around the world are preparing teachers to integrate and apply learning technologies across subjects, grade levels, and regions. Digital tools are more integral than ever to an accessible and well-rounded education, although their rapid evolution and proliferation necessitate new guidance into their effective integration and intended outcomes. This book provides graduate students, faculty, and researchers of teacher education, as well as trainers of in-service teachers with field-tested frameworks, evidence-based theories and models, and real-world examples of the complexities and affordances of teaching with technology. Internationally sourced to reflect today's richly diverse and globalized learner populations, the case studies collected here offer fresh approaches for teacher educators and a springboard for education researchers studying how practitioners can thrive in their classrooms and foster equity among students.

Many of us have implemented oral communication instruction in our design courses, lab courses, and other courses where students give presentations. Others have students give presentations without instruction on how to become a better presenter. Many of us, then, could use a concise book that guides us on what instruction on oral communication should include, based on input from executives from different settings. This instruction will help our students get jobs and make them more likely to move up the career ladder, especially in these hard economic times. Oral Communication Excellence for Engineers and Scientists: Based on Executive Input is the tool we need. It is based on input from over 75 executives with engineering or science degrees, leading organizations that employ engineers and scientists. For the presentation chapter, the executives described what makes a “stellar presentation.” And for every other chapter, they gave input—on, for example, how to effectively communicate in meetings and in teams, how to excel at phone communication, how to communicate electronically to supplement oral communication, and how to meet the challenges of oral communication. They also provided tips on cross-cultural communication, listening, choosing the appropriate medium for a communication, elevator pitches, and posters; and using oral communication to network on the job. Oral Communication Excellence for Engineers and Scientists includes exercises and activities for students and professionals, based on instruction that has improved Georgia Tech’s students’ presentation skills at a statistically significant level. Slides demonstrating best practices are included from Capstone Design students around the country. Table of Contents: Introduction / Background Preparation / Presentation: Customizing to your Audience / Presentation: Telling your Story / Presentation: Displaying Key Information / Delivering the Presentation / Other Oral Communication Skills / Advanced Oral Communication Skills / References

For over 40 years, the tech industry has been working to attract more women. Yet, women continue to be underrepresented in technology jobs compared to other professions. Worse, once hired, women leave the field mid-career twice as often as men. In 2013, Karen Holtzblatt launched The Women in Tech Retention Project at WITops.org, dedicated to understanding what helps women in tech thrive. In 2014, Nicola Marsden joined the effort, bringing her extensive knowledge and research on gender and bias for women in tech. Together with worldwide volunteers, this research identified what helps women thrive and practical interventions to improve women’s experience at work. In this book, we share women’s stories, our research, relevant literature, and our perspective on making change to help retain women. All the research and solutions we share are based on deep research and user-centered ideation techniques. Part I describes the @Work Experience Framework and the six key factors that help women thrive: a dynamic valuing team; stimulating projects; the push into challenges with support; local role models; nonjudgmental flexibility to manage home/work balance; and developing personal power. Employees thinking of leaving their job have significantly lower scores on these factors showing their importance for retention. Part II describes tested interventions that redesign work practices to better support women, diverse teams, and all team members. We chose these interventions guided by data from over 1,000 people from multiple genders, ethnicities, family situations, and countries. Interventions target key processes in tech: onboarding new hires; group critique meetings; and Scrum. Interventions also address managing interpersonal dynamics to increase valuing and decrease devaluing behaviors and techniques for teams to define, monitor, and continuously improve their culture. We conclude by describing our principles for redesigning processes with an eye toward issues important to women and diverse teams.

The thrill of discovery and the excitement of innovation mean that research is often immensely satisfying. But beyond the personal satisfaction, the goal of research is to improve the lives of people everywhere by driving revolutionary advances in healthcare, education, business, and government. This guidebook's strategies will help you shape your research and energize your campus so as to achieve the Twin Win: a breakthrough theory that's published and a validated solution that's ready for dissemination. The action-oriented paths in this guidebook resemble a backpacker's guide to hiking. It suggests paths and gives you enough information to get started, while providing enough flexibility to take side treks and enough confidence to find your own way. Short-term projects include inviting speakers to campus, choosing appropriate research projects, and developing networking skills. Middle-term include seeking funding from government agencies and philanthropic foundations, sharpening your writing and speaking skills, and promoting teamwork in research groups. Long-term missions include changing tenure policies, expanding collaboration with business and civic partners, and encouraging programs that combine theory and practice.

Originally published as a special issue of the Middle School Journal, this book presents integrative curriculum as a foundational element of the middle school. By addressing the current gap in literature on curriculum integration in the middle grades, this text explores how learning can be organized around authentic concepts or questions which cut across disciplines and speak to young adolescents. Providing a current, nuanced, and comprehensive review of what it means to embrace and implement an interdisciplinary and integrative curriculum, the volume considers how educators can create and deliver a high-quality integrative curriculum which is enjoyable, challenging, and inclusive. Examples of implementation in teacher preparation programs and middle grade classrooms showcase integrative approaches and illustrate how curricula have been key in tackling social inequities, increasing engagement with STEM, and supporting collaboration. This text will be of great interest to graduate and postgraduate students, researchers, academics and libraries in the field of Middle School Education, Curriculum Studies, Teacher Education, Theories of Learning, and STEM Education.