Wednesday, May 13 Workshop: "Global Status of Women in IT"
Google Crittenden Campus, Mountain View, California (map)
Building 1400, Olympus Mons (PDF driving directions)

For a while now, we've been making comparisons across institutions and companies to learn which practices attract, retain, and advance women, and which work best in particular environments. Taking a global perspective calls our attention to the roles culture and economic development play in shaping women's participation as creators and consumers of information technology. In this workshop, we will get an even clearer picture of the common themes.

• What does it mean to have faculty in our CS classrooms from developing countries, who bring with them very traditional views of women?
• What are the repercussions of recruiting CS workers from India or China, where women’s participation is lower in technical fields and higher education?
• What is the impact on research, publication, and promotion for U.S. women in higher education and the workforce, as a result of traditional cultural views of women internationally?

What is the consequence to U.S. women for not supporting women’s advancement in technical fields globally, in areas such as research, development, and product design?

Drs. Lageson and Charles will highlight the conditions that promote women's inclusion or underrepresentation in computing, and may raise some uncomfortable questions implied by their research findings. Drs. Dias and Huyer will focus on ways that gender and economic development interact to affect creation for, access to, and use of, IT by women in poor and underserved communities. In addition, we will have breakout sessions led by Drs. Sterling, Varma, Stockard, and Spencer that will explore aspects of these topics in more depth and consider the implications of cross-national indicators for K-12 educational quality.

We hope you take away a better understanding of the important issues and opportunities for effective action that increases women's participation in computing.

May 13 WORKSHOP AGENDA

6:30 – 7:30 AM: Breakfast
(Crowne Plaza; Sit-down buffet or grab-and-go)

7:30 AM SHARP: Shuttles to Google Campus
(Crowne Plaza)

8:00 – 8:10 AM: Welcome & Introduction
(Google Crittenden Campus, Bldg. 1400, Olympus Mons)
Lucy Sanders, NCWIT CEO

8:15 – 8:45 AM: Opening Plenary Remarks
Claudia Morrell, CEO, Multinational Development of Women in Technology
“Global Perspectives on Girls and Women and IT”
We live in a global community, but what does that mean for women and technology? How do issues like technology access, literacy, and innovation impact women in developing versus developed parts of the world? Further, what are the consequences to the US of not understanding, or worse, purposefully ignoring women’s full engagement in the information society on the global level? Ms. Morrell will give a broad overview of the global issues relating to women and technology and suggest one strategy she is developing with NCWIT to address developing the latent potential of women in information and communication technologies (ICTs) around the world.

8:45 – 9:25 AM: Speaker
Vivian A. Lagesen, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), “What Do We Know from Cross-national Comparisons?”
Results from a study of women computer science students in Norway and Malaysia show how women computer science students are strongly motivated by characteristics like prestige, pay, and good career prospects, and a general interest in mathematics and science. Another study of ICT professionals in Norway Malaysia and the U.S. largely confirms the pragmatic attitude of women. We'll discuss how women ICT professionals find it rewarding to do computer science work, even if the rewards are evaluated somewhat differently in the cultural contexts.

9:25 – 9:35 AM: Break

9:35 – 10:15 AM: Speaker
Maria Charles, Department of Sociology, University of California at Santa Barbara
"Women in IT: A Cross-national (Sociological) Perspective”
Data from 44 countries reveal that two cultural forces combine to create a new sort of sex segregation regime in advanced industrial societies. The first is the still widespread belief that men and women are naturally and fundamentally different; the second is a value system that encourages self-realization through educational and occupational pursuits. This cultural context creates increasing opportunities and incentives for the cultivation and expression of “gendered selves.”

10:15 – 10:50 AM: Breakout Introductions
Revi Sterling, PhD, Masters Program in Information and Communication Technology for Development, ATLAS Institute, University of Colorado
"Industry Efforts in ICTD"
This breakout is for those corporate and academic attendees who are either involved in creating Information and Communication Technologies for developing regions (ICTD), or who wish to become more thoughtful about strategies to engage those at the so-called “Bottom of the Pyramid.” In this breakout, we will discuss tenets of appropriate, sustainable, and gender equitable efforts in ICTD, comparing the efforts we are familiar with against a matrix of effective ICTD tenets. We will look at the intersection of research goals, industry aims, and cultural contexts in order to enable participants to better shape and inform ICTD efforts at their home institutions.

