Gender Differences in Class Participation in Online versus In-Person Core CS Courses

TL;DR

This study examines how the shift from in-person to online CS classes during COVID-19 affected gender participation gaps, revealing environment-driven differences and emphasizing the need for further investigation.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence that gender differences in participation are environment-dependent, highlighting the impact of online learning on reducing gender gaps in CS courses.

Findings

Gender gap in participation diminishes online

Students compare themselves less online, especially females

Participation differences are environment-driven, not inherent

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered how post-secondary students receive their education. Namely, the transition from an in-person to an online class format changed how students interact with their instructors and their classmates. In this paper, we use student participation scores from two core computer science classes across ten in-person and three online quarters at a public research university to analyze whether the shift to primarily asynchronous online learning has impacted the gender gap in student participation scores and students' attitudes towards themselves and their peers. We observe a shift on the online class forum: in in-person classes, males score higher on average and dominate the top scores while in online classes, male and female students participate at approximately the same rate classwide. To understand what might be driving changes in participation behavior, we analyze survey responses from over a quarter of the students enrolled in the online classes. While we find that students of both genders tend to compare themselves to their peers less when classes are online, we also find that this trend is much more accentuated for females than males. This data suggests that observed female participation habits in typical in-person classes are not inherent gender differences, but rather, a product of the environment. Therefore, it is critical the community investigates the root causes of these behavioral differences, and experiments with ways to mitigate them, before we soon return to an in-person format.