{"id":237088,"date":"2025-06-19T16:31:34","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T16:31:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/techmate\/?page_id=237088"},"modified":"2025-09-16T21:43:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T21:43:09","slug":"promotion-materials","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/techmate\/actions\/promotion-materials\/","title":{"rendered":"Promotion Materials for Computer Science Courses &#8211; Action"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; fullwidth=&#8221;on&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; box_shadow_style=&#8221;preset3&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_fullwidth_header title=&#8221;Promotion Materials for Computer Science Courses&#8221; button_one_text=&#8221;Back to All Actions&#8221; button_one_url=&#8221;https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/techmate\/actions\/&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; title_font_size=&#8221;25px&#8221; background_color=&#8221;#021024&#8243; custom_button_one=&#8221;on&#8221; button_one_text_size=&#8221;15px&#8221; button_one_text_color=&#8221;#000000&#8243; button_one_bg_color=&#8221;#FFFFFF&#8221; button_one_border_color=&#8221;#000000&#8243; custom_margin=&#8221;||-35px|||&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;17px||11px|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||-1px|||&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;||46px|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row column_structure=&#8221;2_5,3_5&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;||102px|||&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; border_style_all=&#8221;none&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;2_5&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; 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_builder_version=&#8221;4.27.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Description&#8221; module_id=&#8221;action-desc&#8221; module_class=&#8221;content-block&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_text_color=&#8221;gcid-body-color&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;15px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.8em&#8221; background_color=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||-100px|||&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-body-color%22:%91%22text_text_color%22%93}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h3>What is the Action?<\/h3>\n<p><span>Make information about your computing courses appealing to female applicants.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Explore another action that deals with advertising of computer science courses &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/techmate\/actions\/use-of-images-in-cs-promo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Use of Images in Computer Science Course Promotion<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Facts&#8221; module_id=&#8221;action-facts&#8221; module_class=&#8221;content-block&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_text_color=&#8221;gcid-body-color&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;15px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.8em&#8221; background_color=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||-100px|||&#8221; custom_css_free_form=&#8221;||&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-body-color%22:%91%22text_text_color%22%93}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h3>Quick Facts to Support this Action<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span>Research shows that computing courses information <a href=\"https:\/\/dl.acm.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1145\/3502718.3524784\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">worded with predominantly people-oriented keywords<\/a> attracts more female applicants than courses described with keywords containing more unanimated objects.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"testimonial-box\">\n<p>Significantly less women than men chose modules containing the word \u201clab\u201d (e.g., Java Lab) in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S1877042814010404\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a study analysing gender differences for non-core computing subjects.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li><span>Women tend to apply for <a href=\"https:\/\/peer.asee.org\/getting-to-gender-parity-in-a-top-tier-mechanical-engineering-department-a-case-study\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">courses that are known\/advertised as gender balanced computing courses<\/a> already.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>One of the <a href=\"https:\/\/static.googleusercontent.com\/media\/edu.google.com\/en\/pdfs\/women-who-choose-what-really.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">most influential factors for women to choose a computing degree is their perception of a computing career<\/a>, or what they think it is based on the information provided in the media.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;implement&#8221; module_id=&#8221;action-implement&#8221; module_class=&#8221;content-block&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_text_color=&#8221;gcid-body-color&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;15px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.8em&#8221; background_color=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||-100px|||&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-body-color%22:%91%22text_text_color%22%93}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h3><span>Ways to Implement this Action<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Explore ideas on implementation by expanding the opntions below.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-dropdown\"><a href=\"#\" onclick=\"toggleDiv('genderneutral'); return false;\">\u27a4 Gender-Neutral Language<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"genderneutral\" class=\"dropdown-content\">Use gender-neutral language when composing course descriptions that are meant for prospective applicants. Some guidelines on that are available for English and other languages here <a href=\"https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/cmsdata\/151780\/GNL_Guidelines_EN.