Outlook on Enrolments in Computer Science in Canadian Universities

Developing Tomorrow’s
Workforce Today
January, 2008
Outlook on Enrolments in Computer Science
in Canadian Universities
By Jacob Slonim, Sam Scully
and Michael McAllister
REPORTS
Information and Communications Conseil des technologies de l’information
Technology Council et des communications
*Correspondence to [email protected]
Information and Communications Conseil des technologies de l’information
Technology Council et des communications
This project is funded by the Government
of Canada’s Sector Council Program.
Executive Summary
The primary purpose of this study is to describe and assess the recent trends in
enrolments in computer science in Canadian universities. The study uses data obtained
from various sources, and includes information about U.S. as well as Canadian
universities. In both countries the enrolment trend is clear: a substantial decline in
undergraduate enrolments. In Canada that decline commences about 2002 and results in
current enrolments at 36% to 64% of their peak values in all but one region in Canada.
The decline will result in fewer undergraduate students completing their degrees for the
next several years, until at least 2011. There has been a major decline in undergraduate
enrolments in all regions except for British Columbia, and the decline has been highest in
the Atlantic Provinces, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. All regions have seen a growth in
graduate enrolments, both at the Master’s and Doctoral level, but recently some have
seen a decline in Master’s enrolments.
The importance of the ICT sector to Canada’s national interest and economy was
emphasized in the Federal Government’s 2007 Science and Technology Paper, which
passed over this decade’s enrolment decline in computer science. A coalition of hightech firms was announced in December 2007 to address the workforce crisis that results
from this enrolment decline and the international competition for highly-skilled IT
employees.
This study identifies five frequently-suggested explanations for the decline in
undergraduate enrolment in computer science: public perceptions surrounding the dotcom bubble burst in 2000-2002, and parental and student perceptions about likely
employment opportunities; public perceptions and lack of understanding about the field
of computer science as it is today; the failure of many university computer science
programs to adapt to changed circumstances; the ubiquity of computers, so that generalpurpose computing is now, literally, commonplace; and deficiencies in the high-school
environments in the preparation of students for IT education and careers. It goes on to
describe the principal initiatives undertaken by universities across Canada to respond to
the enrolment declines. It is concluded that it is premature in most cases to judge the
effectiveness of these initiatives, and that in any event it will be some time before the
benefits of particular changes—one thinks first of curriculum—will be observable.
The study concludes with a review of the discussions held at a CASCON workshop in
October 2007. A heterogeneous gathering of private and public sector representatives
joined with university and high-school representatives to identify steps that should be
taken to stem the enrolment decline in undergraduate ICT programs. The workshop and
the study assign various responsibilities for action to the different sectors. Three actions
stand out as urgent. First, the private sector should take the lead, with help from
governments, in creating a new image of the ICT sector that emphasizes the abundance
and diversity of employment opportunities, a message that needs to be embedded in a
marketing strategy designed to raise the public profile and understanding of the modern
ICT sector. Second, the federal government needs to support a national survey that helps
i
to define and characterize public and, above all, students’ perceptions of the ICT field to
improve our understanding of why students, and especially women, are not pursuing ICT
degrees, and to identify what factors and changes will draw more students to the sector.
Third, provincial governments, high schools and universities must address a variety of
issues to do with the curricula, pedagogy and delivery of computer science in order to
attract and retain students.
ii
Table of Contents
Executive Summary......................................................................................................... i
List of Tables................................................................................................................. iv
List of Figures................................................................................................................. v
Acknowledgements........................................................................................................ vi
1 – Introduction............................................................................................................... 1
2 – Methodology............................................................................................................. 3
3 – Results ...................................................................................................................... 6
3.1 – North American Trends ...................................................................................... 6
3.2 – Statistics Canada Data Compared With Computer Science Data ......................... 7
3.2.1 – Atlantic Provinces........................................................................................ 8
3.2.2 – Quebec ...................................................................................................... 10
3.2.3 – Ontario ...................................................................................................... 12
3.2.4 – Manitoba and Saskatchewan ...................................................................... 14
3.2.5 – Alberta....................................................................................................... 16
3.2.6 – British Columbia ....................................................................................... 18
3.3 – Regional Comparisons...................................................................................... 20
4 – Interviews ............................................................................................................... 25
4.1 – Explanations for decline in undergraduate enrolment in Computer Science....... 25
4.2 – University responses to the decline in undergraduate enrolment........................ 27
5 – Other Studies .......................................................................................................... 30
6 – CASCON Workshop Summary ............................................................................... 33
6.1 – Directions......................................................................................................... 34
6.2 – Sector Responses.............................................................................................. 37
6.2.1 –Private Sector ............................................................................................. 37
6.2.2 –Public Sector .............................................................................................. 38
6.2.3 –Universities ................................................................................................ 38
6.2.4 – High Schools ............................................................................................. 39
7 – Conclusions and Recommendations ........................................................................ 39
7.1 – Conclusions...................................................................................................... 39
7.2 – Recommendations ............................................................................................ 41
References .................................................................................................................... 43
Appendix A: Notice of CASCON workshop on computer science enrolments.............. 44
iii
List of Tables
Table 1 Canadian universities with ICT programs ........................................................... 5
iv
List of Figures
Figure 1 Computer Science enrolments: Taulbee US and Canadian institution data
compared with Statistics Canada Canadian institutions.................................................... 6
Figure 2 Atlantic Provinces Undergraduate Enrolments .................................................. 8
Figure 3 Atlantic Provinces Masters Enrolments ............................................................. 9
Figure 4 Atlantic Provinces PhD Enrolments .................................................................. 9
Figure 5 Quebec Undergraduate Enrolments ................................................................. 11
Figure 6 Quebec Masters Enrolments............................................................................ 11
Figure 7 Quebec PhD Enrolments ................................................................................. 12
Figure 8 Ontario Undergraduate Enrolments ................................................................. 13
Figure 9 Ontario Masters Enrolments............................................................................ 13
Figure 10 Ontario PhD Enrolments ............................................................................... 14
Figure 11 Manitoba and Saskatchewan Undergraduate Enrolment ................................ 15
Figure 12 Manitoba and Saskatchewan Masters Enrolment ........................................... 15
Figure 13 Manitoba and Saskatchewan PhD Enrolment................................................. 16
Figure 14 Alberta Undergraduate Enrolment ................................................................. 17
Figure 15 Alberta Masters Enrolment............................................................................ 17
Figure 16 Alberta PhD Enrolment ................................................................................. 18
Figure 17 British Columbia Undergraduate Enrolment .................................................. 19
Figure 18 British Columbia Masters Enrolment............................................................. 19
Figure 19 British Columbia PhD Enrolment.................................................................. 20
Figure 20 Undergraduate Enrolments by Region; not all schools represented in each
region ........................................................................................................................... 21
Figure 21 Masters Enrolments by Region; not all schools represented in each region .... 22
Figure 22 PhD Enrolment by Region; not all schools represented in each region........... 22
Figure 23 Undergraduate Graduation Numbers by Region; not all schools represented in
each region ................................................................................................................... 23
Figure 24 Masters Graduation Numbers by Region; not all schools represented in each
region ........................................................................................................................... 23
Figure 25 PhD Graduation Numbers by Region; not all schools represented in each
region ........................................................................................................................... 24
Figure 26 Computer Science BSc Enrolments. Source: Statistics Canada via ICT-SITT
Industry Canada Presentation (blue) and department data (red) ..................................... 31
Figure 27 Computer Science Masters (blue, red) and PhD (yellow, cyan) Enrolments.
Source: Statistics Canada via ICT-SITT Industry Canada Presentation (blue, yellow) and
department data (red, cyan) ........................................................................................... 31
Figure 28 Computer Science BSc Degrees Awarded. Source: Statistics Canada via ICTSITT Industry Canada Presentation (blue) and department data (red) ............................ 32
Figure 29 Computer Science Masters (blue, red) and PhD (yellow, cyan) Degrees
Awarded. Source: Statistics Canada via ICT-SITT Industry Canada Presentation (blue,
yellow) and department data (red, cyan)........................................................................ 32
Figure 30 Probable majors in computer science and computer engineering among
incoming freshmen, from the CRA (http://www.cra.org/wp/index.php?p=104, accessed
October 3, 2007) ........................................................................................................... 33
v
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the individuals who have helped create this report:
• All of the chairs of Computer Science departments in Canada for their
participation, openness, and feedback in discussing and quantifying the issues that
are facing the ICT sector.
• The industry partners with whom we met during our on-site interviews for their
perspective on the direction of the discipline.
• Paul Swinwood from the Information and Communications Technology Council
for sponsoring the report.
• Michael Binder and Richard Simpson from Industry Canada for encouraging us
with the report and helping to connect us with agencies and high-tech companies.
• Marcel Boudreau from Statistics Canada for locating a key data component.
• Asa Kachan, the Registrar at Dalhousie University, for helping to collect
information from Canadian universities.
• The office staff at the Computing Research Association (CRA) for providing
some US data.
• John Schwarz from Business Objects for providing additional industrial contacts.
