The Effect Of A Computing-Focused Linked-Courses Learning Community On Minority And Female Students, Amber Settle, James Doyle, Theresa Steinbach
Sep 2017
The Effect Of A Computing-Focused Linked-Courses Learning Community On Minority And Female Students, Amber Settle, James Doyle, Theresa Steinbach
Amber Settle
While enrollments in computing degrees and courses have grown rapidly in the past decade, both female and minority male students remain underrepresented in computing programs. This makes recruitment and retention of these populations a continuing concern. Affinity for a major is connected to student retention, and learning communities have proven effective for this purpose. We present an evaluation of a three-year linked-courses learning community in which we measure pre- to post-quarter changes in student attitudes and resource utilization. We find that participants in the learning community are significantly more likely to report being a part of a group of programmers …
Improving Retention And Reducing Isolation Via A Linked-Courses Learning Community, Amber Settle, Theresa Steinbach
Sep 2016
Improving Retention And Reducing Isolation Via A Linked-Courses Learning Community, Amber Settle, Theresa Steinbach
Amber Settle
Despite a rebound in enrollments, men of color and women remain underrepresented in computing. The literature indicates that student-student interaction, affinity for the computing major, and reduced feelings of isolation are important for retention of underrepresented groups in computing. Learning communities connect students with each other and faculty to improve collaboration, interaction, and enthusiasm. In an effort to improve retention of female and minority students at our institution, we have created two cohorts of a linked-courses learning community for development majors. Here we report on the academic performance and retention for the first cohort and on the impact of the …
Evaluating A Linked-Courses Learning Community For Development Majors, Amber Settle, John Lalor, Theresa Steinbach
Sep 2015
Evaluating A Linked-Courses Learning Community For Development Majors, Amber Settle, John Lalor, Theresa Steinbach
Amber Settle
Despite a rebound in enrollments, men of color and women remain underrepresented in computing. The literature indicates that student-student interaction and affinity for the computing major are important factors for retention of underrepresented groups in computing, and learning communities connect students with each other and faculty to improve collaboration, interaction, enthusiasm. Despite their long history and promise for addressing retention, computing-focused learning communities remain rare. Here we present an evaluation of a linked-courses learning community for men of color and women majoring in a development-focused area of computing. We measure student attitudes and affinity for their major via a survey …
Building A Linked-Courses Learning Community For Introductory Development Majors, Amber Settle
Jun 2014
Building A Linked-Courses Learning Community For Introductory Development Majors, Amber Settle
Amber Settle
No abstract provided.
Research Directions For Teaching Programming Online, Amber Settle, Arto Vihavainen, Craig Miller
Jun 2014
Research Directions For Teaching Programming Online, Amber Settle, Arto Vihavainen, Craig Miller
Amber Settle
No abstract provided.
Demographics Of Undergraduate Students In Game Degree Programs In The Us And Uk, Monica M. Mcgill, Amber Settle, Adrienne Decker
Oct 2013
Demographics Of Undergraduate Students In Game Degree Programs In The Us And Uk, Monica M. Mcgill, Amber Settle, Adrienne Decker
Amber Settle
Over the last decade, there has been a growth in the video game industry and, at the same time, game degree programs at postsecondary institutions worldwide have grown in quantity and quality. Representation of gender and race in games and in the game industry workforce is an important issue. We explore this topic in our research, providing an overview of the demographics of undergraduate students in game degree programs in the United States and the United Kingdom. We include race, gender, ethnicity, political preferences, sexual orientation and more. Gender results indicate that males make up the significant majority in undergraduate …
Diversity In The Game Industry: Is Outreach The Solution?, Amber Settle, Monica M. Mcgill, Adrienne Decker
Oct 2013
Diversity In The Game Industry: Is Outreach The Solution?, Amber Settle, Monica M. Mcgill, Adrienne Decker
Amber Settle
Over the last decade, the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) has considered the lack of diversity in the game industry workforce a quality of life issue. Using the results of our recent study on demographics of undergraduate students in game degree programs, we compare our data against data reported in the 2005 IGDA Quality of Life survey. The most significant result of this study is that gender diversity in the current group of undergraduate students studying games is statistically the same as that reported within the industry seven years ago, with an approximate 8 to 1 ratio of males to …
Evaluating A Prospective Student Mentoring Program, Amber Settle
Jun 2013
Evaluating A Prospective Student Mentoring Program, Amber Settle
Amber Settle
No abstract provided.
