Preliminary data from an NSF study of universities identifies four common factors across institutions that correlate with high retention rates of women in engineering programs. This poster displays the findings.
Source:
Creamer, Dr. Elizabeth, Burger, Dr. Carol and Meszaros, Dr. Peggy S., "A Cross-Institutional Compairson of Elements of College Culture That Promote Women's Interest in Engineering at the Undergraduate Level," NSF Human Resources Division Annual Meeting, 2007. NSF Project in Process.
This long-term study of more than 50 undergraduate engineering programs examined women's experiences and persistence. Discover the importance of Women in Engineering programs on campus and other tools to increase retention rates of women.
Source:
Goodman, Irene and Christine Cunningham, "Final Report of the Women's Experiences in College Engineering (WECE) Project," Goodman Research Group, April 2002.
This case study describes the results of using an easy-to-follow 3-step systematic framework empowers students by enhancing their ability to learn principles and concepts
This exercise, in which students take slices of clay letters, was developed by a biology professor to enhance students' spatial reasoning without using challenging jargon or digital imaging.
Source:
LeClair, Elizabeth, "Alphatome--Enhancing Spatial Reasoning," Journal of College Science Teaching v. 33 no. 1 (September/October 2003) p. 26-31.
In a survey of students at Maui High School, female students indicated that they would want to take science if it was made more relevant to their lives. Find out about an innovative program that provides a work-like environment to help keep them interested in technology.
Source:
Andrews, Christine L., and Leslie Wilkins. "Environmental and Spatial Technology (EAST) Project - An Industry/Education Collaboration That Works for Females and Minorities," Proceedings of the NAMEPA/WEPAN 2001 Joint Conference (April 21, 2001), NAMEPA/WEPAN. The Women in Technology Project is administered by the Maui Economic Development Board and funded in part by the U.S. Department of Labor.
At North Carolina State University, female chemical engineering students start strong but quickly become discouraged. Learn how to keep more women in the engineering pipeline.
Source:
Felder, Richard M., Gary N. Felder, Meredith Mauney, Charles E. Hamrin, and E J. Dietz, "A Longitudinal Study of Engineering Student Performance and Retention," Journal of Engineering Education (84):151-163 (1995). American Society for Engineering Education.
For more than 50 college students, playing Tetris for a total of 6 hours improved mental rotation time and spatial visualization skills in women and men.
Source:
Reprinted from Okagaki, Lynn; Peter A. Frensch, "Effects of video game playing on measures of spatial performance: Gender effects in late adolescence," Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, Volume 15, Issue 1, Pages 33-58, Copyright (1994) with permission from Elsevier.
A study of over 500 women in engineering reveals lack of self-confidence leads to program drop-outs, while support networks lead to improved retention. The GPAs of women who dropped out were as high as those retained.
More than three-quarters of women who took an introductory spatial skills course were retained, compared to 48% of the women who didn't take the course. Find out what worked at one College of Engineering. See also the Spatial Reasoning Software developed by author Sheryl Sorby.
Source:
Sorby, Sheryl, "Gender Differences in Spatial Reasoning Skills and their Effects on Success," The Michigan Tech Project: Phase 1--Initial Development, Michigan Technological University.
At Pennsylvania State University, an intensive preparation program for minorities in engineering retained 73% of its participants until graduation -- twice the rate of minority students not in the program. Read about the strategies that led to its success.
Source:
Persaud, Anita, Amy L. Freeman, "Creating a Successful Model for Minority Students' Success in Engineering: The PREF Summer Bridge Program," WEPAN / NAMEPA 2005 Joint National Conference.
Many female engineering students lag behind their male counterparts in 3-D visualization, which is critical to engineering. The authors explain why and recommend solutions. See also the Spatial Reasoning Software developed by author Sheryl Sorby.
Source:
Medina, Afonso and Helena Gerson and Sheryl Sorby, "Identifying Gender Differences in the 3-D Visualization Skills of Engineering Students in Brazil and in the United States," International Conference on Engineering Education, 1998.
This study looked at math instruction with content that appeals to feminine or masculine interests. It found that gender-adapted instruction makes a difference in student attitudes, which may affect persistence.
Source:
Leonard, Mary J.; Derry, Sharon J., "Can Gender-Adapted Instruction Improve Mathematics Performance and Attitudes?" Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Seattle, WA, April 10-14, 2001.
This article finds that women prefer engineering in a total context, including social and environmental issues as well as purely technical matters. Learn how to design a curriculum that fits with women's learning styles.
Source:
Armstrong, J. and G. Leder, "Engineering education: how to design a gender-inclusive curriculum," Proceedings of the International Congress of Engineering Deans and Industry Leaders, Melbourne, July 1995, pp. 292-297.
