Co-creating an 'EDI in computer science university teaching' toolkit with a focus on LGBTQIA+ issues

Computer science ? like other areas of science, engineering, technology and mathematics (STEM) - can be inhospitable to marginalised groups. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual, and other minority sexual identity or minority gender (LGBTQIA+) people have often been ignored in STEM, even though research shows they find the field particularly unwelcoming. While there is a broad range of advice for improving equality, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) in higher education, it either does not apply to many areas of computer science, or is fairly vague.

To remedy this, together with students, we are building a toolkit for improving EDI in university computer science teaching. Based on the Ward-Gale model for LGBTQIA+ inclusivity in higher education, we consider language, role models (beyond Alan Turing), and curriculum content. The latter can be improved in theoretical subfields as well as applied ones, e.g. by replacing examples such as the 'stable marriage problem' or by carefully considering the design of databases and data structures for holding people's personal information. In addition to making teaching more welcoming to LGBTQIA+ students, the toolkit will have the secondary effect of preparing all students to better consider EDI in their future practice: an increasingly important part of professional quality standards and course accreditation guidelines.

In this lightning talk, we will sketch our approach and intermediate results, with the goal of gathering feedback and connecting with possible collaborators to improve the intersectionality of the toolkit and consider how to broaden its scope in the future.