Let’s Talk About SWE++
by Sierra Dean
In Fall 2018, the UC Berkeley SWE section piloted SWE++, an outreach program with the goal of encouraging middle school girls to pursue computer science (CS). Every semester, a new cohort of around 30 students is selected to participate, meeting on campus every Saturday for 10 weeks to learn Scratch and Python from SWE mentors.
While the Bay Area features many different STEM programs, few are geared specifically toward computer science. SWE++ is unique in that it offers middle schoolers the opportunity to learn CS at a younger age. This early exposure allows students to feel more comfortable when facing and choosing classes such as AP Computer Science or harder STEM classes in the future. Additionally, the program is entirely free for participants, providing students of all backgrounds an opportunity to start learning about CS. Because charter schools or private schools often have their own specialized CS curriculum, we look to reach out to schools in underserved communities, which often lack the funds to provide their students with access to the same resources.
Initially, SWE++ was composed of students solely from the Berkeley and Oakland area. However, over the course of two years, we have extended our impact to cities more than 40 miles away, reaching over 25 different middle schools. More than 100 students have been enrolled in the program, and over 200 have attended Tech Day. A large portion of SWE++ applicants often come from Tech Day attendees, demonstrating that a one-day event alone can inspire students to get more involved in STEM and CS.
SWE++ has not only made a large impact on the Berkeley community and its surroundings, but it has also impacted communities farther away through its partnership with seven other universities in three different states. These include:
- Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
- Johns Hopkins University (MD)
- University of Pittsburgh (PA)
- Santa Clara University (CA)
- University of Washington (WA)
- University of California, Santa Barbara (CA)
- San Jose State University (CA)
These programs were all launched with the help of SWE++ officers from the UC Berkeley section, who provided each university with a program structure, curriculum, and recruitment strategies. We are continuing to make efforts to get in touch with other schools in hopes of providing opportunities to learn about CS for middle school students all across the country.
One of the other projects SWE++ takes on each semester is Tech Day, a day-long event filled with CS and Engineering workshops. We provide hands-on experience with topics such as circuits, machine learning, Arduinos, app design, and web design. We weren’t able to hold this event in Spring 2020 due to the virus but we have been working hard to transition the in-person event to an equally engaging virtual form. As a part of this, we shifted the standard 3 workshop rotation to a two workshop rotation + 2 smaller workshops / events. Although we weren’t able to focus on physical engineering (circuits, structures) as we have in the past, we took the opportunity to teach the girls about other important aspects of STEM such as Engineering for Social Good and allowing the girls a chance to have AMA panels with current Engineering and Computer Science undergraduates. We’ve had a lot of signups from interested students thus far and are hoping to bring them an exciting event. To be a part of the AMA panel or to volunteer during workshops check out these tinyurls! (Volunteering: https://tinyurl.com/swetechdayvolunteer20, AMA: https://tinyurl.com/techdayAMA )
SWE++ has been an incredible experience for me and I’ve loved being able to make a positive impact on these girls’ journey towards engineering and computer science. Now on its fifth iteration, SWE++ continues to enrich the learning experiences of students in the San Francisco Bay Area and has now expanded to other universities, sparking a passion for CS in middle school girls all over the country. To learn more about SWE++, check out our presentation (link: ) from WE20 where former SWE++ co-chair Alexia and I discuss SWE++ and the transition to teaching in an online format!