Institutional Support For Computing Faculty Research Productivity: Does Gender Matter?, Monica M. Mcgill, Amber Settle
Mar 2012
Institutional Support For Computing Faculty Research Productivity: Does Gender Matter?, Monica M. Mcgill, Amber Settle
Amber Settle
We address the question of how male and female computing faculty in the U.S. and Canada perceive research requirements and institutional support for promotion and tenure. Via a survey sent to approximately 7500 computing faculty at the 256 institutions that participate in the annual Taulbee Survey, our results identify differences in reported tenure and promotion requirements, including the number of publications required during the probationary period, the importance of the scope of publication venues, the importance of publishing in non-refereed journals, and the importance of collaborative presentations. Differences were also discovered in institutional support and the satisfaction levels with that …
Rethinking Advising: Developing A Proactive Culture To Improve Retention, Amber Settle, John Glatz
Oct 2011
Rethinking Advising: Developing A Proactive Culture To Improve Retention, Amber Settle, John Glatz
Amber Settle
In 2009 DePaul University’s College of Computing and Digital Media (DePaul CDM) discovered a significant lag in undergraduate retention rates as well as four, five and six-year graduation rates as compared to other major colleges at the university. DePaul CDM’s investment in online student service resources had over time caused the unintentional reinvention of the college advising office into one that supported a very limited number of students, focusing primarily on students either in academic distress or students nearing graduation.
In an effort to modify the advising culture at DePaul CDM into a more proactive one, a strategic student service …
Engaging Game Design Students Using Peer Evaluation, Amber Settle, Charles Wilcox, Chad Settle
Oct 2011
Engaging Game Design Students Using Peer Evaluation, Amber Settle, Charles Wilcox, Chad Settle
Amber Settle
Many information technology educators have worked in recent years to develop courses to attract students to the field. As faculty achieve success with technical courses designed to be appeal to a broad audience, it can be hard to maintain the initial excitement particularly as multiple sections of the courses are taught on a continuing basis. In this article we describe a project that added peer evaluation to an assessment in a game design course with a large non-major audience. While controversial, peer evaluation has shown some promise in motivating students to work harder and in improving certain key skills. Consistent …
The Impact Of Multiple Computing And Digital Arts Degrees On Undergraduate Recruitment, Amber Settle, Liz Friedman, Mary Jo Davidson
Oct 2010
The Impact Of Multiple Computing And Digital Arts Degrees On Undergraduate Recruitment, Amber Settle, Liz Friedman, Mary Jo Davidson
Amber Settle
In this paper, we describe a two-year study of the factors influencing freshman and first-year transfer student enrollment at the College of Computing and Digital Media (CDM) at DePaul University. Our results show that the reputation of the institution, the particular degree programs at DePaul CDM, and to a lesser degree the diversity of degree programs available, were all positive factors for application and enrollment at DePaul. Factors that were not of primary importance included parental influence, the fact that DePaul is a liberal arts institution, and recommendations from relatives and friends.
The Present And Future Of Computational Thinking, Amber Settle
Feb 2009
The Present And Future Of Computational Thinking, Amber Settle
Amber Settle
No abstract provided.
A Hybrid Approach To Projects In Gaming Courses, Amber Settle, Joe Linhoff, André Berthiaume
Feb 2008
A Hybrid Approach To Projects In Gaming Courses, Amber Settle, Joe Linhoff, André Berthiaume
Amber Settle
We describe an approach to projects used in game development courses that supports learning individual skills while also developing team skills. Early assignments focus on developing individual skills in coding and content creation, and when those skills are honed, students form teams to work on a larger and more complex game. Classes that use a hybrid approach, that is individual projects that build toward a large group project, allow students to solidly learn game development skills required of gaming graduates and yet stimulate creativity and challenge students to move beyond their comfort zone.
Game Design As A Writing Course In The Liberal Arts., Amber Settle, Robin Burke, Lucia Dettori
Dec 2006
Game Design As A Writing Course In The Liberal Arts., Amber Settle, Robin Burke, Lucia Dettori
Amber Settle
The School of Computer Science, Telecommunications, and Information Systems (CTI) is a technologically-focused college within DePaul University. While DePaul CTI has a large number of technical degree programs, DePaul University is a liberal arts institution and one that is increasingly focused on improving the writing skills of its students. It can be difficult to create courses that cover necessary technical material while requiring writing as a major part of the assessments. In this paper we discuss GAM 224: Introduction to Game Design, a required course in one of the specialized degree programs at DePaul CTI that involves writing in a …
Computing Branches Out: On Revitalizing Computing Education., Ljubomir Perkovic, Amber Settle
Dec 2006
Computing Branches Out: On Revitalizing Computing Education., Ljubomir Perkovic, Amber Settle
Amber Settle
No abstract provided.
New Bounds For The Firing Squad Problem On A Ring, Amber Settle, Andre Berthiaume, Ljubomir Perković, Janos Simon
May 2002
New Bounds For The Firing Squad Problem On A Ring, Amber Settle, Andre Berthiaume, Ljubomir Perković, Janos Simon
Amber Settle
No abstract provided.