• Felix Berezovsky from Industry Canada for providing graphs on historical
enrolment information from ICT-SITT.
vi
1 – Introduction
This report addresses several major concerns in faculties and departments of Computer
Science in North America. From 2002 onwards, universities experienced significant
declines in their high-school admissions into computer science programs. This trend of
declining admissions persisted for several years, and many universities are only now
starting to report a stabilization of their admissions. Although there was a similar drop in
the 1980s, today’s concern has to do with whether this trend will continue and cause a
major employment problem for both Canada and the US. As markets become
increasingly global—and it is crucial to note here that this decline in the number of
students taking computer science programs is also evident in the UK and Europe—it is
critically important that Canada stays competitive in the IT market, all the more so as
every challenge in every sector is using computing as part of the solution to increase
productivity.
The importance of the ICT sector to Canada’s national interest is emphasized in the
Federal Government’s 2007 Science and Technology Paper, Mobilizing Science and
Technology to Canada’s Advantage [IC]. Last year the Council of Canadian Academies
had identified the ICT sector as one of four areas of Canadian S & T (Science and
Technology) strengths and opportunities. The S & T Strategy Paper calls for increases in
the “supply of highly qualified and globally connected science and technology graduates”
(p.78). However, the paper’s authors do not acknowledge this decade’s decline in the
numbers of students in computer science programs or the challenge that confronts the
country’s computer science departments in their recruitment of students. That this
challenge is not only Canadian but also international in scope will, of course, make this
major component of the ICT all the more competitive.
The purpose of this study is to understand and to describe in much more detail the
phenomenon of computer science enrolments generally in North America and specifically
in Canada. The study focuses on total enrolments, without distinguishing between men
and women. We use in this report three major sources of data: Statistics Canada,
Enhanced Student Information System [Stat Can]; enrollment reports from the chairs of
the Canadian Computer Science departments; and the Taulbee Survey of Ph.D.-granting
departments of computer science (CS) and computer engineering (CE) in the United
States and Canada [Taulbee]. While the data are not directly comparable between the
data sources due to differences in collection assumptions, a comparison of the intrasource trends can provide some additional insights. The report confirms the consistent
pattern of declines across all three sources of data.
Section 2 of the report sets out the methodology used in assessing the current state of
enrollment and of recruiting endeavours in Canada. Section 3 presents the main trends
seen in the data, and provides detailed information about both national and regional
trends. Section 4 summarizes the explanations for the undergraduate enrolment that were
1
provided in interviews with university senior administrators, chairs of computer science
departments and deans of faculties across Canada, and identifies the university responses
to the decline in undergraduate enrolment. Section 5 briefly comments on some other
enrolment studies. Section 6 presents the main conclusions drawn from the October 24,
2007 workshop at IBM CASCON that focused on the enrollment trends from this
enrolment information. Finally, Section 7 summarizes the report and offers a series of
major recommendations that emerge from our work and from the CASCON Workshop.
2
2 – Methodology
This study had four distinct phases. First, we examined existing enrolment data for
Canada and North America to identify general trends. Second, we visited universities
across Canada to discuss the apparent trends in their regions, the regional challenges
computer science departments and faculties had encountered, their efforts in recruiting,
and the other actions they had taken in response to the enrolment decline. Third, we
collected undergraduate and graduate enrolment figures directly from the computer
science departments to assess and corroborate the trends that had emerged. Fourth, we
organized a workshop at the 2007 IBM CASCON to discuss the enrolment trends with a
mixed group of public and private sector partners, university representatives, and high
school education representatives.
In the first phase, we began with a national and provincial analysis of Canadian
university enrolments by institutions from 1999-2000 to 2004-2005, based on the
classification from Statistics Canada [Stat Can]. Table 1 lists the 62 IT universities in
Canada that appear in the Statistics Canada data. The Statistics Canada figures include
all IT education at each university, which may include management information science
(MIS) programs as well as computer science programs and also normalize enrolment
figures to full-time-equivalents (FTE). Separately, we extracted the Statistics Canada
data for the 29 Canadian universities that offer doctoral programs and are included in the
Taulbee reports. We looked for trends among these 29 Canadian universities that we
could compare with the trends seen in the Taulbee reports [Taulbee].
Then, in the spring and summer of 2007 we conducted on-site interviews of senior
administrators and computer science chairs at selected universities across Canada to
review our preliminary findings, to learn about the most recent enrolments, and to inquire
about recruitment activities and initiatives. The following universities were selected for
interviews to provide coverage across Canada; interviews were conducted until we
reached a point of saturation in terms of new information:
• University of British Columbia
• University of Alberta
• University of Calgary
• University of Saskatchewan
• University of Waterloo
• University of Toronto
• Université du Québec à Montréal
• McGill University
• Concordia University
• Université de Sherbrooke
• Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
• Université Laval
• Dalhousie University
• Memorial University of Newfoundland
3
Each interview began with a presentation of the Statistics Canada data for the specific
institution and with summary (provincial and national) comparisons for the specific
region. Anomalies (university-specific and national) and preliminary trends were
identified for the participants. We then initiated discussion about the trends, the possible
explanations of the trends, and about recent developments and responses to the enrolment
decline at each university. Individual interviews followed the group discussion forum.
These university interviews were supplemented by a discussion at the Canadian computer
science chairs’ meeting, to which all Canadian chairs of computer science are invited,
and by a group meeting of computer science chairs in Montreal, in which six Quebec
universities were represented.
We also included industry partners in our interviews, as each university could coordinate
for us. We would have preferred to have conducted a much wider industrial consultation.
Partners who were consulted include
•
•
•
•
•
Research In Motion, Waterloo
IBM, Toronto
Business Objects, Vancouver
CIO, Quebec consortium of CEOs
SG1, Toronto, consortium of companies involved in electronic commerce
In phase three of our work, we solicited enrolment data from each computer science
department in Canada to determine the proportion of students in the Statistics Canada
data who are taking computer science, to obtain data for the most recent two academic
years that are absent from the Statistics Canada data, and to obtain graduation data in
addition to enrolment data. We are delighted by, and very grateful for, the number of
responses from the Canadian universities including all major Canadian universities: 35 of
the 62 institutions responded with data. These data are not normalized to FTEs as the
Statistics Canada data are. Because the goal of this report is to assess the state of
computer science enrolments across Canada, and out of respect for the wish of many
individual university departments, we do not report the enrolments of individual
universities.
The last phase involved the CASCON Workshop on October 24, 2007. This took the
form of a presentation of the overall enrolment picture set out in this report and then an
open discussion and brainstorming session among public and private sector partners,
university representatives, and high school representatives. The goal of the workshop
was twofold: first to develop recommendations to address the enrolment decline and
second to identify concrete actions that would give meaning to the recommendations.
After the opening presentation to the participants, ten groups of about ten individuals
independently developed their set of the top five recommendations to deal with the
enrolment challenge. Next, representatives from each brainstorming group reported their
group’s recommendations to the workshop participants for discussion and for developing
a consensus of recommendations. The most-valued ten recommendations were then
4
discussed in the afternoon session, where each brainstorming group was assigned one
recommendation and asked to develop a plan of concrete actions for the recommendation.
The conclusions of the Workshop are described in much detail in Section 6 of the report.
Acadia University
Athabasca University
Bishop's University
Brandon University
Brock
Canadian Mennonite
Cape Breton University
Université‚ de Moncton
Université de Montréal
Université de Sherbrooke
Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
Université du Québec à Montréal
Université du Québec à Rimouski
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Université du Québec en AbitibiCarleton University
Témiscamingue
Concordia University
Université du Québec en Outaouais
Concordia University College of Alberta
Université Laval
Concordia University
University of Alberta
Dalhousie University
University of British Columbia
École de Technologie Supérieure
University of Calgary
King's University College
University of Guelph
Lakehead University
University of King's College
Laurentian University / Université Laurentienne
University of Lethbridge
McGill University
University of Manitoba
McMaster University
University of New Brunswick
Memorial University of Newfoundland
University of Northern British
Mount Allison University
University of Ottawa / Université d’Ottawa
Mount St. Vincent University
University of Prince Edward Island
Nipissing University
University of Regina
Queen's University
University of Saskatchewan
Redeemer University College
University of
Ryerson University
University of Victoria
Saint Mary's University
University of Waterloo
Simon Fraser University
University of Western Ontario
St. Francis Xavier University
University of Windsor
Télé-université
University of Winnipeg
Trent University
Wilfrid Laurier University
Trinity Western University
York University
Table 1 Canadian universities with ICT programs
5
3 – Results
3.1 – North American Trends
The annual Taulbee reports [Taulbee] summarize information from PhD-granting
universities in Canada and the United States. Figure 1 compares the Taulbee enrolment
data from US and Canadian institutions with the Statistics Canada data for all Canadian
universities (PhD-granting or not). The Taulbee data for Canadian institutions does not
always contain the same number of institutions, so the data exhibits a higher variation
than the Statistics Canada data. Both countries have been witnessing a decline in
undergraduate enrolments in computer science that commenced in the 2001-2002
academic year.
Figure 1 Computer Science enrolments: Taulbee US and Canadian institution data compared with
Statistics Canada Canadian institutions
6
3.2 – Statistics Canada Data Compared With Computer Science
Data
The enrolment statistics gathered by Statistics Canada include registrations for all fields
in the IT sector. Some institutions include in their reports for this sector their MIS
programs (normally in their business school) in addition to their computer science and
software engineering programs. Enrolment statistics were gathered independently from
just the computer science departments of each institution in order to establish if the trends
seen across the IT sector are consistent with the trends experienced in computer science
departments.
