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"All Girls" Makes a Difference in New AP Computer Science Course

Becky Steimle
Students embrace the opportunity as DSHA computer science classes evolve from Excel and web design to programming and JAVA.

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With the introduction of the AP Computer Science A course at DSHA this year, students applying to college can now claim computer science as an area of special study.
 
The new course is part of the DSHA Specialized Studies Department, which allows students to engage in a broader view of learning in courses that pull from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and business fields.
 
“Computer science is a very important field for our students to gain experience and knowledge in,” says Connie Farrow, DSHA Chair of Specialized Studies. “There’s a shortage of women in the field.”
 
If the DSHA response is any indication, there may not be a shortage of women in computer science much longer. “We had hoped we’d have 10 girls register,” says Farrow. “We had 44 first semester.”
 
Farrow, who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial engineering and taught at the Milwaukee School of Engineering before coming to DSHA, brought the idea of developing a computer programming course to Academic Dean Dr. Heather Mansfield and Principal Dan Quesnell. “We taught Word, Excel and web design, but we all felt strongly we needed programming.”
 
Mansfield says the approach expands students’ STEM experience. “A student in computer science can actually develop a computer program.”
 
“They’re learning about what’s behind technology,” says Farrow. “As one example, they now know the program involved in checking a password.” Farrow has structured the class each week to feature two lecture days and two lab days where DSHA students are learning the basics of Java coding. A favorite project from the first semester course was writing code to simulate the play of “rock, paper, scissors”. Students are also using code to program the solutions to classic mathematical word problems.
 
“If offering this specialty can inspire just a few of our students to go on to computer science, it will have made a really important difference.”
One of these inspired students is senior Mary Callanan. She has loved learning computer programming. But it wasn’t until she started DSHA’s class that she could finally experience what she calls the joy of programming with other girls. She had previously taken coding classes at Marquette High and Cal Tech where other students were primarily male.
 
“The boys didn’t like to collaborate, they call it ‘exposing your ignorance,” says Callanan. “Boys are competitive. Girls are much more open.”
 

For her, that openness is key to the enjoyment and effective learning of computer programming. “The lab portion is super important for learning the language. It’s helping me to be ready for college.”
 
Callanan’s dream is to get into MIT. She’s also applied to Carnegie Mellon, Santa Clara University and the University of Washington in Seattle “because Microsoft and Apple are right there.” She would eventually love to start an all-female firm. “I’d love to have a female-dominated environment, bouncing ideas off each other.
 
“I love the coding community, and I love doing this with all girls.”
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