Efforts to Reverse the Trend of Enrollment Decline in Computer Science Programs

Introduction Since the turn of the century, there has been a barrage of reports and statistics that point to one fact regarding enrollment in technology related programs: there is a sharp decline of enrollment in computer related courses and programs. This trend is not limited to computer science programs, but extends to all technology centric programs. Computer science programs in particular are one of the hardest hit programs that faced this sharp decline in enrollment (Ali, 2009; Benokraitis, Bizot, Brown, & Martens, 2009; Dean, 2007; Zweben, 2009). Recent years have shown some progress regarding increasing enrollment in these technology programs, but a determination is yet to be made whether this slight upward trend represents a turn-around in enrollment or not (Markoff, 2009; Slonim, Scully & Mcallister, 2008). Among these programs that witnessed some recent increase in their enrollment is the computer science program (COSC) at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). This department made numerous adjustments to curriculum, programs and degrees offered. The problem of enrollment is being addressed at the supply side by reaching out to high school students, secondary education technology teachers, guidance counselors and by establishing affiliations with other institutions. All of these efforts were (and are) aimed at reversing the trends of enrollment decline in their program. The experiences of this program along with the steps they have taken to reverse the trend of enrollment decline are illustrated in this paper. The remainder of this paper is divided into five sections: The first section describes the low enrollment trends in computer science programs. It lists various statistics and employs charts that show this enrollment decline. The second section discusses possible reasons that led to this decline. The third section elaborates on steps that have been suggested to reverse this trend of enrollment decline among technology programs. The fourth section explains the steps and procedures that have been taken by the computer science program (COSC) at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) to reverse this trend. A summary and suggested future research is included at the end of this paper. Enrollment Decline--Numbers Different studies have been conducted and numerous statistics gathered to investigate this enrollment decline at the various Computer Science (CS) departments. All the studies and the statistics lead to one conclusion: There is a sharp decline in enrollment among computer science programs. The statistics differ by area of study, school and gender and sometimes categorize the numbers differently. However, despite these differences, the same statistics point to the grim reality of the enrollment decline among students enrolled in technology programs (Ali, 2009; Benokraitis et al., 2009; Dean, 2007; Vesgo, 2008; Zweben, 2009). But to give one set of numbers to describe enrollment may not explain the whole picture of enrollment decline as there are numerous factors that affect these numbers. Thus, this section presents the data and analysis of enrollment from different viewpoints. It first describes the peak enrollment time(s) as they are often referred to when explaining enrollment numbers. Then it analyzes different charts that show the number of admitted students and graduates from CS programs and among women in particular. Later, it highlights enrollment numbers in the COSC program at IUP and makes additional notation on the general trend. Peak Enrollment Time When presenting trend data, it is accustomed to provide comparison numbers in terms of a peak period. In other words, in order to see the comparative numbers of any trend, statisticians tend to list the highest value of a particular trend and show comparative numbers as they relate to the trend being exhibited. The trend of enrollment at CS programs may be better explained if they are compared to a similar peak (or highest) numbers. …