The figures in this section present the Statistics Canada numbers alongside the
enrolments in computer science programs. We remind the reader that the numbers are
not directly comparable in their numerical values since the Statistics Canada data have
been normalized to FTEs and that the Statistics Canada data contain more reporting
institutions than the data received from individual departments. We are primarily
concerned with trends and discrepancies in trends rather than with absolute enrolment
numbers. The data from departments also present the two most recent academic years of
data, which were not available from Statistics Canada at the time that this report was
being prepared.
The figures also present the number of students who have graduated from the computer
science or software engineering as reported by the computer science departments.
In the majority of the regions in Canada, the trends were consistent between the Statistics
Canada data and the data from computer science departments. The general trend has
been a decline in undergraduate computer science enrolment in all regions of Canada
except British Columbia. The latest enrolment figures place current registrations between
36% and 64% of their peaks, differing by region and with the exception of British
Columbia. The so-called double cohort, brought about by the elimination of grade 13 in
Ontario high schools, and the matching ATOP program to increase enrolments at Ontario
Universities provided a temporary yet substantial increase in undergraduate enrolments in
Ontario, but an eventual decline in undergraduate enrolments has since followed in that
province. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the Atlantic provinces and the two
prairie provinces, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, have been especially hard hit by the
declines in undergraduate enrolment; these regions have been investing in programs that
have produced success in other parts of Canada, such as multidisciplinary programs, but
the return on this investment is not occurring at the same rate as elsewhere in Canada.
All regions saw a growth in graduate enrolments, both at the Masters and Doctorate
levels. Interviews with individual university representatives uniformly report a conscious
choice by departments and/or provinces to focus on graduate programs as undergraduate
enrolment declined. Anecdotal reports indicate that applications to graduate programs
are now also declining; further data will need to be gathered to verify and quantify this
7
decline. Much of that graduate growth had been achieved through the recruitment of
international students, a factor also in the changing picture in undergraduate enrolment.
The following subsections provide graphs for each region and some brief comment on
any specific anomalies identified within the region.
3.2.1 – Atlantic Provinces
Two main trends become evident in the Atlantic Provinces: the continuing decline of
undergraduate enrolments (Figure 2) and the more recent sharp decline in enrolments in
Masters programs (Figure 3).
Some Atlantic universities have focused on attracting and supporting Doctorate students,
and this has caused a decrease in the Masters enrolments. However, student intake in the
Masters programs is often from local universities and from international students (China
and India in particular). The decline in undergraduate graduations, the substantial
international student fee differentials and an absence of Masters-level student funding in
some universities have resulted in lower application rates to the Masters programs.
Atlantic Provinces Undergraduate
3000
2500
Number of students
2000
StatsCan
1500
Depts
Graduates
1000
500
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 2 Atlantic Provinces Undergraduate Enrolments
8
Atlantic Provinces Masters
350
300
Number of students
250
200
StatsCan
Depts
Graduates
150
100
50
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 3 Atlantic Provinces Masters Enrolments
Atlantic Provinces PhD
90
80
70
Number of students
60
50
StatsCan
Depts
Graduates
40
30
20
10
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 4 Atlantic Provinces PhD Enrolments
9
3.2.2 – Quebec
There has been a decline in undergraduate enrolments in Quebec, a substantial decline
according to the Statistics Canada data and a more gradual decline according to the data
from the departments (Figure 5). Before commenting on the structure of the Figure, we
note that our data from departments are lacking the enrolments of several provincial
universities that have a large undergraduate enrolment. These missing data account for
the large difference between the Statistics Canada data and the data from the departments.
Although it is not immediately evident from Figure 5, the Statistics Canada data and the
data from the departments register a comparable percentage decline from the 1999-2000
academic year to the 2006-2007 academic year.
The missing data from the departments do not account completely for the sharper drop of
enrolments in the Statistics Canada data around the 2001-2002 academic year. One of
the main contributing factors reported to us as an explanation for the discrepancy in the
data sources is that some programs were shifted between Faculties in some institutions,
which seems to have altered their reporting to Statistics Canada.
Other explanations for the declines in both data sources are the supply of students and the
closing of provincial programs. The Quebec universities have a smaller pool of high
school students from which to draw: few students outside Quebec attend Quebec
universities, while universities in other provinces often benefit from greater student
mobility. Quebec also offered a program that paralleled Ontario’s ATOP program to
handle the double-cohort phenomenon. The program provided additional funding to
departments and financial incentives to university students who graduated. This program
was eliminated in 2002-2003, and its elimination may have contributed to students no
longer pursuing careers in the information technology sector.
The graduate enrolments (Figures 6 and 7) show early growth with comparable increases
in the number of students who are graduating with graduate degrees. The Masters
programs appear to have a decline in enrolment, but an increase in graduation rates. We
have not determined the cause of this trend. Possible explanations would include higher
retention rates in the programs or shorter times-to-completion between admission and
graduation.
10
Quebec Undergraduate
9000
8000
7000
Number of students
6000
5000
StatsCan
Depts
Graduates
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 5 Quebec Undergraduate Enrolments
Quebec Masters
1600
1400
Number of students
1200
1000
StatsCan
800
Depts
Graduates
600
400
200
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 6 Quebec Masters Enrolments
11
Quebec PhD
400
350
Number of students
300
250
StatsCan
200
Depts
Graduates
150
100
50
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 7 Quebec PhD Enrolments
3.2.3 – Ontario
According to the Statistics Canada data, Ontario universities have between 40% (19992000) and 49% (2004-2005) of the undergraduate enrolments in Canada in the ICT
sector. What appears to be an increase in their share of Canadian undergraduate
enrolments is, in fact, a result of les severe declines in enrolments than in other provinces
and in the Ontario universities’ ability to attract students from other provinces. Indeed,
the province has experienced a decline in the number of enrolled ICT students.
Ontario universities exhibit a decline in undergraduate enrolments similar to that of the
rest of Canada (Figure 8). There was a large growth in undergraduate enrolments as
grade 13 was eliminated from Ontario high schools and the Ontario government ATOP
program provided additional resources to universities to ensure that space was available
in the universities. Industry and the provincial government prioritized access to IT
programs at universities at a propitious time –near the national downturn in enrolments.
The ATOP program lasted for five years and ended in 2002-2003. The program has been
followed by a similar program for graduate studies in 2006-2007.
The province also hosts what many consider to be two of the leading computer science
departments in the country. These institutions attract students from across Canada.
12
Ontario Undergraduate
16000
14000
Number of students
12000
10000
StatsCan
8000
Depts
Graduates
6000
4000
2000
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 8 Ontario Undergraduate Enrolments
Ontario Masters
1200
1000
Number of students
800
StatsCan
600
Depts
Graduates
400
200
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 9 Ontario Masters Enrolments
13
Ontario PhD
700
600
Number of students
500
400
StatsCan
Depts
Graduates
300
200
100
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 10 Ontario PhD Enrolments
3.2.4 – Manitoba and Saskatchewan
Undergraduate enrolments in Manitoba and Saskatchewan show a continuing decline
through this decade. These provinces reveal patterns similar to those of the smaller
Canadian provinces. The undergraduate programs have experienced a large and
continuing decrease in enrolments. The graduate programs have increased in size over
the last years, both by design and through growth in the capacities of the computer
science departments.
14
Manitoba and Saskatchewan Undergraduate
1800
1600
1400
Number of students
1200
1000
StatsCan
Depts
Graduates
800
600
400
200
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 11 Manitoba and Saskatchewan Undergraduate Enrolment
Manitoba and Saskatchewan Masters
250
Number of students
200
150
StatsCan
Depts
Graduates
100
50
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 12 Manitoba and Saskatchewan Masters Enrolment
15
Manitoba and Saskatchewan PhD
70
60
Number of students
50
40
StatsCan
Depts
Graduates
30
20
10
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 13 Manitoba and Saskatchewan PhD Enrolment
3.2.5 – Alberta
Alberta is one of the provinces that have placed a high value on graduate degrees,
especially Ph.D.s (Figure 16), to increase the IT research base within the province. The
province’s universities have witnessed a decline in undergraduate enrolments like much
of the rest of Canada.
There are discrepancies between the Statistics Canada and the departmental data in the
undergraduate (Figure 14) and Masters (Figure 15) enrolments. This discrepancy results
from our lack of departmental data from a major institution for the period reported in the
graph. In the Statistics Canada data, this institution appears to have either not submitted
data for a few years or has closed admission to an undergraduate and Masters IT program
near the year 2000 and has recently refocused on another Masters-level degree.
A contributing factor to the growth in graduate programs in Alberta is the top-up program
for NSERC awards to both Masters and PhD students and to the efforts of iCORE.
Instances of these top-ups could as much as double the funding provided to a student.
These top-ups provide an attractive recruiting tool for graduate students to the province’s
universities.
16
Alberta Undergraduate
2500
Number of students
2000
1500
StatsCan
Depts
Graduates
1000
500
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 14 Alberta Undergraduate Enrolment
Alberta Masters
500
450
400
Number of students
350
300
StatsCan
250
Depts
Graduates
200
150
100
50
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 15 Alberta Masters Enrolment
17
Alberta PhD
160
140
Number of students
120
100
StatsCan
80
Depts
Graduates
60
40
20
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 16 Alberta PhD Enrolment
3.2.6 – British Columbia
The fluctuations in undergraduate enrolment in British Columbia have been less extreme
than in the other provinces (Figure 17). Interviews with representatives from the
universities point to new interdisciplinary degree programs, innovative programs that
have given the province the highest percentage of women in their IT degrees across
Canada, and an increase in university registrations as the Technical University of British
Columbia was merged with Simon Fraser (2003-04 year) and their students began to be
counted among the university enrolments.
