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In the US and many other industrialized nations, far fewer females and minorities enter Information Technology (IT) fields than do males and majority populations. Research has revealed that unsupportive educational environments reinforced by obstructive societal norms and expectations have often contributed to the lack of interest and involvement of these populations in IT. To address these problems, researchers and faculty at a large university in southeastern US conducted a Diversity in Information Technology Institute (DITI) Workshop-a 5-day workshop designed to demonstrate that blending diversity and technology training for middle school teachers and guidance counselors can increase the interest of young students, particularly women and minorities, in IT. The workshop was designed based on the belief that teachers and counselors can be proponents for equal opportunity and treatment in IT, expose students to various uses and applications of IT skills, and provide IT instruction and guidance that crosses the barriers of gender and ethnicity.
Quantitative and qualitative data collected during the workshop revealed that workshop participants enhanced their understanding of the range of career opportunities in IT, became aware of obstacles hindering gender and ethnic diversity in IT, acquired skills and knowledge that increased their professional competence toward helping young people enter the IT field, felt prepared to implement action plans to enhance gender and ethnic diversity in their schools, and appreciated the many useful resources (posters, websites, and fieldtrip ideas) offered to them during the workshop. The purpose of this article is to evaluate and describe the components of the workshop that led to its success and to present a model for possible replication at other institutions.
Despite the world-wide proliferation of technology, females and minorities are often under-represented and unable to advance in many Information Technology (IT) professions (Ayalon, 2003; Pollina, 1995). As a result, women and minorities are an undiscovered pool of technology talent (Hailey, C. E., Erekson, T., Becker, K., & Thomas, M. (2005);International Technology Education Association, 2005). In at least three ways, the continued failure to recruit diverse populations to IT careers will seriously undermine industrialized nations' science and engineering advancements (National Science Foundation, 2004) in the years ahead. First, including minority populations in IT will be crucial if nations expect to maintain an IT workforce large enough to...