How do we #diversify the Artificial Intelligence (#AI) workforce?

I was invited to sit in on a workshop by Professor Valerie Carr from the Department of Psychology at the College of Social Sciences at San Jose State University in San Jose, CA to learn more about the Applied Computing Programming Experiences (or APEX) program. The APEX program provides foundational training in #Python for instructors at community colleges and #SJSU and for non-computer science students at #SJSU, and provides instructional modules for introductory courses in statistics, biology, and most recently, research methods to seamlessly provide training to students who are beginning their educational journeys. APEX started with industry seed funds and is now a self-supporting program (for those of you seeking to emulate similar initiatives).

Source: Lois Takahashi (photo of Professor Valerie Carr teaching an APEX workshop for mostly community college instructors)

I talked with Professor Morris Jones from #SJSU #electricalengineeering, one of the APEX instructors, who shared with me some of the program's history. Professors Jones, Carr, and former Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering Dean Belle Wei identified the lack of women in computing fields and believed that the most effective way to increase the engagement of women in such areas was to reach deeper into the pipeline (community college level) and to non-computer science majors to (1) provide foundational knowledge and skills about Python, (2) reduce apprehension about Python (thereby reducing anxiety about programming more generally), and (3) as an indirect benefit, increase confidence and reduce imposter syndrome.

Many institutions and government agencies are working to try to increase the diversity of the pipeline of future workers in computing, AI, and big data analysis. For example, the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities has instituted the ScHARe initiative to provide training on cloud computing to researchers and community members. There is no doubt that computing fields provide relatively high wages, and that the computing workforce remains dominated by men.

The important difference perhaps from existing college level #STEM pipelining programs is that APEX aims to build confidence by both instructors at community colleges and students at #SJSU, does not aim to move SJSU students from their current major to computer science or engineering (one of the goals is for students to stay in their current majors), and provides instructional modules for introductory statistics, biology, and research methods instructors for incorporating #Python into coursework. The ecosystem and curriculum integration approach largely differs from individual-focused efforts that aim to building coding and programming skills for girls and women.

The workshop I attended was primarily attended by community college instructors, of which most were women. Professor Carr approaches teaching in a gentle and supportive way, taking an assets-based (rather than deficit-based approach) to help her students/instructors build confidence at the same time that they are gaining specific Python knowledge and skills. There is a lot of practice in the workshop and chatting with other workshop attendees is encouraged and supported. I can see that APEX is not only about individuals learning new skills about Python but also about building communities of dedicated people who are working to improve the career trajectories of their students. I heard a lot of talking and laughing while I attended the workshop and all the participants were very engaged.

AI/machine learning, big data, and other computing advancements are moving fast and furious. How do we ensure that we have equitable, inclusive, and socially just #workforce opportunities for people and communities, such as women, students of color, and first-generation students (among others), that are currently not part of these technological transformations? From a couple of hours sitting in on one APEX workshop, I can see the comfort level among the participants growing and lots of lightbulbs lighting up.

If you have questions about APEX or would like to participate in these workshops, please contact Professor Valerie Carr in the SJSU Department of Psychology in the College of Social Sciences or Carolyn Guidry Chair in Engineering Education and Innovative Learning Belle Wei in the SJSU Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering.