Institutions, nationally and internationally, experience a persistent gender imbalance in computing program enrollment. Despite recent initiatives to increase the number of women in computing degree programs, this disparity continues at XYZ College. Educational researchers have demonstrated that increasing students’ sense of belonging (SoB) and academic self-concept (ASC) has positive impacts on academic outcomes, particularly for students underrepresented in STEM education. This study investigated how attending a women focused computing conference can impact student attendees’ SoB and ASC in short and long term. Students’ perception of their experiences and measures of SoB and ASC are obtained through a series of surveys. Due to the large number of last-minute cancellations, this study applies adult constructive development theory (ACDT) to understand why students were hesitant to attend the conference. This study found that attending a women focused computing conference positively impacted students SoB and ASC.
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