2011 Mini-Course: Post-Course Survey Results

Each year at the end of my mini-course, I give the girls a customized survey to try and find out what their attitudes are about computer science after experiencing it first hand.  Naturally, I'm hoping that they see the subject in a new light!

Some of the most interesting results are shown below.  I'm going to refrain from analyzing them in this post to make it easier for you to skim the results, and because many speak for themselves.  You might find it interesting to compare them to last year's results.


"Was this course your first choice?"

• Yes: 10
• No: 8
• Not sure: 2

"If no, did you enjoy it more than you expected?"

• All 8 who answered no to the first question answered yes here

"Would you have signed up for this course if it wasn't just for girls?"

• Yes: 13
• No: 7

"Are you glad it was just for girls?"

• Yes: 15
• No: 1
• I'm happy as long as I'm not the only girl: 4

"I enjoyed learning about what computer science was really all about."

• Disagree: 1
• Neutral or Don't Know: 2
• Agree: 7
• Strongly Agree: 10

"It was cool to see how many different areas of study can be connected to computer science."

• Neutral or Don't Know: 2
• Agree: 10
• Strongly Agree: 8

"My confidence in my ability to use and understand computers has increased."

• Disagree: 1
• Neutral or Don't Know: 2
• Agree: 8
• Strongly Agree: 9

 "I would consider computer science as a good career for me."

• Disagree: 2
• Neutral or Don't Know: 10
• Agree: 4
• Strongly Agree: 4

(This is an overall improvement from last year!)


"I am more likely to try computer science in high school or university after taking this course, or this course has confirmed my desire to do so."

• Strongly disagree: 1
• Disagree: 1
• Neutral or Don't Know: 2
• Agree: 10
• Strongly Agree: 6

"I liked having a variety of practising female computer scientists and engineers help out in the lab."

• Agree: 8
• Strongly Agree: 12

"What topics and activities did you like the best in the mini-course?"

• I liked all the topics and activities.
• I liked working in the computer lab on games and learning how to work the software even if I did get stuck.
• The role of females in computer science and in video games.
• I really enjoyed learning about the career opportunities available in the computer science industry especially for girls.
• Learning how to make video games and how girls are important in computer science.

(This is just a selection.  Artificial intelligence came up several times as a favourite topic.)