Seeding the Computational Skills of Diverse Non-programmers through Non-formal Workshops

Non-programmers, in particular, those who identify as female or gender-diverse, experience many factors that hinder their ultimate interest, participation, and success in programming. Prior work has delved into the problem of underrepresentation in STEM and specifically in Computing Education to uncover the barriers impacting these groups. Yet, attraction and retention remains a challenge. I argue that while formal learning pathways are critical to increasing participation of diverse learners, it is also integral to provide informal and non-formal learning opportunities as well. My research uses mixed-methods within a design-based research approach to offer and evaluate an active learning beginners' programming workshop called Code For Her. The workshop is designed to introduce females and gender-diverse individuals to web development. My goal is to analyze participants' experiences and progress within a trajectory framework, producing a narrative of their behaviors and attitudes over both short-term and longer-term intervals. In a pilot study of the workshop design, I observed increases in self-efficacy and positive attitudes, as well as changes in ways of thinking about computing. I note that the brief exposure of a workshop may seed understanding and skills in computation, but is not likely to convert non-programmers into programmers. Instead, I am exploring a new construct - computational grounding - that refers to participants' enhanced orientation toward computing-related behaviors. I will operationalize and study this construct using the workshop activities, thereby enhancing discussions of computational thinking.