Understanding the barriers to recruiting women in engineering and technology programs

Thom, M.; Pickering, Marisue; Thompson, Raymond E.

doi:10.1109/fie.2002.1158223

Cited by 18 publications

(22 citation statements)

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“…Thom, Pickering and Thompson conducted a study on recruiting models and concluded that the traditional recruiting model ignores the internal needs of young women who are conscious of self-image and self-worth and who worry that women in technical careers are perceived as less feminine (Thom, Pickering, & Thompson, 2002). As early as elementary school, boys typically possess more interest in studying science than girls.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Modification and Assessment of a Residential Summer Program for High School Women

Cloutier

Yew

Gupta

et al. 2018

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

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The importance of reducing the gender gap in engineering programs by recruiting and retaining female students is well recognized. Although women hold roughly half of all jobs in the United States, only 24% of STEM jobs are occupied by women. The problem is even more pronounced for engineering, where women held about 12% of jobs as of 2013 (Corbett & Hill, 2015). Consequently, interactive, hands-on outreach programs are a common tool used by universities to encourage interest in engineering from K-12 students. Engineering-Get Into Real Learning (E-GIRL) is a week-long, residential summer program offered by Texas Tech University for female high school students. The primary goal of the program is to help participants make informed decisions about engineering majors and careers. To this aim, the purposes of the program are: (1) to offer a platform for female high school students to learn about the various disciplines of engineering offered at Texas Tech University and other universities; (2) to provide a realistic university experience, including coursework, social, and professional development opportunities; and (3) to provide hands-on exposure to a real-world engineering problem. E-GIRL ran for the second time in the summer of 2016, based on the favorable support it received in 2015. Primary components of this year's program were a multidisciplinary group project focused on the theme of CO 2 capture and storage, as well as a series of two-hour classes taught by university faculty and graduate students in the following six engineering disciplines: chemical engineering, civil engineering, environmental engineering, industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science. This paper presents the multidisciplinary structure of the program and its connection to the project that was assigned to program participants. The curriculum structure, the in-class activities, and the method of delivery for each discipline are explained in depth. The assessment of the program's second year, including comparisons to the results from the first year and modifications to the program based on feedback from previous program participants, are discussed. Assessment was conducted through engineering skills assessment questionnaires, which required students to self-evaluate their competence in 18 skill sets before and after the program. These skill sets are qualities often identified to be important for engineers, and encompass traits associated with problem solving, project management, teamwork, and communication skills. Key results show improved self-assessment for most of the engineering skills after the program. Additionally, the skills that did not show improved self-assessment ratings after the program were consistent throughout both years. Qualitative results show a more matured and complete understanding of engineering and the individual engineering disciplines upon completion of the program. Through oral presentations, participants demonstrated in-depth engagement with the environmental conservation theme of th...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, a perceived lack of support, communication, and camaraderie may deter young women from pursuing technical careers. Thom and Thompson suggest that to interest young women in technical careers, an atmosphere of mutual assistance and effective communication may be required (Thom et al, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modification and Assessment of a Residential Summer Program for High School Women

Cloutier

Yew

Gupta

et al. 2018

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

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“…Even the associated minor physical risk learning greatly raises the societal awareness of the students. Additionally, applied learning also increases the retention of women and underrepresented groups by increasing the self-confidence and empowerment of these groups [14].…”

Section: Applied Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Board # 73 : Developing an Aeronautical Engineering Technology Course for Commercial Space Operations

Yother

Johnson

Kozak

et al.

2017 ASEE Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

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Purdue University's Aeronautical Engineering Technology (AET) program is engaging in curriculum development to cultivate the commercial space engineering technologists of the future. The engineering technologist is intended to be positioned between the design engineers who create the design, and the technicians who build and maintain the systems. The engineering technologist discipline has long been recognized in aircraft design and support, but is still an evolving area in the commercial space industry. The evolution continues as the new commercial space companies mature into organizational structures like legacy aerospace companies. The existing aviation focused engineering technology curriculum at Purdue prepares students for the needs of the aviation and aerospace industry today; however, the needs of the commercial space industry are different and require a different set of specialized knowledge in addition to the complementary knowledge. In this paper, the case is presented for the importance of the engineering technologist in the emerging commercial space industry. The case is also made for the value of having an engineering technology program that is combined with an external accreditation standard of sufficient standing to provide stability of the curricula in the program. Purdue's AET bachelor's degree program is accredited by the ABET -Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission (ABET-ETAC). Incorporation of the goals of Purdue's IMPACT program are also discussed. Finally, the development of program outcomes of a first sophomore/junior course in a planned minor in space operations program are developed and mapped to the educational outcomes established by the AET program.

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“…Further, a perceived lack of support, communication, and camaraderie may deter young women from pursuing technical careers. Thom and Thompson suggest that to interest young women in technical careers may require an atmosphere of mutual assistance and effective communication 15 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thom and Thompson 15 conducted a study on recruiting models and concluded that the traditional recruiting model ignores the internal needs of young women who are conscious of self-image and self-worth and who worry that women in technical careers are perceived as less feminine. As early as elementary school, boys typically possess more interest in studying science than girls.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modification and Assessment of a Residential Summer Program for High School Women (Evaluation)

Cloutier¹,

Yew²,

Gupta³

et al.

2017 ASEE Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

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Understanding the barriers to recruiting women in engineering and technology programs

Cited by 18 publications

References 0 publications

Modification and Assessment of a Residential Summer Program for High School Women

Modification and Assessment of a Residential Summer Program for High School Women

Board # 73 : Developing an Aeronautical Engineering Technology Course for Commercial Space Operations

Modification and Assessment of a Residential Summer Program for High School Women (Evaluation)

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