Using Programming to Help Students Understand Using Programming to Help Students Understand the Value of Diversitythe Value of Diversity

Michael R. Wick and Paul J. WagnerUniversity of Wisconsin – Eau Claire

This research is supported by the Office of Professional and Instructional Development, University of Wisconsin System

Fundamental Fundamental QuestionQuestion

At a predominately-white undergraduate university, how can we instill in students an appreciation for the value of diversity and do so in a way the encourages students to seek inclusivity?

UW-EC Foreign Culture and UW-EC Foreign Culture and Cultural Diversity OfferingsCultural Diversity Offerings

Distribution of Foreign Culture Sections (Fall 2007)

Distribution of Cultural Diversity Sections (Fall 2007)

Association of American Association of American Colleges and Universities Colleges and Universities 1999 Statement1999 Statement

“Not surprisingly, curriculum revision has far more impact if it is part of a college-wide consensus…colleges and universities are increasingly realizing that having diversity introduced…through a single course is insufficient. More institutions are, as a consequence, implementing curricular models that provide many different places and levels many different places and levels where students can revisit earlier where students can revisit earlier understandings, explore new areas of inquiry, understandings, explore new areas of inquiry, and connect knowledge about diversity to their and connect knowledge about diversity to their majors.majors.””

C.M. Musil, M. Garcia, et al. To form a more perfect union: Campus diversity initiatives, Association of American Colleges and Universities, 1999 (page 27).

UW-EC Foreign Culture and UW-EC Foreign Culture and Cultural Diversity OfferingsCultural Diversity Offerings

UW-EC StudentsUW-EC Students

• Majority are Generation Y (or Millennial)– Born 1982 to 2002

• Distinguishing Characteristics– Sheltered– Confident– Team-oriented– Tolerant– Goal-Driven– Pressured– Conventional

Teach students to value diversity and inclusive thinking as necessary facilitators to quality – be it quality of life or work

Hub of Opportunity

STEM-Infused DiversitySTEM-Infused Diversity

• Develop infused diversity assignments that demonstrate the value of diversity within an analytic setting.

• Content is STEM; message is inclusion and value-added

• Target freshmen sections

• Require reflection and extrapolation

Computer Science ProjectComputer Science Project

• Administered and Assessed in Intro. To Programming in C++.

• Basic idea: Solve optimization problem using a genetic algorithm– Algorithm I: Homogeneous Population– Algorithm II: Diverse Population

• Administered pre- and post- Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale (M-GUDS)

The ProjectThe Project

• Trivial Application: Maximize sum of n numbers. 12 3 18 46 1 190 34 16 56 71

1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0“Chromosome”

Selection

Crossover

Mutation

The ProjectThe Project

• Experiment used a fully deceptive fitness function

• Basic algorithm quickly produces homogeneous population

Used 50xDF so optimal value is 1500

Images taken from Kubalik and Lazansky.

Fitness (% of optimal)

The ProjectThe Project

• Modified algorithm

• Modified algorithm builds diverse population

Modified children begin to becomeImportant portion of population

Images taken from Kubalik and Lazansky.

Proportions of parents, direct and partially randomized offspring in the population.

The ProjectThe Project

• Students implemented both versions

• Executed 10 independent runs using 1500 generations per run– Average fitness of solution found– Number of runs with optimal solution

• Typical ResultsMetric Homogeneous Diverse

Average Fitness 91.5% of Optimal 99.8% of Optimal

Optimal Solutions 0% of Runs 40% of Runs

Project ResultsProject Results

• Caveat– No control group available

• Enrollments too low– Multitude of uncontrolled factors

• Student background• Other courses• Out-of-class experiences

– Quantitative Analysis• Tough to say real meaning

– Qualitative Analysis• Much more compelling

Project ResultsProject Results

• Quantitative Analysis– “Relativistic Appreciation” Scale– M-GUDS Questions1. Knowing how a person differs from me greatly enhances our friendship.

2. I place a high value on being deeply tolerant of others' viewpoints.

3. I can best understand someone after I get to know how he/she is both similar and different from me.

4. Knowing how a person is similar to me is the most important part of being good friends.

5. In getting to know someone, I like knowing both how he/she differs from me and is similar to me

– Pre- and Post- MeansSurvey Mean Responses

1

2

3

4

5

6

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5

Question

Mea

n R

esp

on

se

Pre- Post-

Only change in Q4 statistically significant (p < 0.05)

Sig. 95% Interval

Pre Post Diff Two-Tail Lower Upper

Q1 4.73 4.41 0.32 0.189 -0.159 0.786

Q2 4.73 5.03 -0.30 0.222 0.191 0.192

Q3 4.94 4.72 0.22 0.386 -0.276 0.703

Q4 3.66 3.07 0.59 0.023 0.083 1.092

Q5 4.59 4.59 0.00 0.976 -0.487 0.502

Project ResultsProject Results

• Qualitative Analysis– Reflective paper

• “life lessons learned”Connected assignment to… % Students

The value of diversity in building a better society 62%

The dangers of human and animal inbreeding 29%

The value of diversity in teamwork and problem solving 19%

The impact of diversity on a population’s resistance to disease

14%

The misguided beliefs of Nazi Germany 14%

The importance of selecting a mate with characteristics different than your own

10%

The dangers of obesity in America and its impact on the next generation

5%

The value of diversity in stock market investments 5%

Project ResultsProject Results• Qualitative Analysis

– Sample excerpts"This theory of diversity giving better results is a value that many need to

realize in this day and age. Not only in the physical domain, but social and economic domains too. This is one of the key reasons why America has been such a successful country. We have been and are more of a diverse country than any other country on this planet. And our diversity has really given us the edge over other homogeneous nations. We must learn not to shun, but value these differences as they will help us grow as a nation and as individuals.“

"This [diversity] also could be applied to a business or work place. When hiring employees, perhaps hiring the type of employee that technically is known as the 'best' is not really the optimal situation. Instead, employees of varying talents and characteristics might be more productive in the end."

"Most of us feel pretty satisfied in our knowledge and culture, but like the strings [in the GA assignment], there are many things out there that could be brought into our culture and make us better as a whole.”

QuestionsQuestions

Michael R. Wick and Paul J. Wagner

Department of Computer Science

wickmr@uwec.edu