Changing Mental Models of the IT Professions: A Theoretical Framework

Introduction We are facing a crisis in information technology (IT) education. As a nation, we are not educating an appropriate cross-section of society to become the next generation of IT professionals, thereby shutting female and minority students out of IT careers. This "pipeline" effect (Camp, 1997) has been well-recognized now for more than a decade, yet it has not abated and is unlikely to do so in the near future. According to a Computer Research Association report (Vegso, 2005), "Alarmingly, the proportion of women who thought that they might major in CS (computer science) has fallen to levels unseen since the early 1970s." The National Science Foundation's Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering (National Science Foundation, 2006) statistics indicate that while females obtained 57.6% of all bachelor's degrees in 2004, they obtained just 25.2% of computer sciences-related undergraduate degrees. This percentage also reflects employment in this area. These statistics also show that minorities (Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaskan Native) together obtained 30.2% of undergraduate computer sciences-related degrees in 2004 (National Science Foundation, 2006). While this number indicates fairly strong minority group participation, the high representation of Asian/Pacific Islander students (43.0% of the CS undergraduate degrees obtained by minorities) masks the markedly lower participation of the remaining groups. Removing the Asian/Pacific Islander group, Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaskan Native students together obtained just 17.2% of the undergraduate computer sciences-related degrees conferred in 2004. This is a serious under-representation, as these same three groups together comprise 27.4% of the U.S. population as of 2005 (United States Census Bureau, 2007). This problem is aggravated by a general national decline in student participation in IT-related undergraduate programs. Since the year 2000, we have seen a drop in the number of U.S. high school students aiming to study IT-related fields in college, and we have seen a subsequent decline in the number of undergraduates who are entering college as IT students (Vegso, 2005). Frauenheim (2004) reported that schools like MIT, Rutgers, and Carnegie Mellon have experienced a reduction in the number of freshmen in their IT programs. As a result, there is an insufficient pool of IT students to support the needs of industry, and there is an insufficient pool of IT students to sustain the healthy growth of future research and development. It is widely recognized that the current and projected future shortage of adequately-trained IT professionals could be greatly reduced if more female and minority college students would major in IT disciplines (e.g. Mayfield, 2001; McDonald, 2004; Pincus, 1997; Tapia & Kvasny, 2004). Nonetheless, a dramatic under-representation of these populations in IT-related fields persists. An Example of the Problem: Declining IT Enrollment at Drexel University's College of Information Science & Technology This downward enrollment trend is reflected in Drexel University's College of Information Science & Technology's (IST) undergraduate enrollment, which has fallen from a high of 127 freshmen in for the 2001-2002 academic year to just 54 freshman for the 2007-2008 academic year. The declining number of freshmen results in fewer graduates and fewer students entering the IT-related fields. Currently, IST undergraduate programs average just 9.7% female enrollment and just 9.7% non-Asian minority (Black, Hispanic, and Native Indian) enrollment. Table 1 shows current enrollment statistics by gender. At IST, non-Asian minorities are similarly under-represented. Table 2 breaks these students down according to self-reported ethnic/racial designation. …