The Center for the Advancement of Scholarship on Engineering Education of the National Academy of Engineering will, over a five year period, implement an Engineering Equity Extension Service (EEES) as a comprehensive research-based consultative and peer mentoring infrastructure in support of enhanced gender equity in engineering education in the US. Based on key leverage points identified from the literature, EEES will focus its efforts on bringing expertise in gender studies and the research base on science and engineering education to a) academic preparation for engineering study for students at the middle school (grade 6) through collegiate sophomore levels, b) the out-of-class social environment, c) the in-class social environment, c) curricular content, d) curricular scope and sequence design, e) curriculum delivery and instructional style. A key part of our strategy is reaching those teachers and faculty who do not have an a priori interest in gender equity activities by suffusing attention to gender equity into other core areas of concern. We will do this by facilitating:
* Access to recognized Experts in gender studies in science and engineering for advice and to the education research infrastructure of the National Academies.
* Collaboration with national organizations (American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Project Lead the Way, National Association of Partnerships for Equity) to provide an infrastructure of "extension agents" on gender equity. Focus has been placed on organizations with a) broad reach, b) a pre-existing emphasis on professional development for their members/affiliates, c) demonstrated capacity to influence activities in engineering and pre-engineering classrooms.
* Access to long-term technical assistance via web-based expert-mediated and peer-led synchronous and asynchronous discussions and access to archived resources.
* Development of a handbook on proposing and managing engineering education projects and conducting workshops on this topic at national and regional engineering meetings. The handbook will fuse attention to gender equity, engineering education, and project management into a seamless whole.
Our experts will translate research to practice by discussing emerging and established research findings and their implications for design principles with would-be "extension agents" within collaborating national organizations. The clients of the extension agents will be responsible for specific implementations of these principles in their local context. In addition to general principles we will highlight identified "best practices" at the pre-college and undergraduate levels.
Our evaluation plan will look at changes in attitudes and behaviors by classroom teachers and faculty as well as metrics of extent and impact of participation.
Intellectual Merit: This effort extends and deepens the knowledge of "best practices" that are likely to enhancing the successful matriculation and graduation of women from baccalaureate engineering programs. It will contribute to a greater appreciation for the growing base of research on engineering education and the need for comprehensive approaches in achieving desired human resource development outcomes in engineering education.
Broader Impacts: This effort directly contributes to the enhancement of the human resource base of women in engineering disciplines and provides a model for extension to other populations that are underrepresented in engineering. The model offered will provide valuable guidance to non-engineering disciplines in developing similar structures. As a collaborative model linking academic and professional organizations, it will facilitate collaboration across a range of issues related to enhancing the quality of engineering education K-16.
began in September 2005 with the goal of increasing the number of women graduating with baccalaureate degrees in engineering by increasing the awareness of, attraction to, entry into, and retention within engineering by middle through high school girls and collegiate women. We used the established research base in gender studies, science and engineering education research, and project management to provide teachers, faculty, and outreach volunteers with the tools to offer welcoming curricula and academic/social environments to all students. The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) worked with Project Lead the Way (PLTW), the American Society for Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the Mechanical Engineering Department Heads (MEDH) committee of ASME, and the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association (ECEDHA). The project had 35 extension agents who worked at the collaborating organizations and were supported by 15 experts in the research base who provided more than 400 hours per year of consultation on instructional materials development, resource development, assessment and assessment materials, and program and materials review. The EEES website (www.nae.edu/casee-equity) hosts a collection of resources highlighting research-based practices for enhancing awareness, improving retention and advancement, assessing equity in both the classroom environment and the curriculum, enhancing academic performance, effectively providing outreach, enhancing knowledge on gender equity, enhancing academic and social equity environments. In addition, the SWE-AWE CASEE Applying Research to Practice suites – short summaries, one-pagers, and full-papers on gender equity research findings and their implications for practice – can be found at www.engr.psu.edu/awe/ARPResources.aspx.Representatives of our collaborating organizations reported tangible and substantial evolutions in their organizations’ understandings of (a) the importance of addressing gender equity in engineering, (b) the necessity of comprehensive approaches that address organizational environments and not just students’ preparation or resilience, (c) the harm caused by well-meaning but uninformed actions to address gender inequities, and (d) the need to involve all parts of an organization and not simply the "diversity staff." Our collaboration with ECEDHA and MEDH resulted in projects that involved faculty members, undergraduate students, K-12 teachers, and K-12 students. Ten engineering departments organized outreach activities aimed primarily at girls, although male and female pre-college students were invited to a majority of the activities. Approximately 925 students in grades K-12 participated in activities ranging from one-day events to longer camps. Approximately 75% were female and many indicated an interest in becoming an engineer following their participation. Nine institutions targeted undergraduate retention through faculty role modeling and engaging students in social activities, peer mentoring, and serving as role models and mentors for pre-college students. College women took leadership positions for several of these activities and in many cases became more involved in departmental activities as a result. Approximately 140 students, about half of them women, participated. Approximately 70 faculty members participated in faculty workshops or as mentors for other activities. Parents and high school teachers were involved or observed several of the outreach projects. In addition, 3 institutions revised recruiting or course materials to include more gender-neutral descriptions and pictures as well as describing student projects that appeal to a wide range of students. Colloquy on Minority Males in STEM In August, 2010, we hosted the NSF-Sponsored Colloquy on Minority Males in STEM, which brought together 36 invited attendees from education, psychology, sociology, mathematics, and physics who discussed research questions, theories, and methodologies that could frame a research agenda on underrepresented minority males in STEM fields. Our initial questions for discussion were (1) what do we know?, (2) what do we want to know?, and (3) what should be the balance between research and implementation? We also wanted to build bridges among researchers in different subspecialties to encourage productive research collaborations. Our original intent was to frame the research agenda with respect to African American, Hispanic American, and Native American men, but discussions during the Colloquy expanded our focus to include Native Pacific Islanders, Southeast Asian, and Filipino populations as well. Major products produced by the colloquy include summaries of major areas of inquiry with respect to access, participation, and success of minority males in STEM as well as detailed research questions for each area of inquiry along with discussion of theories and methodologies that frame their resolution. The EEES project also included contributions to an electronic mentoring system (PI GUIDE) at http://govpiguide.org. This website provides information on project management and change management to new and prospective PIs in NSF programs. Last Modified: 11/29/2012 Submitted by: Elizabeth T Cady A summary of the 2010 Colloquy on Minority Males in STEM can be found at: www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13502.
