Contact: David Kinard
Director of Marketing
(206) 442-4518
davidk@giantcampus.com
Specially Designed Courses, Scholarships, Women Instructors and More
Focus on Boosting Girls' Interest in Computers
Historically, girls have lagged far behind boys when it comes to technology. Cybercamps, the leader in technology education for kids, is taking major steps to shift the balance. They include creating a girl-friendly curriculum, reaching out to girls' organizations and providing scholarships to girls in need. The result so far: An increase in the number of girls enrolling in Cybercamps nationwide from 8% in 1999 to 20% today. Here's more about what's available to girls in the starting next month.
Refining Curriculum
Cybercamps believes that one way to interest more girls in technology is to provide a curriculum they can relate to. With that in mind, Cybercamps assures that at least 50% of the characters in its computer programs are female, the language in the jokes appeals to both boys and girls, the products don't have a strictly-boy bent to them, and more.
In its Game Design class, Cybercamps puts more of a focus on role modeling, stronger characters and more plot adventure - features research has shown are more important to girls than boys. Examples from Sims, Nancy Drew and Ultimate Rider Roller Coaster replace games from Diablo II, Tribal War and Dungeon Keeper. Lessons expand beyond shooting games to include mystery and problem-solving activities.
To appeal to girls, Cybercamps is also adding more collaborative projects. In the Digital Media class, students may take a digital photo with the same theme or create a collage of friends. In Robotics, there is less emphasis on Battle Bots and more on skill mazes, rescue obstacles, and having kids link robots together.
"We've always worked hard to make sure that our courseware has equal gender appeal," observed Pete Findley, Cybercamps founder and CEO. As part of that effort, the company met with the Center for Gender Equality in Seattle.
Cybercamps also makes a point of exposing girls to the types of courses that, traditionally, they wouldn't choose. It does this by including such programs - Robotics, Game Design and Digital Media among them - in CyberExplorers, the company's introductory survey course. The change was made last year and will continue this summer. The impact of that effort became clear in the enrollment figures that followed: The number of girls in each of those courses increased as much as 9%, "Not dramatic increases, but a step in the right direction," according to Findley.
This year, the changes are even more noticeable. Based on enrollment so far, Game Design is proving to be the most popular Cybercamps course among girls, who currently make up 29.3% of all students in the course - nearly double last year's 15%. The next most popular Cybercamps class is Robotics, with girls comprising 17.6% of students.
Cybercamps also operates an online program called TechKnowGirl, available free to Web sites. This is a "techtorial" geared to girls that provides short, interactive and fun lessons about different aspects of technology. Currently, TechKnowGirl is available on the GirlZone Web site, and more girl-focused Web sites will be added this year. "TechKnowGirl gives girls a quick lesson, lets them see what's possible and gets them excited about the different aspects of technology," said Findley.
Reaching Out
In addition to their internal efforts, Cybercamps also reaches out to girls by aggressively contacting girls' organizations, such as the Girl Scouts, among others, to offer special discounts to encourage girls to participate in the computer camps. Last year alone Cybercamps hosted 40 girls on full scholarships.
This summer, through its non-profit Cybercamps Foundation, the company is applying for grants to help greater numbers of financially needy girls. In 2001, for example, Microsoft provided $25,000 for girls' scholarships; Cybercamps is hoping to make a similar arrangement with Microsoft and other corporations this year.
Cybercamps' internal support for this effort to reach girls is apparent in its staffing. This summer, 57% of the 2002 camp directors are women, and roughly 50% of the instructors.
"Our efforts to date have generated an increase in interest among girls," observed Findley. "But we feel we can do even better. Getting and keeping girls interested in technology is so important that we would like to reach a point where 50% of our class is made up of girls." Already, half of Cybercamps students who return for additional courses are girls, which, says Findley, is "not a bad start."
About Cybercamps
Founded in 1997, Cybercamps is the global leader in technology education for youth. The oldest and largest computer camp, it has more than 45 locations in the U.S. and abroad, located on prestigious college or university campuses such as Stanford, MIT, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown and UCLA. Cybercamps is the only technology education camp offering such a wide and sophisticated spectrum of programs: seven progressive curricula in all, including Cyber Explorer, Programming, 3-D Animation, Digital Media, Web Design, Game design and Robotics. For more information, please visit www.giantcampus.com.
Interviews and photos available