Student Role Models

What is the Action?

Use senior students in computing to act as role models for more junior or prospective students.

Quick Facts to Support this Action

Student role models are one of the most frequently mentioned role models that positively influence women in computing education. Here, the close age gap between the students and the role models, as well as inspiring passion for computing were the key attributes.

Male or female role models can be used for recruitment initiatives, especially considering low numbers of female students in computing. An initiative targeting recruitment that involved undergraduate role models in workshops with secondary school students found no gender difference for role models in effects on students. Initiatives targeting retention showed more impact where same-gender role models were used.

Ways to Implement this Action

• Invite student role models of all genders to speak at outreach events that target recruitment. Guidance on how to train role models is available here.
• Use student teaching assistants – see Action Undergraduate TAs, preferably female, to help in labs with junior students.
• Invite more senior female students to speak about their experience to more junior students. This can be done during orientation week, in informal meetings, as a guest lecture or at official university events.
• Encourage female students to give/record testimonials of their positive experience being a computer science student, to promote them on the School’s website and share with prospective students.

Evaluation Approach

• Distribute a pre- and post-event questionnaire at once-off events with student role models.
• Collect student feedback on teaching and learning where evidence of impact of student tutors is required.
• Collect first-year student feedback after recruitment events to find out if student role models played a particular role for the study aspirations.