They have also managed to maintain growth across their graduate degree programs
(Figures 18 and 19).
18
British Columbia Undergraduate
3500
3000
Number of students
2500
2000
StatsCan
Depts
Graduates
1500
1000
500
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 17 British Columbia Undergraduate Enrolment
British Columbia Masters
400
350
Number of students
300
250
StatsCan
200
Depts
Graduates
150
100
50
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 18 British Columbia Masters Enrolment
19
British Columbia PhD
250
Number of students
200
150
StatsCan
Depts
Graduates
100
50
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 19 British Columbia PhD Enrolment
3.3 – Regional Comparisons
Figures 20, 21, and 22 summarize the department-reported statistics that have already
been commented upon in Section 3.2. We have gathered the undergraduate, Masters, and
Doctorate statistics for a simpler regional comparison. Figures 23, 24, and 25 allow a
similar comparison with the number of graduates form each program.
We should stress that not all universities in each region reported figures. Thus no
conclusions should be drawn from a comparison of the number of students between
regions from these data; the Statistics Canada data should be consulted for such
comparisons. Figures 20 and 21 show a marked contrast between Ontario and Quebec
enrolments: Ontario is significantly higher than Quebec in undergraduate enrolments,
while the two provinces have comparable Masters enrolments. The responding
universities from Quebec were those that for the most part emphasize graduate programs,
and we received data from a relatively smaller proportion of the universities that focus on
undergraduate education. The numbers also do not differentiate between full-time and
part-time students; thus one region may have more part-time students than another, which
may inflate their enrolments in Figures 20 through 22.
20
Figure 25 reports the number of Ph.D.s granted in each year, a small number of
individuals. It is not clear that any reasonable conclusion can be drawn from the current
data.
Undergraduate enrolments from CS Depts
14000
12000
Number of students
10000
Atl. Prov.
8000
Quebec
Ontario
Man. & Sask.
Alberta
BC
6000
4000
2000
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 20 Undergraduate Enrolments by Region; not all schools represented in each region
21
Masters Enrolment from CS Depts
1000
900
800
Number of students
700
Atl. Prov.
600
Quebec
Ontario
500
Man. & Sask.
Alberta
BC
400
300
200
100
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 21 Masters Enrolments by Region; not all schools represented in each region
PhD Enrolments from CS Depts
700
600
Number of students
500
Atl. Prov.
400
Quebec
Ontario
Man. & Sask.
Alberta
BC
300
200
100
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 22 PhD Enrolment by Region; not all schools represented in each region
22
Undergraduate Graduates
2500
Number of students
2000
Atl. Prov.
1500
Quebec
Ontario
Man. & Sask.
Alberta
BC
1000
500
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 23 Undergraduate Graduation Numbers by Region; not all schools represented in each region
Masters Graduates
350
300
Number of students
250
Atl. Prov.
200
Quebec
Ontario
Man. & Sask.
Alberta
BC
150
100
50
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 24 Masters Graduation Numbers by Region; not all schools represented in each region
23
PhD Graduates
40
35
Number of students
30
25
Atl. Prov.
Quebec
Ontario
20
Man. & Sask.
Alberta
BC
15
10
5
0
"99/00
"00/01
"01/02
"02/03
"03/04
"04/05
"05/06
"06/07
Year
Figure 25 PhD Graduation Numbers by Region; not all schools represented in each region
24
4 – Interviews
At the beginning of each meeting with the university colleagues we explained the
purpose and range of our study. In all the meetings with the chairs of Computer Science
we reviewed the Statistics Canada data for their own institution and the summary
comparisons of the regional and national data. We identified for them the manifest
anomalies for the individual university and the region as well as the trends that we saw in
these enrolment data. We then invited discussion, in particular on two major issues:
first, on the possible explanations for the trends and especially the declines in
undergraduate enrolments; and, second, on the ways in which they had chosen to respond
to these changed circumstances, particularly through program adaptations and recruiting
efforts. In some cases the group discussions were followed by individual interviews.
The university colleagues offered a variety of explanations for the declining enrolments.
In each instance the view that was advanced was a matter of opinion; nowhere had any
attempt been made to investigate the decline. The summary that follows below describes
the principal explanations, but we are not able to assess the validity or the relative
importance of the various explanations. The vast majority of those with whom we spoke
think that there are several factors at work in this decade’s undergraduate enrolment in
computer science, each one contributing its share to the decline.
4.1 – Explanations for decline in undergraduate enrolment in
Computer Science
The first explanation has to do with public perceptions surrounding the dot-com
bubble burst in 2000-2002, particularly among parents of students who were
finishing high school. There is persuasive evidence that parents have the strongest
influence on the choice of study made by students as they progress from high school to
post-secondary education. Parents and students alike observed the dot-com bubble burst.
The news media frequently reported job losses in the IT sector, and through this decade
there have been regular reports about the outsourcing of IT jobs to China and India. This
overall environment readily prompted a belief among parents of new high-school
graduates that IT was not the best career choice for their children.
The second explanation focuses on the public perception of the field of computing and
its influence on young students. The stereotypes here are well-known: for example, the
computer scientist as a “nerd”, the discipline attracts loners and introverts, and computing
requires long hours to gain career advancement. Such stereotypes are unfair but potent:
they discourage interest in IT. At the same time, universities focus on a science-based
approach to computing that emphasizes mathematical accomplishment, and this focus
informs the perception that computer science is a difficult discipline. Moreover, this
science-based study has another consequence: since women are under-represented in the
sciences that have a strong mathematical foundation, women are already underrepresented in a primary pool on which computer science draws for its students. Finally,
there is a very different and widespread perception about computers and computing,
25
namely, that much of it has to do with games and is essentially a ‘fun activity’. This
perception is clearly at odds with the educational experience that awaits the students who
enter university-level computer science courses, and this disjunction between expectation
and experience may account for at least some of the attrition in enrolment that
universities are experiencing this decade.
It must be stressed here that a major part of the current crisis has to be a public lack of
understanding of what computer science is. It has probably always been the case that
most students admitted into computer science courses have only the most general sense
of what computer science entails. In this respect computer science is not unique: subjects
that have only been taught at the university level are traditionally little understood by the
general public. But this lack of understanding is exacerbated by the common
misunderstandings about computer science, for example, that it is basically about
programming; relatively few people will know about the sub-disciplines within computer
science such as human-computer interaction (HCI).
The observation that many computer science programs have not adapted quickly
enough to meet the perceptions noted in the two previous paragraphs constitutes
essentially the third explanation for the enrolment decline. It can be argued that
computer languages such as Java and C++ that are often used in first-year computing
courses are not easily accessible, are not female-friendly, and are a poor choice as
introductory languages, in that they require an initial focus on syntax rather than on
problem-solving. In their first-year courses students are rarely exposed to the full breadth
of computing. Again, it can be argued that university computer science departments have
been slow to move towards multi-disciplinary programs as well as a wider exposure of
the discipline at the first-year level. In addition, because of the very large growth in
computer science enrolments in the late 1990s and at the start of this decade, computer
science showed less interest in offering service courses for students who were not
computer science majors. Two results were that other departments began to develop their
own courses to meet their students’ needs, and fewer students overall were exposed to
computing as an alternative area of study and career track in their first year.
The fourth explanation for the decline in undergraduate enrolments centres on the
ubiquity of computers throughout every setting and the ease with which even young
children use computing, so that general-purpose computing is now, literally,
commonplace: most people are aware that they interact with a large number of
computing devices every day. Not only have the mystery and novelty of computers been
eliminated. It seems likely that many people now equate IT careers with the development
and maintenance of these everyday programs, and so they fail to recognize the breadth
and diversity of the intellectual and creative challenges that continue to fuel new
developments in the IT sector. If this analysis is correct, then the de-mystification of
computers and computing now inhibits the presentation of the opportunities available to
coming generations of students.
It was a unanimous view among those whom we met that we cannot look to the country’s
high schools to remedy such misunderstandings. The final explanation speaks to
26
deficiencies in the high-school environments in the preparation of students for IT
careers. High schools often do not offer courses in computing. Where they do, there is
frequently a shortage of teachers who have an adequate understanding of computer
science. Moreover, there is often a dearth of computing infrastructure in the high
schools, and guidance counselors may be unable to offer informed guidance to their
students about IT careers and options. The shortfall in the high schools is not always of
their making. Thus we heard that computer science is not broadly offered or recognized
as a teachable subject for high-school teachers, an omission that requires the attention of
Ministries of Education and Faculties of Education across the country.
4.2 – University responses to the decline in undergraduate
enrolment
The rapid changes earlier this decade compelled computer science departments to think
about how they could halt this enrolment hemorrhage. They turned largely to remedies
that other disciplines had applied when faced with similar circumstances. Most of them,
of course, were new for computer science: one thinks immediately of recruitment,
outreach and retention strategies. University computer science departments had a lot to
learn, and probably still do, about how to design and implement effective initiatives in all
general areas that are set out in the following paragraphs. There is as yet very little hard
evidence about the effectiveness of much of the very considerable effort that departments
have made over the last few years, and where enrolment numbers have picked up, it is
unclear that the increase can be attributed to one initiative rather than another: correlation
is just as persuasive an explanation as causation. Moreover, the benefits of particular
changes—one thinks first of curriculum here—will not be observable for some time. The
following summary includes adaptations and strategies that are being implemented or
being considered for implementation.
