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iversity in STE A M www.diversityinsteam.com
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lthough there are plenty of ways to make coding more inclusive and, therefore, more accessible, our efforts are hardly scratching the surface. The coding world is mainly occupied by men, white men in particular, with minimal percentages of women, other races, ethnicities, economic statuses, backgrounds and persons living with a disability in the mix. This lack of diversity and inclusion stalls our effort to open up coding to anyone who wants to pursue it. Coding must be made more inclusive to those who have not been traditionally accepted in the discipline if we want to ensure everyone can pursue a career in coding and accomplish their professional goals in the industry. But the question is, how?
Inclusive Means Accessible
We must understand the difference between inclusivity and accessibility. In the simplest of terms, the latter is a type of the former. To be inclusive means you design for every population, from race to creed to disability. To be accessible means you design to make your product or service accessible to persons with disabilities. Let's explore three ways to make coding more inclusive and accessible to people from all walks of life.
1
Include Coding in Public School Education
Coding can become much more inclusive if we include it in public school education. Millions of children attend public school every year. We're all familiar with the gap in the quality of education and resources in these institutions compared to private schools and those in higher-income communities. In addition, many higher-income and private schools offer coding classes as part of their required curriculum. However, most public schools just don't have the manpower to offer coding classes, let alone the resources.
Cracking the Code
on Accessibility & Inclusion
By Frankie Wallace
We're happy to report, though, that there's been some progress in public schools to make coding available, starting with the younger students. If we can educate students about coding and other STEAM topics at a young age, theyll feel more confident in their skillset and knowledge when it's time to take their coding talents to college and beyond. Implementing coding in public school education could look like: Forming a committee or group to make coding a permanent part of curriculum Providing students with toys, tools and tech devices that teach proper coding principles Asking older students to get involved in the movement Designing coding classes and hiring teachers adept in STEAM Creating or sponsoring coding-related afterschool programs School-wide and classroom-specific coding competitions Providing external resources to continue coding education at home
2
Make Testing More Accessible
In addition to including coding in public school education, we have to take things a step further and focus on making testing
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