Supporting Belonging in Software Engineering Through Role Models Exposure
This paper presents an analytic autoethnographic study demonstrating that integrating historically grounded role models into routine software engineering lectures serves as a low-disruption, iterative pedagogical strategy to support student belonging and inclusivity without compromising technical rigor.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
Imagine a software engineering class as a giant, high-tech construction site. Usually, when the instructor (the foreman) explains how to build a bridge or lay a foundation, they only talk about the blueprints, the steel beams, and the math. They rarely mention the specific people who invented those tools or designed those methods.
This paper is like a foreman's diary. It describes an experiment where the instructor decided to change the way they talk about the construction site. Instead of just showing the blueprints, they started briefly introducing the "original architects" behind every major tool, especially those who were often left out of history books—like women, Black engineers, and LGBTQ+ pioneers.
Here is the breakdown of what happened, using simple analogies:
The Problem: The "Ghost" in the Machine
In many engineering classes, students from underrepresented groups often feel like they are visiting a house where they don't see their family photos on the wall. They might be great at the math and get good grades, but they still feel like they don't truly belong. The paper notes that while we know "role models" (people you can look up to) are important, most schools only try to fix this by holding special, separate meetings or guest speaker events. These are like "special days" that feel separate from the real work.
The Solution: The "Hidden Label" Strategy
The instructor in this study tried something different. Instead of stopping the class to have a "diversity meeting," they wove the stories of these pioneers directly into the technical lessons, like adding a small, interesting label to a tool.
- How it worked: When teaching about "Software Architecture" (the blueprint of a program), the instructor didn't just say, "Here is how we build this." They added a 2-minute story: "This concept was actually pioneered by Margaret Hamilton, who led the team that wrote the software for the Apollo moon landing."
- The "Did You Know?" Moment: Sometimes, they would just pause and say, "By the way, the person who invented the logic we are using today was a gay man named Alan Turing."
- The Timing: These stories were short (about 2 minutes) and happened right when the topic came up. They didn't stop the class or change the tests; they just added a layer of context.
The "Menu" of Pioneers
The instructor didn't just pick famous names randomly. They built a specific menu of contributors that matched the lesson:
- Ada Lovelace (a woman) was mentioned when talking about the first computer algorithms.
- Annie Easley (a Black woman) was mentioned when discussing NASA energy systems.
- Clarence Ellis (a Black man) was mentioned when talking about how people work together on software.
- Dorothy Vaughan (a Black woman) was mentioned regarding the shift from manual math to machine computing.
The goal wasn't to make these people into "symbols" or "heroes" in a separate category. The goal was to show that they were the actual builders of the software world we use today.
The Results: A Warmer Room
The instructor kept a diary of what happened over several semesters with about 700 students. They didn't give the students a survey to fill out; they just watched and listened.
- No Resistance: The students didn't roll their eyes or complain that the stories were taking up time. The class flow wasn't broken.
- The "Vibe" Shift: In the end-of-term feedback (which students write voluntarily), some students started saying things like, "This feels like a welcoming place," or "I never felt left out here."
- The "Safe Space" Effect: A few students even sent emails saying they appreciated the inclusive environment. They didn't feel pressured to speak up, but they felt safe enough to ask questions.
The Catch: It Takes Effort
The paper admits this wasn't magic; it took work. The instructor had to spend extra time researching to make sure the stories were accurate and that the pioneers were actually relevant to the specific topic being taught. If they just threw in a random name, it might have felt fake or superficial. But because they carefully matched the person to the technical concept, it felt natural.
The Bottom Line
This paper argues that you don't need to stop the engine to fix the car. You can make the car feel more welcoming to everyone by simply pointing out that people who look like the passengers were the ones who invented the engine in the first place.
By embedding these stories into the daily technical lessons, the instructor created a "low-disruption" way to tell every student: "You belong here because the people who built this field look like you, too." The paper concludes that this approach works well to make the classroom feel more inclusive without sacrificing the hard technical learning.
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