The most frequent response has been the adaptation of the computer science
curriculum. There has been considerable focus on the first-year courses. The central
concern here has to do with the typical course content, and in particular the use of
programming languages such as Java or C++, and the argument that the introductory
courses should provide a broader exposure to all the issues of computer science. Several
departments have introduced, or are developing, joint programs with other disciplines
(e.g. computer science and biology or economics), and are creating new interdisciplinary degrees that require substantial engagement by faculty members from
computer science and several other disciplines in the delivery of the program. It is
noteworthy that both Harvard [Harvard] and Georgia Tech have recently shifted the focus
of their undergraduate curricula for science and engineering and have adopted an
interdisciplinary approach to education. Both universities have experienced a much
smaller decline in student enrolments than other universities since 2001-2002.
There is a view that is strongly held by some that the discipline must come to grips
with its expectations about its mathematical and science foundation. Here there is no
call for any loss of rigors in the discipline or any suggestion that its logical and structured
approach to problem-solving be minimized. Rather, the view questions if there are not
27
alternative methods, other than differential and/or integral calculus to inculcate these
essential skills. It is relevant here to note that in these interviews much was said about
the deficiencies of high-school graduates in mathematics, in the view point of many a
national crisis that requires immediate attention.
A second area of response and adaptation involves the teaching and learning
environment. Departments need to ensure that they assign their best teachers to the core
courses, and particularly the introductory courses. Several departments in the leading
research universities have appointed faculty members whose appointments are
fundamentally teaching appointments, and report success with this strategy. There is a
growing recognition that computer science needs to adapt its methods of teaching, in
order to increase the students’ engagement with the material and to bring out the
excitement of the discipline. There is much to be done here and much to be gained by all
involved.
A third and widespread area of action is student recruitment. Through much of the
1990s and early in this decade, computer science departments had as many students as
they could accommodate; indeed, many were turning students away. Now they find
themselves competing with other disciplines and, in particular, the life sciences to attract
the best students. This activity is new for computer science departments who are learning
to work with other university units that manage this work. There is much learning to be
done about how to present computer science to the public and, in particular, to highschool students and their parents. The perceptions noted in the previous paragraph
constitute a major obstacle to recruitment, and the curricular issues noted above are made
all the more urgent by the requirements of any recruitment initiatives and the general
marketing of computer science in a changed environment.
It is important to observe that there have always been cycles in enrolments in universities
in science and technology, and that computer science will almost certainly no longer be
immune to those cyclical changes, now that it has assumed its place among the range of
choices that students now have as they enter post-secondary education. The loss of
novelty and the emergence of other ‘hot’ subjects make it all the more urgent that
computer science departments learn how to tell the general public about the range and
excitement of the modern discipline.
A major and longstanding problem in undergraduate computer science has been the
recruitment of female students. For all the substantial efforts and gains made by various
institutions in the 1990s, many of which have been continued in this decade, the overall
picture is bleak; it is noteworthy that the U.S. experience is very similar. The most
positive institutional reports reveal that only about one in four of undergraduate computer
science students are female, and in many institutions that proportion has declined to
around one in seven or even worse. These numbers are even more disturbing when one
recalls that the absolute numbers of female students have also declined substantially, and
that that recent decades have brought major changes in the makeup of student
populations: almost 60% of undergraduates in Canadian universities are female, and that
women have now achieved at least enrolment parity with men in traditionally male-
28
dominated subjects such as dentistry, law and medicine. It is very tempting to posit that
there must be deep cultural and environmental causes, alongside the misperceptions about
computer science, that are responsible for this persistent failure to attract young women
to the study of computer science. It is to be hoped that the reforms in curriculum and in
the teaching and learning environment noted above will produce major increases in the
numbers of young women attracted to the discipline, but these alone will not be sufficient
to remedy the problem.
A fourth area of response and adaptation, and another very new one for computer science
departments, is student retention. This is a general challenge for the modern university,
and not an issue peculiar to computer science, which of course did not have to attend to it
when the students were flocking to the discipline. Now the concern is that, particularly
between first and second years, the discipline is losing students that it wishes to retain. In
some universities computer science departments are participating in university or faculty
initiatives that are designed to improve the quality of the student experience and hence
their retention. Other departments are enhancing their program of academic support for
their students, and are hopeful that curricular reform and improvements in the teaching
and learning environment as described above will increase their retention from first to
second year.
Finally, outreach in many forms is another strategy adopted by computer science
departments. It has long been recognized that the most effective means of student
recruitment is to bring prospective students to the campus. Some well-tested activities
are being used by computer scientist departments: they include open houses, where
parents can accompany their children, and summer camps, where the participation can
extend for a week or more. Several universities confirm that the longer the student oncampus engagement, and the more hands-on the engagement (in particular, the
involvement in labs and research activity), the greater the likelihood of the student being
seized with the opportunities that computer science offers.
But outreach takes other forms. Computer science professors are being much more active
in working with high-school teachers who teach computing. In some jurisdictions they
are assisting with the development of high-school curriculum and providing resources.
An urgent area on which some are working has to do with the recognition of high-school
computer courses for university admissions, an action which in many cases will require
the upgrading of existing high-school curriculum, in which of course the professors can
assist.
29
5 – Other Studies
Industry Canada has obtained a historical picture of enrolment numbers from Statistics
Canada that dates back to 1987. We present figures from a presentation from within the
ICT-SITT (Industry Canada’s Information and Communications Technologies –
Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunications) and complete the trends
indicated in the figures with our recent data. The ICT-SITT data generally end near the
peak of undergraduate enrolments. The data gathered as part of this study complement
the information in the Industry Canada figures with the more recent enrolment
downturns. The recent information provides a harsher assessment of the state of
computer science enrolments and graduations than is depicted in the figures from
Industry Canada.
At the same time, even within our data, it appears that Canadian universities are still
graduating more undergraduate students in computer science than in the late 1990s.
However, the number of graduating students has a lag of four years (or even five or more,
for part-time and co-op students) behind student admissions. We anticipate that the
number of undergraduate students receiving their degrees will continue to decrease until
2010-2011, the normal graduating year for those students admitted in 2006-2007.
Figures 26 and 30, from Statistics Canada data and CRA data respectively, suggest a
cycle in the enrolment trends within computer science programs. We can neither support
nor refute such a suggestion, but would contend that this cyclic hypothesis must also
accommodate some very distinctive features in the evolution of computer science. We
believe that we must plan for the scenario that has no cyclic nature to stimulate and
support a recovery. If the scenario is truly cyclic, then efforts to help recovery can only
provide a faster recovery or can keep the low point of the cycle higher than it could be.
30
Undergraduate Enrolment
25000
20000
15000
StatCan Ug
Dept Ug
10000
5000
"1
98
7
"1
98
8
"1
98
9
"1
99
0
"1
99
1
"1
99
2
"1
99
3
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99
4
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99
5
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99
6
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7
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8
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9
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00
0
"2
00
1
"2
00
2
"2
00
3
"2
00
4
"2
00
5
"2
00
6
0
Figure 26 Computer Science BSc Enrolments. Source: Statistics Canada via ICT-SITT Industry
Canada Presentation (blue) and department data (red)
Graduate Enrolment
3000
2500
2000
StatCan MSc
1500
Dept MSc
StatCan PhD
Dept PhD
1000
500
"1
98
7
"1
98
8
"1
98
9
"1
99
0
"1
99
1
"1
99
2
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99
3
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4
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6
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7
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9
"2
00
0
"2
00
1
"2
00
2
"2
00
3
"2
00
4
"2
00
5
"2
00
6
0
Figure 27 Computer Science Masters (blue, red) and PhD (yellow, cyan) Enrolments. Source:
Statistics Canada via ICT-SITT Industry Canada Presentation (blue, yellow) and department data
(red, cyan)
31
Undergraduate Degrees Awarded
7000
6000
5000
4000
StatCan Ug
Dept Ug
3000
2000
1000
"1
98
0
"1
98
1
"1
98
2
"1
98
3
"1
98
4
"1
98
5
"1
98
6
"1
98
7
"1
98
8
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9
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99
0
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1
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9
"2
00
0
"2
00
1
"2
00
2
"2
00
3
"2
00
4
"2
00
5
"2
00
6
0
Figure 28 Computer Science BSc Degrees Awarded. Source: Statistics Canada via ICT-SITT
Industry Canada Presentation (blue) and department data (red)
Graduate Degrees Awarded
1400
1200
1000
800
StatCan MSc
Dept MSc
StatCan PhD
600
Dept PhD
400
200
"1
98
0
"1
98
1
"1
98
2
"1
98
3
"1
98
4
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98
5
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00
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00
1
"2
00
2
"2
00
3
"2
00
4
"2
00
5
"2
00
6
0
Figure 29 Computer Science Masters (blue, red) and PhD (yellow, cyan) Degrees Awarded. Source:
Statistics Canada via ICT-SITT Industry Canada Presentation (blue, yellow) and department data
(red, cyan)
32
Figure 30 Probable majors in computer science and computer engineering among incoming
freshmen, from the CRA (http://www.cra.org/wp/index.php?p=104, accessed October 3, 2007)
6 – CASCON Workshop Summary
The enrolment figures of this survey were presented on October 24th, 2007 at a CASCON
workshop. The goal of the workshop was to develop recommendations to address the
problem in enrolment and to identify concrete actions that could be taken. Over 100
individuals from the public sector, the private sector, university representatives, and highschool representatives attended the workshop.
