Interventions for increasing male and female undergraduate interest in information technology

There is a continuing worldwide need for developing a larger and more diverse workforce in the broad field of information technology (IT). We report on two activities conducted by the project within selected classes of a postsecondary finite mathematics course: 1) a student-written blog about practical applications of computing, and 2) after-class seminar sessions with professionals about the importance of computing in the work world. It was found that the hundreds of students who actively participated in these activities were significantly more likely to enroll in a computing course or declare a computing-related major than were non-participating students, despite the fact that the two groups of students displayed identical attitudes toward computing at the start of the term. The study demonstrates that relevant blogs and sessions with professionals can be effective tools for recruiting students, including women, who otherwise would not have chosen to complete more course work in computing.