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/cmsdata\/151780\/GNL_Guidelines_EN.pdf<\/a><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-dropdown\"><a href=\"#\" onclick=\"toggleDiv('avoid'); return false;\">\u27a4 Avoid Words&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"avoid\" class=\"dropdown-content\">Avoid a frequent use of words such as \u201cwork\u201d, \u201cprogramming\u201d, \u201csystems\u201d, \u201clab\u201d, or \u201cmathematics\u201d and concentrating on people\/companies related words instead. If there are existing course promotion materials available already, review them. The word cloud generator can be helpful to see what words are used the most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freewordcloudgenerator.com\/generatewordcloud\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.freewordcloudgenerator.com\/generatewordcloud<\/a><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-dropdown\"><a href=\"#\" onclick=\"toggleDiv('statistics'); return false;\">\u27a4 Include Statistics<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"statistics\" class=\"dropdown-content\">Include (ideally positive) statistics on gender representation among students or staff, in course promotion, if applicable.<\/div>\n<p class=\"text-dropdown\"><a href=\"#\" onclick=\"toggleDiv('careerportal'); return false;\">\u27a4 Mention Career Portal<\/a><\/p>\n<p><div id=\"careerportal\" class=\"dropdown-content\">Include links or information on the university career portal in the course advertisement as it could help prospective students familiarise themselves with the future job prospects.<\/div>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;impact&#8221; module_id=&#8221;action-impact&#8221; module_class=&#8221;content-block&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_text_color=&#8221;gcid-body-color&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;15px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.8em&#8221; background_color=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||-100px|||&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; border_color_all=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-body-color%22:%91%22text_text_color%22%93}&#8221; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h3><span>Evaluation Approach<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span>Seeing increased application numbers among female students will be the most evident way to see the impact of this action.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>For a shorter-term impact assessment, survey existing students on opinions about the changes made. Proposed ideas for survey questions:<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"454\" data-end=\"548\"><strong data-start=\"454\" data-end=\"546\">1. Overall, how appealing do you find the Computer Science course advertising materials? <\/strong><em>(Likert scale from Very appealing to Not appealing at all)<\/em><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"652\" data-end=\"781\"><strong data-start=\"652\" data-end=\"779\">2. How well do the materials represent diversity and inclusivity (e.g., showing different genders, backgrounds, interests)? <\/strong><em>(Likert scale from Very well to Not at all)<\/em><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"860\" data-end=\"983\"><strong data-start=\"860\" data-end=\"981\">3. To what extent do the materials make you feel that Computer Science is a field where women can succeed and belong? <\/strong><em>(Likert scale from Very strongly to Not at all)<\/em><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1061\" data-end=\"1163\"><strong data-start=\"1061\" data-end=\"1135\">4. Which aspects of the materials are most effective for engaging you?<\/strong><br data-start=\"1135\" data-end=\"1138\" \/><em>(Examples such as visual design, representation of people, emphasis on career opportunities\/real world applications etc.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1432\" data-end=\"1562\"><strong data-start=\"1432\" data-end=\"1542\">5. What changes or additions would make the course advertising materials more appealing to you personally?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;References&#8221; module_id=&#8221;action-references&#8221; module_class=&#8221;content-block&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_text_color=&#8221;gcid-body-color&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;15px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.8em&#8221; background_color=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||-100px|||&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-body-color%22:%91%22text_text_color%22%93}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"boxed\">\n<p>CompTIA. How to attract women (into Computer Science). ChannelPro Network, 2023. Retrieved: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.channelpronetwork.com\/blog\/entry\/how-attract-women-computer-science\">https:\/\/www.channelpronetwork.com\/blog\/entry\/how-attract-women-computer-science<\/a><\/p>\n<p>P. Grabarczyk, A. Freiesleben, A. Bastrup, and C. Brabrand. <a href=\"https:\/\/dl.acm.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1145\/3502718.3524784\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Computing Educational Programmes with more Women are more about People &amp; less about Things.<\/a> In Proc. of the 27th ITiCSE, pages 172\u2013178. ACM, 2022.<\/p>\n<p>H. Hong and A. Bouchon. <a href=\"https:\/\/static.googleusercontent.com\/media\/edu.google.com\/en\/\/pdfs\/women-who-choose-what-really.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Women who choose computer science: what really matters.<\/a> Technical Report. Google, Inc., 2014.<\/p>\n<p>M. Kordaki and I. Berdousis. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S1877042814010404\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Course selection in computer science: Gender differences.<\/a> Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 116:4770\u20134774, 2014.<\/p>\n<p>K. Xu, D. Wendell, and A. S. Walsh. <a href=\"https:\/\/peer.asee.org\/getting-to-gender-parity-in-a-top-tier-mechanical-engineering-department-a-case-study\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Getting to gender parity in a top-tier mech eng dept: A case study.<\/a> In ASEE Annu. Conf. Expo., pages 1\u201324. ASEE, 2017.<\/p>\n<p>Gender-Neutral Language in the European Parliament. 2018. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/cmsdata\/151780\/GNL_Guidelines_EN.pdf\">https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/cmsdata\/151780\/GNL_Guidelines_EN.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is the Action? 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