Roli Varma, School of Public Administration, University of New Mexico at Albuquerque
"Views from the U.S. and India on Women and IT"
Female students entering universities in the U.S. seem to be underestimating their abilities in math and, thus, in CS. Even though female students have little exposure to computers in India, they have little anxiety about CS because they consider themselves very strong in math and logical thinking. The CS field in the U.S. is perceived to be dominated by white males, geeks, and anti-social individuals. The image of CS field in India is of a lucrative and woman-friendly field. People who join the field are seen as smart and intelligent, without being anti-social.

Janice Stockard, Cultural Anthropologist, Teacher, Author, Editor
"So What's 'Culture' Got to Do with IT? Gendered Attributes, Skills, Places, and Occupations Cross-nationally"
In this breakout, “So What’s “Culture” Got To Do With IT? Gendered Attributes, Skills, Places, and Occupations Cross-Nationally,” we will discuss the ways in which larger cultural forces (both inside and beyond the workplace) help create our understanding of the seemingly natural or innate differences in skills and abilities among the different genders. Why are gender stereotypes, as part of cultural systems, so resistant to change? How do we change cultures?

Joi Spencer, PhD, School of Leadership and Education Sciences, University of San Diego
“Implications from Research on Instructional Practice in Today's Mathematics Classrooms”
Cross-cultural research demonstrates that instructional practices shape students' mathematics identity. In turn, their mathematics identity affects student course-taking and eventual career choices. This breakout session will discuss these research findings and the instructional practices that gives students the opportunity to get back on track for a technical career by re-engaging in mathematics.

10:50 – 11:00 AM: Move to Breakout Rooms

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Breakout Sessions

12:00 – 1:00 PM: Lunch

1:00 – 1:45 PM: Speaker
Bernardine Dias, Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University; Founder, TechBridgeWorld
“The Relevance of Computing Technology for Developing Communities”
Computing technology does not have positive impact on most people in poor and under-served communities today. Bernardine Dias will talk about the fast growing field of ICTD (information and communication technology for development) and efforts to create computing technology that is relevant and accessible to people who live at the base of the economic pyramid. She will give a broad overview of ICTD as a field, talk in more detail about a few example projects, and show an interactive demonstration of a low-cost braille writing tutor.

1:45 – 2:30 PM: Speaker
Sophia Huyer, Executive Director, Women and Global Science and Technology (WIGSAT)
“Gender, Access, and Use of ICTs: a Socioeconomic, Cultural, and Educational Perspective”
In most countries of the world, men and boys use more sophisticated ICTs more often than women, both at home and in the workplace. This talk will discuss the gender trends affecting challenges and opportunities in access to and use of information and communications technologies globally, as well as some of the socioeconomic, educational and cultural reasons behind these trends.

2:30 – 3:00 PM: Move to NCWIT Member Alliance Meetings and NCWIT Guest Orientation
* * * If you drive to Google and park at Crittenden Campus, please drive from Crittenden to your alliance meeting at the Main Campus following the end of the workshop. * * *
* * * K-12, Workforce, and Entrepreneurial Alliances take shuttles to Main Campus * * *
* * * Academic Alliance stays in Olympus Mons, Crittenden Campus * * *
* * * NCWIT Guests take shuttles to Main Campus * * *

2:45 – 5:45 PM: Academic Alliance Meeting
(Crittenden Campus - following the meeting, shuttle will take AA members to Main Campus)

3:00 – 6:00 PM: K-12 Alliance Meeting
(Main Campus)

3:00 – 6:00 PM: Workforce Alliance Meeting
(Main Campus)

3:00 – 6:00 PM: Entrepreneurial Alliance Meeting
(Main Campus)

3:00 - 6:00 PM: NCWIT Guest Orientation - What is NCWIT? - Google Campus Tour - Wireless Lounge and refreshments available

6:00 – 8:00 PM: NCWIT 5th Birthday Party!
Remarks by Emily White, NCWIT board member and Senior Director, Asia Pacific and Latin America, Google