Throughout the academic year 2025/2026 the Teaching, Learning, Assessessment and Student Engagement (TLASE) Research Laboratory and the Business Information Systems Programme at MTU partnered with Cognizant, a multinational information technology consulting and outsourcing company, to undertake research examining female participation trends in the Business Information Systems (BIS) programme at Munster Technological University, addressing ongoing gender imbalance in digital disciplines.
The research outlines current gender participation trends within the programme, identifies key challenges contributing to gender imbalance and proposes targeted interventions aimed at increasing awareness among female prospective students and encouraging greater female participation in the programme.
Drawing on enrolment data, student surveys, and insights from prospective learners, the study finds that while female students perform and progress as well as, or better than, males, enrolment levels remain low. Key barriers include confidence gaps, limited awareness, and lack of visible role models.
The research highlights the importance of early engagement and targeted interventions to reshape perceptions, strengthen the talent pipeline, and support greater gender diversity in business and technology education.
This research has been generously sponsored by Cognizant and conducted by:
- Joanne Cole, Lecturer and Work Placement Manager on the BIS programme
- Dr. Tom O’Mahony, Teaching and Learning Assessment and Student Engagement Research Laboratory (TLASE Research Lab)
