What is a Program-in-a-Box?
In
November 2006 NCWIT introduced "in-a-Box" programs: turnkey solutions
that address pressing issues facing the IT community, including...
- The shrinking pipeline and homogeneity of the IT profession and the lack of awareness and misconceptions about IT careers held by girls
- Climate and practices in undergraduate computing departments that may act as barriers to some students
- Under-representation of women in positions of influence and innovation in industry and academia, and the need to provide guidance and social support so that women can attain these positions
Each "in-a-Box" program is designed for practical use by IT professionals and supplies all the components necessary for quick and strategic action. Users simply download resources from the NCWIT website and follow a program guide in order to "unpack" a Box and customize it for local use. Program materials include sample letters, templates, slide presentations, and other resources.
Current Programs-in-a-Box include:
Outreach-in-a-Box: Discovering IT.
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A
program to strengthen and diversify the IT pipeline though outreach to
middle schools. Using the box, IT professionals customize and deliver a
classroom presentation and engage youth in hands-on activities that
inspire and inform them about opportunities in IT.
Survey-in-a-Box: Student Experience of the Major.
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A
survey and associated resources for assessing, interpreting, and
improving the climate of undergraduate computing departments to improve
retention of and increase enrollment by all students. Box components
include a survey for collecting data from undergraduates to find out what they are experiencing in the major and furnishing data to the
department; directions for conducting the survey and for getting human
subjects approval; department-specific analysis and recommendations;
templates for presenting results to your faculty and students; and
suggestions for sharing the results and taking positive action.
Mentoring-in-a-Box: Technical Women at Work
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Mentoring-in-a-Box:
Technical Women at Work zeros-in on challenges unique to technical
women in industry settings. It also focuses on the long view: helping
women survive their jobs and thrive in their careers, as well as
helping them envision, plan, and take practical steps toward positions
of influence and innovation. The "Box" contains strategies, activities,
and tools that support a thriving and productive relationship between
mentor and protégée.
Faculty Mentoring-in-a-Box: Academic Women in Computing
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Women
in scientific disciplines face challenges, from institutionalized bias
to differences in communication styles and a lack of female role
models. Faculty Mentoring-in-a-Box addresses the challenges of the
computer science faculty experience. Designed to help pre-tenure
faculty women prepare for the next stage of their careers and look
ahead to positions of accomplishment and influence, Faculty
Mentoring-in-a-Box supplies practical activities, resources, and
templates to help you start and sustain a successful mentoring
relationship.
International Women's Day-in-a-Box: Raising Awareness, Igniting Change
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International Women's Day-in-a-Box: Raising Awareness, Igniting Change is designed to help IT companies and departments celebrate successes
and address barriers to women's full participation in IT, and
capitalize on women's innovative thinking and leadership potential. If
your organization is eager to promote diversity in order to become
globally competitive, then International Women's Day-in-a-Box is for you. Use this resource to plan company activities and events,
and to establish a culture and expectation for broader diversity of
thought in IT.
Computer Science-in-a-Box: Unplug Your Curriculum
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Computer Science-in-a-Box: Unplug Your Curriculum introduces fundamental building blocks of computer science -- without using computers. Use it with students ages 9 to 14 to teach lessons about how computers work, while addressing critical mathematics and science concepts such as number systems, algorithms, and manipulating variables and logic. NCWIT is pleased to offer Computer Science-in-a-Box: Unplug Your Curriculum in cooperation with the authors of Computer Science Unplugged. So unplug your computer, and get ready to explore computer science!
Pipeline-in-a-Box: Promoting Advancement of CS/IT Students from Two-Year to Four-Year Institutions
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Pipeline-in-a-Box: Promoting Advancement of CS/IT Students from Two-Year to Four-Year Institutions outlines five steps for strengthening the relationship between faculty, administrators, and advisors at community colleges and four-year institutions in order to increase the number of students, including underrepresented groups, graduating with computer science (CS) or information technology (IT) baccalaureate degrees. Pipeline-in-a-Box provides strategies, data, templates, posters, presentations, and other resources for recruiting, transferring, and graduating students obtaining degrees in CS and IT.
Pair Programming-in-a-Box: The Power of Collaborative Learning
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Pair Programming-in-a-Box is a set of resources that helps instructors of introductory college programming classes integrate pair programming into their courses. This "Box" provides validated methods for implementing pair programming, including orienting students and course staff, forming programming pairs, facilitating teamwork, assessing students' individual competency, and evaluating the effectiveness of pair programming. Pair Programming-in-a-Box supplies sample handouts for students and course staff, as well as a partner questionnaire and in-depth student survey that can be adapted to meet the particular needs of a course.
