1. Recruiting Messages for More and Different students
Joanne McGrath Cohoon
Carolyn Vallas
Recruiting Messages for More and Different students

2. We will discuss research & practice
Examples of effective recruiting
Leveraging your assets
Identifying your audience
Analyzing your audience
Practice tailoring your message

3. You face real barriers NCLB / SOLs Opportunity for electives
College admission criteria
Uninformed counselors
Stereotypes
So, recruiting is necessary
But, how to do it?

4. Two audiences: Girls and their influencers
Family
Friends
Other teachers
Counselors
Coaches
Group leaders
Celebrities
Boys
College-bound girls
Vocational track
Honor Society
Math class
Math club
Chess club
Sports teams
Music & Art
Friendship groups
Think broadly about potential audiences
Go beyond geek

5. Analyze your audience What does your target group believe, value now?
How can you fit these beliefs / meet these needs?
What are the target group’s competing goals?
e.g., Interest in saving the planet
e.g., Desire to spend time with friends
What influences their behavior?
How can you overcome their objections?
e.g., CS is too hard and will jeopardize my GPA

6. What might they think CS is?
Boring
Hard
Machine-focused No jobs
Unknown
Women who are in CS think it is
Using computers to solve problems
26%
Intersection of people + computers
computers + other fields
using machines to do human activities
19%
Using machines for improving human life
Source: Grace Hopper 2004 Survey

7. What do girls want to do when they grow up?
These goals appear to compete with computing but you could align them with computing
Source: 715 survey responses from middle school girls at a science, technology, engineering recruiting event

8. What influenced CS majors?
Women
More
than Men
Source: Focus groups with 182 CS students in 16 programs
Path to a
helping
occupation
Defy
stereotypes
View
computing as
communication
Self-expression
through
computing
Persuaded by
friends
Another way to identify characteristics of women who could be successful in your program is to look at the women who are there now. According to focus groups with undergraduates in 16 computer science departments, they were drawn to computing in many aspects by the same things that drew their male classmates, and in some ways that were specific to the women. The similarities and differences in these experiences give clues about what could bring more women into computing. When you understand who enters and succeeds in your own program, you can use that information to replicate the process.
Positive
computing
experiences
Encouraged
Rewarding
flexible
career
Math
or logic
confidence
Enjoy
programming
Men and
Women

9. Do most 15 year-old girls want to grow up to be Dilbert???
Defy stereotypes??
Beware of communicating or reinforcing stereotypes
Do most 15 year-old girls want to grow up to be Dilbert???

10. What influences their behavior?
Not platitudes
Listen and observe to learn about individual influencers

11. Typical teen girl influencers
Belonging, with potential to have status in the group
So, recruit groups instead of individuals
Role fulfillment - conforming to expectations that others have of someone in my position
So, talk about ways computing is social and helps people

12. Overcome objections and biases
We attend to what we already believe or want to believe
In a 1-1 conversation using student’s name
Listen and acknowledge student’s expressed beliefs – “I understand why you think that CS is …”
Offer persuasive evidence – “… but can I show you the actual numbers?” or “but can I tell you about my former students?”
Assure the student s/he can succeed
Don’t let refusal be permanent – “Can we talk again before you choose your courses for next year?” “Consider for college”

13. Leverage your existing assets
Too much to do all by yourself?
You wouldn’t start a research project without knowing what’s already been done.
Start your recruiting initiative by knowing what is being done locally.

14. What assets do you have? Alumni Parents of former students
After-School Programs
e.g., Girl Scouts
Recruiting Materials, Information from National Sources
(e.g., NCWIT, CSTA)
???

15. Examples of effective Recruiting through pre- College programs
Carolyn Vallas
Examples of effective Recruiting through pre- College programs

16. STEM Pre College Programs
Introduction to Engineering (ITE)
Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp (BHSSC)
Student Organizations:
National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE): NSBE Jr.
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE): Juntos Podemos
Society of Women Engineers (SWE): High School Visitation Program

17. Change the world! Make an Impact
Technologically enabled solutions that impact real people
In any field you choose, from medicine to national security, from education to entertainment
Example lecture: University of Washington's "Power to Change the World" video

18. Students’ Recruitment Suggestions
Wesley Claffee HS
Danielle Crump UVA
Hilde Franklin HS
Molly Nacey HS

19. Break the Ice- Not as boring as you may imagine
Marketing!
Fun Example: program you best dancing partner

20. Tailor your message content
In discussion groups, brainstorm ideas for messages that will reach your target audience

21. Practice tailoring messages
Script a conversation that considers
Who is your target audience?
What need can you meet?
What could take competing messages into account?
How can you overcome objections?
Choose your best ideas and report to whole group