The first round of brainstorming, whose target was to identify and prioritize
recommendations to address the decline in enrolment, produced a “top 10” list of
directions that could help to mitigate the decline:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Changes to high school curriculum and pedagogy
Changes to university curriculum and pedagogy
Broader use and promotion of co-op internships and role models
Improvements in students’ perceptions of computer science as a discipline
Development of a national advertising and awareness campaign
33
6. Creation of a national society to lobby government and to act as a repository of
teaching resources
7. Discussion of the issue at a meeting of the provincial ministers of education
8. Changes to university admission policies
9. University recruitment
10. Leveraging of the youth already involved in computer science to develop new and
engaging programs
We briefly expand on each of these directions below. The contributions that each of the
public sector, private sector, universities, and high schools can make to the issues are
presented in the last part of this section.
The second round of brainstorming assigned one direction to each of the brainstorming
groups and asked them to develop a set of actions, a timeline for the actions, and a
costing for the actions for the direction. The resulting draft actions were presented to the
workshop participants, and the executive committee of the workshop will follow up on
the plans. The specifics of these plans do not appear in this report for reasons of brevity
and to keep the focus of this report on the problem at hand.
6.1 – Directions
High School Curriculum and Pedagogy
The presentation of computer science in high schools must excite and engage the student.
Engaging the students in the discipline as a whole, not just on the aspect of programming,
will prepare and encourage the student to continue studying the topic at university.
The workshop identified impediments to this kind of engagement in the discipline. The
curriculum and its delivery can vary greatly between schools, depending on the expertise
and background of the instructors. The instructors often lack the teaching resources, or
the time to develop the resources, to demonstrate the breadth of the discipline and to
present actual computer science concepts.
Suggestions were presented around increasing the experiential learning and innovation in
schools. It was indicated that teachers lack the means to pool and share the course
material that excites the students, along the concept of open-source curriculum.
Another avenue for engaging the students could be through industry-sponsored
challenges, competitions, and fairs. Although such activities would be vying for time in
students’ already-full schedules, these activities can provide insights into the future of
careers in the discipline.
34
University Curriculum and Pedagogy
The computer science curriculum at universities, especially in the first years, needs to
reflect the realities of the modern discipline. There are diverse employment opportunities
in the ICT sector, and students should have the opportunity to glimpse this diversity early
on. There remains a need for people who have deep technical skills, which corresponds
to the more traditional approach of focusing the first-year teaching on a programming
language. However, there is also a need for individuals with application skills and for
business or subject-matter experts. High-level skills needed by employers are also
becoming more multidisciplinary; university curricula should reflect this change.
The techniques used to teach computer science should also be examined. We have the
opportunity to present the material in interactive and media-rich ways. We need to have
our best instructors, whose excitement over the discipline is infectious, teaching in the
introductory courses and even in service courses.
Co-op Internships and Role Models
One of the most effective ways to engage students is to have them participate in, or relate
to, activities in the discipline. We have the opportunity to promote and make better use
of co-op internships, especially at the high-school level, and to re-think the integration of
learning beyond co-op structures. Some success has been seen in allowing high-school
students to work inside research labs at universities. These opportunities have the
students participate in the actual research rather than just observe a researcher’s activities.
An internship affects the student who participates in the event, but also all the individuals
to whom the student conveys his or her excitement.
Role models also play an important role in personalizing the discipline and in presenting
a diversity of careers that are available in computer science. We need to present role
models with whom students can relate and find a connection. We need recognizable and
charismatic champions who have had an impact on the industry. We also need to connect
new graduates with high-school students; the new graduates are much closer in age and
interest to the high-school students and can be effective mentors.
Role models are particularly important in attracting women into the discipline. Although
women comprise 50% of the population, they comprise only just over 25% of ICT
employees in Canada, and the percentage of women in computer science programs has
been decreasing.
Student Perceptions
We must change the perceptions of students and their parents about ICT and greatly
increase their understanding of the discipline. We need to challenge the current public
stereotypes of computer scientists and of careers in the ICT sector.
35
Before we can enact changes, we need to develop a more sophisticated understanding of
what the perceptions really are and to determine which aspects of those perceptions are
contributing to the decline in enrolment in computer science. We need to get input from
students, parents, and teachers (among others) on what pushes students away from the
discipline.
In tandem with helping high-school teachers to provide engaging computer science
material, we need to have energetic professors, industry leaders, role models, and
“heroes” to visit high schools and show the students what computer science is about.
These presentations need to promote the discipline and to inform the students about the
diversity of employment opportunities in the discipline.
National Awareness
We need to put forward a national awareness campaign about the ICT sector that
emphasizes the diversity, selection, and availability of opportunities in the discipline. It
should target both high-school students and parents. The campaign needs to counteract
the public perceptions of a lack of jobs and of job stereotypes that persist since the “dot
com” collapse in 2002. The campaign also needs to ensure that reliable and
understandable information and statistics regarding the discipline are easily accessible to
the public.
This direction complements the efforts to change student perceptions about computer
science and those who are engaged in its study and practice.
National Society
A national society must take a leadership role in ensuring that the computer science
discipline flourishes again in Canada. This leadership could come from an existing
society, such as CIPS or ITAC, or from a new organization. This society must represent
computer science nationally, help to develop course content that is engaging and relevant
to attracting students, and assist educators to make the best use of the tools available.
The society must also lobby governments to value, promote, and support education in the
ICT sector.
Ministers of Education
The provincial governments must participate in reshaping and supporting changes within
the education system. The provincial governments as a group need to highlight the
importance of ICT at the national level.
At the high-school level, provincial curricula must be established, and teachers must have
the opportunity to improve their computer science skills as well as recognition for their
36
work. Computer science must be recognized throughout Canada as one of the teachable
subjects which future teachers can study.
It was suggested that a delegation of representatives from academic administrators and
from industry VPs, presidents, or CEOs seek a place on the agenda of a meeting of the
ministers of education to highlight the issues and engage their assistance in finding a
common solution.
University Admissions
Universities must begin to recognize computer science as a credit for university entrance.
This requires that the course be recognized as an academic credit in high school and that
there be a consistent offering of the high-school content. Universities also need to move
to recognize the importance of computer science in other areas, such as science in
general, and move to include computer science as a requirement for those degrees.
University Recruitment
Computer science must adapt its approaches to recruiting students, both to the university
and within the university. As part of the curriculum design, service courses must be
offered in a way that non-major students can gain an interest in computer science and
possibly transfer to a computer science degree.
Youth Involvement
We need to learn from the success of local youth-led and youth-developed programs such
as Shad Valley and CHAMPS. Having young people involved in the creation and design
of these programs helps ensure that the programs address the interests of the student
market and are delivered in a manner that will engage them.
6.2 – Sector Responses
Each sector has contributions that it can make to each of the suggested directions of
Section 6.1. We highlight the contributions that are most natural for each sector in the
following sections.
6.2.1 –Private Sector
First, we will need to rely on the private sector to help fund the activities that are needed
to promote ICT. The support will require financial, in-kind, and time commitments from
the industry partners.
37
Second, the private sector will have the most convincing role models who can
demonstrate a type of success in the ICT sector to which students and parents can relate.
Third, the private sector is the source for material that promotes the availability and
diversity of employment opportunities. It is also the sector that can best provide
perspective on itself. These factors make it the most natural to spearhead the promotion
of ICT to the public. We applaud the coalition of high-tech firms, lead by Bell Canada,
that announced in the first week of December 2007 its decision to tackle the IT skills
crisis.
Fourth, the private sector is able to help shape high-school and university curricula by
informing these groups on which material is most or least relevant to emphasize and to
help keep the material current. The advice from industry partners needs to look to the
interest of the ICT sector as a whole rather than be specific to one individual company or
specialization.
6.2.2 –Public Sector
As with the private sector, so too will the public sector need to help support the activities
to promote ICT, whether through financial support, in-kind contributions, information, or
otherwise.
The provincial ministries of education need to become engaged in providing consistent
and relevant curriculum to the high schools, in recognizing computer science as a
teachable academic subject, and in recognizing, through additional basic qualifications
(ABQs) or otherwise, the continued development of teachers in an area that is continually
changing.
Federal and provincial governments also have a role to play in communicating and
promoting the number and diversity of employment opportunities in the ICT sector.
6.2.3 –Universities
Universities must adapt their curricula to become more engaging to entering students and
to provide programs that are attractive to students and industry alike, whether
multidisciplinary or otherwise. The university programs need to create an environment
and teaching style that is more appealing to women.
Universities can provide role models who are at the leading edge of technology. The
university role models must be excited about their discipline and be able to convey to
their audience the directions in which the discipline is heading. They also need to
connect their audience with the impact of work in the ICT sector in social and economic
38
areas. They need to show their audience how work in the ICT sector can have a benefit
for society as a whole.
Finally, universities must adapt their own regulations to recognize the importance of
computer science in today’s world. These adaptations include recognizing computer
science as an entry course to universities, granting transfer credits or advanced placement
into computer science programs based on high school computer science courses, and
including basic computer science concepts in all degree requirements.
