EDGE in Tech Initiative at UC

EDGE in Tech Initiative at UC

Opportunities and Barriers: Identifying Pathways into Tech

EECS 198:
Exploration of Inclusive Pathways into the Tech Industry

Fall 2021

1 or 2 Units

Zoom/Remote

The Fall 2021 course will meet Tuesdays starting from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm on Zoom. This is a 1 unit course. Enroll in this course by adding the course # (TBD) to your schedule. 

 

For enrollment questions contact: Jason Lam (jasonklam@berkeley.edu), Joyce Talavera (joycerctalavera@berkeley.edu), and Nadia Lee (nadialee@berkeley.edu).

Join us for this DeCal that aims to explore different pathways in tech for underrepresented individuals in the tech industry. By exploring diverse social good innovation via guest speakers with expertise, you will discover the different pathways into the tech industry.

 

Leaning on the career center and speakers, the DeCal also aims to be a resource for professional development and networking opportunities. Furthermore, the DeCal discusses the barriers that may hinder individuals from entering the tech industry – from discrimination to myths.

 

TEXT ON FLYER:

 

 

EECS 198: Explorations of Inclusive Pathways into the Tech Industry

 

Speak with individuals who would otherwise not be able to attend in-person sessions.

 

The course engages in an innovative approach to learning by using diverse perspectives to create social good platforms for diverse user bases. Students will be guided by weekly industry guest speakers.

 

Learn from industry experts about:

-Different pathways to enter the tech industry

-Pitching and delivering new big ideas

-Planning for diverse outcomes with diverse voices

 

Past EDGE in Tech DeCal Courses

Opportunities and Barriers: Identifying Pathways into Tech

About
Course Goals
Syllabus
Calendar
Guest Speakers

This decal runs concurrently with the Women in Tech Initiative at UC Speaker Series: Identifying Pathways into Tech.

 

Bringing together academics, CEOs, teachers, and inspirers, this speaker series showcases the abundant pathways into different sectors of tech. This series hopes to illuminate the human side of tech by exploring the person behind the product/idea. Find out more about the speaker series here.

 

Opportunities and Barriers is for students who want hands-on experience in creating projects that advance diversity and inclusion in tech. The course engages in an innovative approach to learning by viewing social-good opportunities from diverse perspectives.

The course leverages weekly guest speakers who are practitioners from diverse sectors of tech fields – college recruiting to medical technology – who work toward finding technology driven sociological solutions. By exploring diverse social good innovation via guest speakers with expertise, this decal hopes to enable students to see different pathways others have taken into the tech industry, network and get feedback on their big ideas. Students from all majors can learn new pathways into technology careers where they can use their skills to enter unexpected fields and/or identify pathways into tech. 

This course uses innovative pedagogy as a student-centered learning, student facilitated course that brings students across campus majors and diverse life experiences to contribute to discussion-based learning rather than a single-perspective lecture. The course culminates with a capstone project where they will be able to pitch and prototype their idea in front of a panel of judges and their peers.

Women in Tech Initiative Decal Poster

The course met Tuesdays starting September 1st from 6-7:30pm on Zoom. This was a 1 or 2 unit course. Enroll in this course by adding Class #27775 to your schedule.

 

 

For enrollment questions contact: 

Erin Kraemer, Nseke Ngilbus, Rachel Ng

Emails: erinkraemer@berkeley.edu, Nngilbus@berkeley.edu, ra8cnjm@berkeley.edu

Purpose/Goal

  1. Bringing diverse minds and voices into the tech industry:
    1. The need for diversity to solve the world’s problems
    2. The tech industries failure toward non-asian minorities/POC/women
    3. Creating and thinking of methods companies can take to be more inclusive and reduce micro-aggressions
  2. Diversity in tech innovation
    1. Diversity in tech innovation – multifaceted applications of technologies
    2. The range of technologies available and in the works to create a equitable future
    3. Exploring diverse tech for social good enterprises and methods.
  3. Ethical approaches in hiring and crisis response
    1. Explore potential of for profit companies to carry out for good actions
    2. Equitable response in crisis situations: why were POC more affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and how can we prevent that in the future?
  4. Building professional knowledge
    1. Understanding tools used in recruiting and building industry relevant tools
    2. Exploring non-tech roles in tech companies
    3. Building confidence in professional spaces and learning to talk about their unique assets
    4. Shifting networking, resumes, linkedIn from an event to an ongoing process.

Syllabus

  1. Professional Development (PD)
    1. Resume Building and Optimizing professional networks
    2. How and why to use Linkedin
    3. Non Tech roles in a tech oriented world
    4. Pitching and effective communication
    5. Final pitch and presentation
  2. Bias in Tech (BIAS)
    1. Algorithmic Oppression
    2. Biases on campus
    3. From campus bias to workplace bias
  3. Innovative Tech and Social Good (SOCIAL GOOD)
    1. Using Artificial Intelligence for good
    2. Virtual Research (Biotech and Virtual research)
    3. Disrupting Tech Spaces with Diversity
    4. Robots for humans
    5. Climate and technology
    6. Equitable food supply

Course Calendar Fall 2020

Date

Subtopic

Sept 1

Introduction and registration

Sept 8

PD: Introduction and resume building/ optimizing professional networks

Sept 15

PD: Non Tech Roles in a tech oriented world

Sept 22

BIAS: Algorithmic Oppression

Sept 29

SOCIAL GOOD: Using Artificial Intelligence for good

Oct 6

SOCIAL GOOD: Virtual Research (Biotech and Virtual research)

Oct 13

PD: Pitching and effective communication

Oct 20

BIAS: Biases on campus

Oct 27

SOCIAL GOOD: Disrupting Tech Spaces with Diversity 

Nov 3

BIAS: From campus bias to workplace bias

Nov 10

SOCIAL GOOD: Robots for humans

Nov 17

SOCIAL GOOD: Climate and technology

Nov 24

PD: Final pitch and presentation

Fall 2020 Guest Speakers

Decal Speakers Fall 2020