A fundamental assumption of programs intended to increase the numbers of women faculty in science, engineering and math (STEM) has been that women in these disciplines experience a uniquely hostile climate. While this focus on STEM faculty is necessary and important, we argue that it may be too narrow. In this paper, we compare STEM to non-STEM faculty, drawing on a representative survey of university faculty in one institution (N=612) conducted in 2007. Our findings indicate that non-white men in the STEM disciplines are in fact significantly less satisfied than white men in these fields and less satisfied than their counterparts in non-STEM fields. Among white women, those in STEM fields are significantly less satisfied than those in non-STEM disciplines. These differences are largely mediated by perceptions of work and contextual factors, however. With a few exceptions, we find that the factors that predict satisfaction are the same across groups of faculty. This implies that efforts to improve university and departmental climates will benefit all faculty.
Regardless of academic field, one of the key features of the socialization of all pre-tenure faculty members is gaining clarity about performance expectations for tenure and promotion. National surveys of over 8500 pre-tenure faculty at 80 colleges and universities across the United States conducted by the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) from 2005 to 2007 indicate that clarity on issues relating to promotion and tenure and feedback from colleagues and chairs are concerns for pre-tenure faculty (COACHE 2008). Follow up interviews of faculty and administrators at six research universities confirmed that pre-tenure faculty struggle with “vague and inconsistent tenure and promotion guidelines”, “mixed messages from senior faculty members”, and “a lack of constructive feedback regarding progress toward tenure” (Trower and Gallagher 2008).
Government planners, industry groups, and academics all have expressed concern about the need to attract and retain more students and workers within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-intensive (STEM) fields, and there are clear data that women, in particular, continue to be underrepresented in many STEM specialties (NSF 2007; WEPAN, 2006). This study extends prior research on social cognitive career theory (SCCT; Lent, Brown & Hackett, 1994) in the context of women’s STEM field choice and persistence by. Specifically, this study explored college women’s self-efficacy and coping efficacy beliefs, outcome expectations, access to environmental resources, environmental barriers, and coping strategies within the context of STEM field choice. The advantage of the discovery-oriented methodology is that it enabled the exploration of women’s experiences from their own phenomenological perspectives and in their own words. Participants in this study were 118 women majoring in engineering at a large university on the East coast. These women identified as European American ( n = 88), Asian American ( n = 12), African American ( n = 8), Latina ( n = 6), and “other” ( n = 4). Participants were asked to respond to four open-ended questions which explored their access to environmental resources, experience of environmental barriers, and barrier-coping strategies within the context of STEM field choice. The responses were reviewed and coded by a team of doctoral students ( n = 5) and faculty ( n = 2) in applied psychology. Following a standard content-analysis approach, participant responses were grouped into common themes. Participants reported experiencing several types of academic (e.g., study skill deficits), social (e.g., lack of support), and financial (e.g., tuition) hurdles during their first semester. They also described several factors that facilitated their academic progress – such as university programs (e.g., mentoring, living-learning housing), social support from peers, and development of personal resources (e.g., time and stress management skills) – as well as additional elements that, if available, could have further assisted their adjustment. Future directions for research and recommendations for recruitment and retention of women in engineering will be discussed.
The aim of the workshop is to empower participants (1) to be able to personally utilize researchbased tips for recruiting, retaining, and advancing female students in engineering by better engaging the diverse skills, interests, and backgrounds of their female students and by connecting educational activities to engineering opportunities, as well as (2) to be able to engage faculty, K-12 teachers, and outreach volunteers in these activities.
Conceptualization Students view facts/ questions about electrical engineering in “Professor Einstein Wonders” PowerPoint. Students provided with basic understanding of electrical engineering and may have questions. Active Experimentation Students attend workshop where they are introduced to Ohm’s and Kirchhoff’s Law. Students learn how to measure voltage across circuit elements using a voltmeter, ammeter. Students work in groups of 3-4. Some discovery learning takes place, monitored by instructor. Abstract Conceptualization Active Experimentation Concrete Experience Reflective Observation “Professor Einstein Wonders” Engineering Awareness Workshops Activities, Games, and Displays “Professor Einstein Asks” Women Engineers Panel
This session will discuss findings of a multi-site research study that contributed to a multi-site implementation project focused on issues pertaining to retention of undergraduate engineering students. Speakers will address the recommendations and subsequent implementation strategy made to engineering schools through two short presentations. Participants will be asked to respond to questions related to the challenges and ideas of implementing specific recommendations made to engineering schools resulting from these initiatives. PACE, Project to Assess Climate in Engineering is a multi-site research project funded by The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation intended to identify issues that affect persistence among engineering undergraduates while paying specific attention to the intersection of race, gender and academic experience. PACE had three main data collection components: an online student survey; interviews with current undergraduate engineering students; and interviews with undergraduate students who changed majors. All 21 PACE schools received a final report including recommendations based on data from the survey and interviews. This session will discuss the prevalence of certain recommendations that appeared across many institutions. Presenter: Elizabeth Litzler, Research Manager, PACE Director for Research, Center for Workforce Development, University of Washington Facilitator: Suzanne Brainard, Principal Investigator, PACE Executive Director, Center for Workforce Development, University of Washington Facilitator: Susan Staffin Metz, Co-Principal Investigator, PACE Senior Advisor, Center for Innovation in Engineering & Science Education, Stevens Institute of Technology ENGAGE, Engaging Students in Engineering, is a five year Extension Services project funded by the National Science Foundation's Gender in Science and Engineering program. The overarching goal of ENGAGE is to increase the capacity of 30 engineering schools to retain undergraduate students by facilitating the implementation of three research-based strategies to improve student day-to-day classroom and educational experience. The three strategies were selected because there is research evidence that implementing the strategies increases retention of undergraduate engineering students, particularly women. Presenter: Susan Staffin Metz, Principal Investigator, ENGAGE Senior Advisor, Center for Innovation in Engineering & Science Education, Stevens Institute of Technology Facilitator : C. Diane Matt, Co-Principal Investigator ENGAGE, Executive Director, WEPAN Facilitator: Patricia Campbell, Co-Principal Investigator, ENGAGE, President, Campbell-Kibler Associates