6.2.4 – High Schools
The focus among the high-school partners needs to be on preparing students to consider
ICT as a possible career path. This focus takes several directions. First, the high schools
need to offer computer science courses that introduce students to computing concepts
beyond applications; some schools do this already. This curriculum must be offered
consistently and be continually updated. Second, the delivery of the material and the
resources available for teaching this material must be engage the students. Third, the
high schools, and likely the primary schools, need to keep women connected with all the
sciences as they reach grade 12.
7 – Conclusions and Recommendations
7.1 – Conclusions
The primary purpose of this study is to examine the trends in computer science enrolment
across Canada. The study proceeded by gathering enrolment data from the Canadian
computer science departments, by performing interviews with representatives of some of
these departments to establish their opinions on the probable causes of the enrolment
changes, and by organizing a workshop at CASCON 2007 to discuss future directions in
light of the enrolment trends.
The study used enrolment data from three sources: the CRA North American Taulbee
reports, enrolment data from Statistics Canada from the 1999-2000 to the 2004-2005
academic years, and data from computer science departments. The trend of declining
enrolment in Canada, both from the Statistics Canada data and the computer science
department data, paralleled the enrolment declines in North America reported by the
CRA. Declines in undergraduate enrolment in computer science continued through to the
2006-2007 academic year. These declines will result in fewer undergraduate students
graduating for the next several years, until at least 2010-2011. This decrease has already
had an impact on the number of applicants to graduate programs, and employers are
beginning to see a decrease in the selection of new graduates to hire. The language of
“crisis” now is increasingly relevant.
39
A regional breakdown of the enrolment data shows a decline in undergraduate enrolment
in all regions of Canada. Declines in enrolment of just over 64% from the peak
enrolment figures are reported in Atlantic Canada. Declines between 40% and 50%
occur in Quebec and Ontario. Declines of 35% occur in some of the Prairie Provinces.
British Columbia has also experienced a decline in undergraduate enrolment, but not as
severe as the rest of the country. They credit an involvement in multidisciplinary work as
one of the contributing factors to maintaining their enrolments and to having the highest
ratio of women in their programs in Canada.
Many universities report having focused on their graduate programs. Enrolments in
Ph.D. programs across Canada have risen consistently, more than doubling in every
region in Canada from 1999-2000 to 2006-2007, except for Manitoba and Saskatchewan
that grew by 50%. Enrolments in Masters programs have also increased across Canada to
a maximum of 150% to 450% of their 1999-2000 levels in 2004-2005 before beginning a
decline to 115% to 400% of the 1999-2000 levels in 2006-2007. The highest growth in
Masters enrolments occurred in Alberta.
The interviews with representatives from academia and industry most commonly reported
the following issues as causes for the declines in undergraduate enrolments:
•
•
•
•
•
public perceptions surrounding the dot-com bubble burst in 2000-2002,
particularly among parents of students who were finishing high school;
public perceptions about the field of computing;
computer science programs that have not adapted quickly enough to adjust the
perceptions of computer science;
the ubiquity of computers throughout every setting making general-purpose
computing commonplace; and
deficiencies in the high-school environments in the preparation of students for
IT careers.
Further brainstorming on the enrolment figures at the CASCON workshop identified 10
main directions for consideration in addressing the declines in undergraduate enrolment:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
changes to high school curriculum and pedagogy;
changes to university curriculum and pedagogy;
broader use and promotion of co-op internships and role models;
improvements in students’ perceptions of computer science as a discipline;
development of a national advertising and awareness campaign;
creation of a national society to lobby government and act as a repository of
teaching resources;
7. discussion of the issue at a meeting of the provincial ministers of education;
8. changes to university admission policies;
9. university recruitment; and
10. leveraging of the youth already involved in computer science to develop new
and engaging programs.
40
Tackling these items requires a joint effort from the public sector, the private sector,
universities, and high schools.
7.2 – Recommendations
The products and services of the ICT sector form a cornerstone of the developing
knowledge society of the 21st century. Sustained success in this sector, so essential to
Canada’s national interest and prosperity, requires that all participants—the public,
private and educational sectors—continually adapt to changes in technology and its uses
and applications. This adaptation requires a national workforce that is dedicated,
informed, sophisticated and agile.
This report has identified that the sustainability of this workforce is in jeopardy across
Canada because of the decline that began in undergraduate enrolments in computer
science. Moreover, the number of new graduates in computer science will continue to
decline for several years. Unless this trend is reversed quickly, the reduction in graduates
for the ICT workforce will persist deep into the next decade.
It is imperative that all the participants in our knowledge society—the public, private and
educational sectors—play a major role in increasing the numbers engaged in studying
computer science at the high-school and university levels in order to sustain the required
ICT workforce.
One suggested, and almost certain, cause of the enrolment decline is a poor perception
of employment in the ICT sector. While there is clearly a role for all governments here,
the primary responsibility rests with the private sector, which needs to take the lead in
helping to create a new image of the sector. They need to disseminate the news to
parents and students about the abundance and diversity of employment opportunities in
the ICT sector. This news should be embedded in a marketing strategy designed to raise
the public profile and understanding of the modern ICT sector. This strategy should be
paralleled by the presentation of well-known, enthusiastic and engaged role-models for
students in the K-12 school years, so that students are exposed to the long-range picture
of ICT that extends well beyond the commonplace uses of computers that children now
take for granted.
The Federal Government needs to support a national survey of the sector to
characterize public and, above all, students’ perceptions of the field to improve our
understanding of why students, and especially women, are not pursuing ICT degrees,
and to identify what factors and changes will draw more students to the sector. It
should then work with the provincial governments and universities to ensure that the
findings of this survey are then addressed.
Provincial governments should review the content, pedagogy and offerings of ICT
courses in the primary and secondary schools. There is an urgent need to standardize
41
the computer science curriculum, which is distinct from the curriculum for using
computer applications. The provinces should ensure that high-school teachers of
computer science have sufficient background in the ICT sector to present the
material in ways that engage the students. These teachers need ABQ recognition and
rewards for training in ICT technologies. Once these changes are in place, high-school
computer science should be recognized as an academic credit in high school, so that
it can then be recognized as one of the courses that makes a student eligible for
university admission.
The most critical contributions of high schools and universities have to do with
curriculum and pedagogy, which should be such that they excite and engage the next
generation that will enter the workforce. It is essential that both universities and high
schools adapt their curricula, especially in first-year university, to match the
increasing sophistication of incoming students about computing. The university
curricula must inform the students about the breadth of the ICT sector and so engage
them that they are committed to the field. Likewise the high-school curriculum needs to
be adapted in similar ways so that it transcends a preoccupation with computer
applications and programming. The universities should work with the high schools and
departments of education to support both these changes and the high-school teachers.
Above all, schools and universities alike must give priority to the quality of teaching
and of the learning environment in computer science. Good learning requires good
teaching and appropriate resources, and there is still much to learn about what is required
in this field.
All participants will need to invest time and money in solving the current crisis. Failure
to do anything less than what is proposed here will be expensive for future generations.
This investment must include stable, long-term financial support for these activities that
also recognizes the time commitment of the leaders in all the relevant sectors.
Finally, all participants need to keep the momentum and urgency that were achieved
during the October 2007 CASCON Workshop. ICTC should bring together many
of the major players at that Workshop in, at most, six months to maintain that
momentum.
42
References
[Harvard]
“Enhancing Science and Engineering at Harvard: The preliminary report
from the university planning committee for science and engineering,” EPCSE
Preliminary Report, July 2006.
[IC]
Industry Canada, “Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada’s
Advantage,”, Industry Canada,
www.ic.gc.ca/cmb/welcomeic.nsf/vRTF/PublicationST/$file/S&Tstrategy.pdf, May
2007.
[Stat Can]
Statistics Canada, “Enhanced Student Information System,” Statistics
Canada, stds.statcan.ca/English/cip/cip_4digit.asp?code=11, 2006, accessed May 2006.
[Taulbee]
Computing Research Association, “Taulbee Reports,” Computing
Research Association, www.cra.org/statistics, accessed October, 2006
Bibliography
[ACM] Association for Computing Machinery, “Computing: Degrees & Careers,”
Association for Computing Machinery, 2006, www.computingcareers.acm.org, Accessed
October 2, 2007
[CRA] J. Vegso, “Low Interest in CS and CE Among Incoming Freshmen,” Computing
Research Association, February 2007, www.cra.org/wp/index.php?p=104, accessed
March 14, 2007.
[Embassy]
C. Wieman, “Science is the Currency for a Thriving Economy,” Embassy
Magazine,
www.embassymag.ca/html/index.php?display=story&full_path=/2007/september/26/wie
man/, accessed Sept. 27, 2007.
[HRSDC]
L.-P. Bergeron, K. Dunn, M. Lapointe, W. Roth, N. Tremblay-Cote,
“Looking-Ahead: A 10-Year Outlook for the Canadian Labour Market 2004-2013,”
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada report SP-615-10-04E, October 2004.
[SHRC]
M. Gunderson, L. Jacobs, F. Vaillancourt, “The Information Technology
(IT) Labour Market In Canada: Results From the National Survey of IT Occupations,”
Software Human Resource Council, April 2005.
