Diversity in CS
We believe computer science education should be inclusive and supportive of the community regardless of gender, ethnicity, or socio-economic background. In order to increase faculty diversity, the School of Computing Science is planning to increase efforts in hiring and retaining female tenure-track faculty. In order to support diversity and inclusion in student communities, the School of Computing Science has formed a CS Diversity Committee.
The Computing Science Diversity Committee is a focus group comprised of computing science faculty and staff, working to increase diversity and inclusion in the computing science community generally, and especially within the SFU School of Computing Science's student community. The long-term strategic goals of this committee include:
- Increasing the percentage of women and indigenous students enrolled in SFU CS
- Ensure retention of women and indigenous students in SFU CS
Support Groups
Within the School of Computing Science student support groups are established for peer-to-peer connections, as well as development opportunities.
Outreach
As a collaborative effort, the School of Computing Science works closely with various groups to connect with the community and promote diversity. Some of these initiatives include:
TryCatch
TryCatch is a one-day event in the Fall for high school girls in grades eight to twelve, with the objective of helping them develop an interest in Computing Science and the technology field.
Invent the Future
Invent the Future is a summer enrichment program dedicated to bringing AI expertise, community, and mentorship to youth. The program works to increase diversity and inclusion.
Computing Teaching Toolkit
This free toolkit provides an engaging set of exercises and tools for high school teachers to teach Introduction to Computer Science and Programming.
As a part of a project supported by the Student Experience Initiative and the School of Computing Science, the Computing Science Diversity Committee is holding a webinar series on topics of equity, diversity, inclusion and justice in the field of computer science. o attend our webinars, please contact cs-diversity-chair@sfu.ca for registration and the Zoom link.
The CSDC award is an initiative for current students in computing to showcase their projects which are focused on advancing Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Justice in Computing Science Research and Professional Practices.
Data & Tracking
To further support diversity, the School of Computing Science monitors student & faculty experiences and uses data to improve university processes towards diversity and inclusion.
Statistics and Data
Computing Science Diversity Committee is committed to a data-driven approach towards measuring the results of its activities towards improving Diversity and Inclusion in our school. These dashboards provides historical reporting on a set of metrics to monitor progress in diversity, equity and inclusion.
Improving Diversity & Inclusion on Campus
Using a data-drive approach, the school advocates for improvements in university processes which have impacts on:
- Admissions
- Transfers
- Continuation in studies
- Curriculum development
- Awards & scholarships