Authors:
Francisca Sousa
1
;
Leonor Tejo
2
;
Sunny Miranda
2
and
Paula Alexandra Silva
2
Affiliations:
1
Department of Informatics Engineering, University of Coimbra, Portugal
;
2
Department of Informatics Engineering, University of Coimbra, CISUC/LASI – Centre for Informatics and Systems of the University of Coimbra, Portugal
Keyword(s):
Gender Balance, Women in Informatics, Mentoring, Digital Content, Social Media.
Abstract:
Gender disparities in Informatics persist as a significant issue, with women facing barriers to entry, retention, and advancement. Mentoring programs hold the potential to improve this issue. Because change demands a collective response, this study explores how to shape the digital content of mentoring programs to support the students, women and men, in an Informatics department. This work builds upon the findings of a focus group study, complementing them by applying a questionnaire to gain insight into students’ academic experiences, perceptions of the benefits of a mentoring program, and preferences concerning digital communication platforms. Findings indicate that the digital content of mentoring programs can help in three keyways: providing insights into the job market, shedding light on career and recruitment processes, and offering real-life content. These findings are valuable to departments and mentoring programs that wish to support women in Informatics through the digital
content of their websites and social media platforms.
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