If you refer to sample people to explain concepts (such as Eve the Eavesdropper), select names and personas that are diverse in gender, race, and nationality or are gender-, race-, and nationality-neutral
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Using the same names/personas every time can subtly reinforce bias and discrimination within computer science and academia.
- For example, always naming the sample programmer "Peter" instead of "Mary" in homework problems sends the message to students that women aren't programmers.
- As another example, always naming the sample programmer "Mary" instead of "Maria" in homework problems sends the message to students that Latinxs aren't programmers.
- Give an even number of characters feminine, gender-neutral, and masculine names and pronouns.
- Non-human characters, such as the school mascot, cartoons, and animals, can be good identity-neutral characters to use in examples.
- You can avoid gendering these characters by naming them things like Fluffy and Flash.