IT camp for girls

Main idea

Outline

At IT camp for girls the participants get acquainted with the project management tool called ‘scrum’ and programming in Python. This gives them insight into algorithms, analyzing Big Data, deep learning, and AI.

The camp should provide insights on how IT is the groundwork for almost everything: from the development of products to the structures of society. The participant will discover how important IT is in our lives today.

Target group
The camp targets girls in the second or third year of secondary education or the sabbatical year. Experience with programming is not required.

The camp has approx. 22-25 participants

Length/timing
The camp lasts for two days during a weekend in Spring.

Organization
The camp has two main coordinators to plan, organize and communicate the two-day camp. The camp is a collaboration between several study programmes: Computer science, the bachelor programme in AI, and Software Engineering (BEEng).

The camp offers free sleeping accommodations and transportations to the camp from where they are lodged. Food and beverages are also included.

The camp is free. The participants must bring their own computers.

Goals

• To offer an academic or interest community for girls with IT interests.
• To inspire and show case student life as a student in STEM through role models and peers in a safe and informal environment.
• Bridging the gap and develop the confidence to choose a STEM programme.

Target group

Students involvement

The participants will meet a lot of students throughout the camp as the peer-to-peer and role modeling aspects are central to this initiative.

The students are involved e.g., as facilitators of workshops and practical assignments. The students are also involved in the planning ahead of the camp and the feedback afterwards.

Inspiration and evidence

The inspirational background for this initiative is two-fold:

• The department of Mathematics and Computer Science has successfully run similar camps on e.g., computer science, and mathematics targeting all students on second or third year of secondary education or the sabbatical year.
• Similar initiatives targeting girls in STEM from other universities in Denmark.

Success criteria

3 highlights:

• The role model and peer-to-peer aspects are very successful elements.
• The coordinators and student instructors’ way of connecting with the participants and creating a comfortable learning environment and a sense of belonging.
• The creative and challenging content

Do you feel you can effectively provide the support that students require?

Would you recommend this to other institutions?

strongly agree

Evaluation

Yes. The participants are divided into four groups. In groups they answer 8 questions about the content, level, expectations (camp and educational choice), experiences during the camp, and SDU.

The coordinators and instructors evaluate the content, and the flow of the camp from an organizational perspective. And take the participants feedback into consideration for next camp (what to adjust/improve).

Communication

The IT camp is mainly advertised through SoMe, outreach materials and network.

Timing

In the spring before the deadline for applying to the bachelor programmes.

Resources

Staff involved and skills needed:

• Two coordinators to advertise, plan, communicate with participants and staff involved, etc. The coordinators also teach and assist on workshops and are present during the camp from early morning to late at night.
• A number of students to teach and assist on workshops, and to guide and connect with the participants. They are also a part of the planning of some of the content.
• Female representatives from the IT business to facilitate workshops or presentations.

The resources to manage and accommodate a two-day camp for approx. 25 participants.

Extra information

• IT camp for girls (webpage in Danish)

Transferability

We think it is quite easily transferable to other contexts or groups.

Universal design:
No, but it is transferable to different groups and contexts. The camp concept is also used on several other fields e.g., mathematics, and at different educational institutions, national and international. It all depends on the field of interest, the aim of the content, and the available resources (people, skills, money).

The camps can also be longer or/and coordinated by student volunteers.

Specific for the context
The camp is supported by IT-Vest. IT-Vest provides support for research, initiatives, experiments, and activities that can lead to better IT education and more IT graduates from the collaborating universities 1. IT-Vest is a collaboration between Aalborg University, Aarhus University, and the University of Southern Denmark.