[TECHNO] S. Gagnon, J.-F. Dumais, “Information Technology Insights Network:
‘The Skills Shortage’,” TECHNOCompetences presentation, presented at the meeting of
Quebec CS chairs, September 17, 2007.
43
Appendix A: Notice of CASCON workshop on computer
science enrolments
Title: Addressing the Urgent Declining Enrollment Issue
Short Abstract (it’s purposely in past tense):
This workshop was co-sponsored by IBM, Industry Canada, the Information and
Communication Technology Council (ICTC), and Ontario Ministry of Economic
Development and Trade. It brought together leaders from across Canada in government,
academia, education, and industry to examine data on the large gap between the current
size of the computer science education pipeline and the size that would meet the current
demands of industry and enhance Canadian international competitiveness in the future.
Given the magnitude of the gap, a clear consensus developed that a concerted and
coordinated effort by all stakeholders is required. Ministers of education joined with
teachers and principals, university faculty and administrators, and industry practitioners
and recruiters in establishing short and long term objectives and plans for addressing the
most important impediments to increasing the number of post-secondary graduates in
computing and information sciences nationwide.
Workshop Date: Wednesday, October 24, 2007; After CASCON keynote for the full
day.
Organizers:
• Craig Boutilier, Chair, Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto
• Dave Scott, IBM Canada
• Elaine Leung, Manager of ICT unit of MEDT in Ontario with Erfon Mendoza and
Carolina Botera
• Jacob Slonim, Dalhousie University
• Julia Kranjac, RIM
• Karen Klink, RIM
• Kelly Lyons, IBM Toronto Lab
• Kevin Schneider, Chair, Department of Computer Science, University of
Saskatchewan
• Paul Swinwood, Information and Communication Technology Council (ICTC)
• Stephen Perelgut, IBM Toronto Lab
• Tamer Özsu, Director, David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science,
University of Waterloo
• William A. Aiello, Chair, Department of Computer Science, UBC
Long Abstract (available on-line for attendees to review)
This workshop is co-sponsored by IBM, Industry Canada, the Information and
Communication Technology Council (ICTC), and Ontario Ministry of Economic
Development and Trade. It will bring together leaders from across Canada in
government, academia, education, and industry to examine data on the large gap between
44
the current size of the computer science education pipeline and the size that would meet
the current demands of industry and enhance Canadian international competitiveness in
the future. Given the magnitude of the gap, a concerted and coordinated effort by all
stakeholders is required. Ministers of education will join with teachers and principals,
university faculty and administrators, and industry practitioners and recruiters in
establishing short and long term objectives and plans for addressing the most important
impediments to increasing the number of post-secondary graduates in computing and
information sciences nationwide.
This is a full day workshop. The results of this workshop will be a set of specific action
items, owners and resources for, and commitment to follow through with those action
items. Plans for follow on meetings will also be established.
There will be a report prepared after the workshop that will be shared with all
participants.
This workshop is being organized by the following people:
• Craig Boutilier, Chair, Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto
• Dave Scott, IBM Canada
• Elaine Leung, Manager of ICT unit of MEDT in Ontario with Irfan Mandozai and
Carolina Botera
• Jacob Slonim, Dalhousie University
• Julia Kranjac, RIM
• Karen Klink, RIM
• Kelly Lyons, IBM Toronto Lab
• Kevin Schneider, Chair, Department of Computer Science, University of
Saskatchewan
• Paul Swinwood, Information and Communication Technology Council (ICTC)
• Stephen Perelgut, IBM Toronto Lab
• Tamer Özsu, Director, David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science,
University of Waterloo
• William A. Aiello, Chair, Department of Computer Science, UBC
Agenda:
• 10:00 to 10:45 Jacob Slonim will present data and results of the ICTC Report
which includes:
o Numbers of CS students from universities across Canada
o Problems identified by people interviewed
o Suggested Solutions and Recommendations
• 10:45 to 11:00 Paul Swinwood will present the state of demand in Canada for
IT
• 11:00 to 11:15: BREAK
• 11:15 to 12:00: We will then break into groups where each group will include
representatives from industry, academia, high schools, fed. Gov’t, prov.
Gov’ts;
45
•
•
•
•
•
o Each group will identify ~5 recommendations or will pick the top ones
from what was suggested in the opening presentation
12:00 to 1:00 LUNCH
1:00 to 2:00 Report back from first break out session:
o Go around the room group by group and iterate until all
Recommendations are presented:
o One group will report a top Recommendation from their list
o Any other groups which have similar Recommendations, will report
them at that time
o The result will be 5-10 top Recommendations
2:00 to 3:15 The Groups (same groups) will then break out again and each
group will take 1-2 of the top Recommendations and come up with concrete
actions and owners for those actions
3:15 to 3:30 BREAK
3:30 to 4:30 Report back from the second break out session:
o Each group will present recommendations, actions, and proposed
owners to the workshop participants for discussion and feedback.
o There will be a panel of key stakeholders (decision makers from
industry, high school, governments (fed and prov), academia) who will
also provide feedback and who are ultimately responsible for
providing resources / commitments to the recommended actions or
revised actions.
o In this way, we guarantee that there will be follow-up and work carried
out after the workshop.
Resources and Links to Related Material:
• Survey reveals 'sobering' IT skills shortage: A new survey shows that a
growing shortage of IT skills has put upward pressure on salaries as employers
choose experienced workers over graduates. The organization behind the numbers
says failing better recruitment, a myriad of Canadian businesses could suffer. IT
World Canada Inc., an online resource for IT job seekers and employers, says a
continuation of what it calls a "sobering trend" will hurt economic growth and
productivity "across all industries." The survey released on Monday shows 61 per
cent of responding companies that use information technology expect to hire new
staff this year. Managers in that group said the number of IT workers on their
payrolls, on average, is expected to increase by 21 per cent. Overall, the survey
results show a demand for 12 per cent growth in IT staffing levels in 2007.
"Information technology is central to the effective operation of most businesses
and government and key to greater productivity," Andrew White, president of IT
World Canada, said in a news release.
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/07/16/skills-shortage.html
• Science, Tech Advocates Eye Increased Federal Resources National Journal's
Technology Daily (07/13/07) Stern stein, Aliya Washington is starting to focus
more on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.
Education advocates say efforts such as the president's budget request are needed,
considering students and teachers involved in STEM programs continue to
46
•
•
struggle. "The budget request contained the first meaningful increase for the
National Science Foundation's education programs in many years, something the
STEM ed community has really made a high priority," says James Brown, cochairman of the STEM Education Coalition. While the House and Senate are
working to significantly boost funding for NSF STEM education programs,
Brown says the two chambers could also hammer out their differences this
summer on legislation to improve the competitiveness of the country. Sen.
Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.), a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Committee, also says a comprehensive higher education bill could be passed this
year, adding that it would help improve technological competitiveness. The
Education Department recently awarded $22 million in grants to help prepare
qualified individuals to teach math, science, and other core subjects in high
schools. Education also awarded $3.5 million to improve the prospects of
employment in science and technology for ethnic minorities.
http://govexec.com/dailyfed/0707/071307tdpm1.htm
Sharp Drop in Extended Mass Layoffs in IT Industries Since 2001 CRA
Bulletin (07/16/07) Vegso, Jay Although the information technology industry
struggled with layoffs like the rest of the economy at the turn of the century,
reaching a low point in 2002, ever since the industry has seen a dramatic drop in
the number of layoffs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, the
decline has been dramatic, with the number of layoffs lasting more than 30 days
and involving more than 50 people in the four subdivisions of the IT industry
down as much as 91 percent in 2006. In comparison, layoffs for all other
industries are down 36 percent, and the number of workers who have lost jobs is
down about 41 percent. In 2001, all four subdivisions of the computer industry
had a total of 1,021 layoff events and 203,561 separations. Last year, there were
123 layoff events and a total of 23,787 separations. http://www.cra.org/wp/
Behind the Decline of Women in IT, CIO Insight (06/07)No. 82, P. 24; Cone,
Edward, A 2005 ITAA survey concluded that women and other minority groups
had a worse time finding IT work than white males during the IT downturn and
rebound because their initial hold on such jobs was flimsy, and disadvantages
women faced at the beginning only compounded and perpetuated the difficulty of
finding new jobs when the downturn struck. There is little concrete proof to
support this hypothesis, and a professor of the University of Pennsylvania's
Wharton School theorizes that "In boom years, employers are much more open in
terms of who they are interested in hiring," but the accommodations they make
(such as flexible work scheduling) to increase the jobs' attractiveness to a broader
category of worker disappear when the labor market once again softens. The
professor believes a future upswing will likely support a higher percentage of
female IT workers. Issues he thinks could be contributing to the decline in the
female IT workforce include work experience quality, with "work/life balance
issues getting better in the boom and worse later." Other possible contributing
factors include women's limited access to informal networks in tech jobs, few
mentors and role models, and gender-based stereotypes, according to a Catalyst
study. Catalyst associate Kate Egan cites the tendency for diversity programs that
advance women in IT to be scaled back or rescinded in periods of difficulty. KVH
47
Industries CIO Kelly Heitmann opines that the move toward outsourcing has
reduced the attraction of IT careers to women. Former head of IBM's diversity
program Ted Childs warns that the United States will lose its advantage in terms
of technology know-how unless more women and minorities are tapped for the IT
workforce. http://www.cioinsight.com/article2/0,1397,2149170,00.asp
48