Providing the chance for everybody to code
More than a dozen middle school girls joined in this summer’s “Learn to Code! Programming for Girls” workshops at WSU Pullman. The weeklong series of workshops was led by computer science graduate students Gina Sprint and Jessamyn Dahmen and aimed to encourage the girls’ interest in the field. WSU’s Broadening Participation in Computing Club received a grant last year to conduct the workshops from the National Center for Women & Information Technology and Symantec to introduce girls to computer science. In the course, Sprint and Dahmen presented engaging, hands-on programming projects and told the girls about research and career opportunities for women in computer science.
“We want to break down stereotypes, give students creative programming experience, and inspire them,” said Dahmen.
The WSU students will work with the Office of Assessment of Teaching and Learning to assess the program’s success. They also hope to make it an annual event and provide support in the future for students who want to attend.