TY - JOUR
T1 - Work in Progress
T2 - 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference, ASEE 2020
AU - Osta, Anu
AU - Kadlowec, Jennifer
AU - Papernik, Miss Alissa
AU - Dias-Liebold, Amanda Ferreira
N1 - Funding Information:
This project was sponsored by the Engineering Information Foundation. The goals of this project included finding the factors influencing recruitment and the barriers faced by female students in their undergraduate scholarship. Since it involved human subjects an IRB training was required. The project team got trained on the IRB protocols following which a research proposal was submitted to the IRB committee for review and approval. In the meanwhile, the team started doing a literature review and preparing survey questions. Once the IRB approval was granted, the next steps in the process; that of designing and conducting an online survey was completed. It was decided to implement this project by assimilating it with the curriculum in the form of a project based activity. The project-based learning activity18 is a hands-on project-based series of courses implemented at Rowan University called the Engineering Clinics. The Engineering Clinics is an 8-semester sequence of courses offered by the College of Engineering that replicates industrial work environment by engaging the students in laboratory hands-on activities on projects that are often sponsored by industry partners with a focus on solving real world problems.
Funding Information:
Acknowledgments: This study was funded through Engineering Information Foundation grant EiF18.17.
Publisher Copyright:
© American Society for Engineering Education 2020.
PY - 2020/6/22
Y1 - 2020/6/22
N2 - Women in engineering face different challenges than men in engineering programs due to engineering being a male dominated field. This impacts their recruitment, retention, and future career paths. Women often face issues such as lowered sense of self-efficacy, poorer group experiences, and less stable support networks. The goal of this multi-semester study was to find the factors that help recruit and retain women engineering students. A survey was administered to about 1500 students, the approximate number of undergraduate students enrolled in the Rowan University College of Engineering. The questions focused on factors of recruitment and retention, including family life, classroom experiences, extra-curricular, specific course experiences at Rowan University (where the study was conducted), and more. These questions were designed to give insight on what gets the students to stay in engineering. Interview questions elaborating on these topics were also included. The first phase of the study involved sending the surveys to students of senior standing (approximately 400 students). Of the 66 responses received, 45% of the students surveyed were female. The second phase, sent out the same survey to all the undergraduate engineering students, and received about 260 responses with about 30% female. The results were varied across six different disciplines. The results showed that the survey participants had supportive families and friends, but lacked mentorship. There was also a high interest in the subject matter of their chosen discipline, which appeared to be the main factor. During the second phase, student interviews were conducted on those who opted for it. The interview questions were based on female student experiences while attending the university. Seventeen students were interviewed to gain knowledge of their experiences. The results identify some important factors that impact recruitment and retention.
AB - Women in engineering face different challenges than men in engineering programs due to engineering being a male dominated field. This impacts their recruitment, retention, and future career paths. Women often face issues such as lowered sense of self-efficacy, poorer group experiences, and less stable support networks. The goal of this multi-semester study was to find the factors that help recruit and retain women engineering students. A survey was administered to about 1500 students, the approximate number of undergraduate students enrolled in the Rowan University College of Engineering. The questions focused on factors of recruitment and retention, including family life, classroom experiences, extra-curricular, specific course experiences at Rowan University (where the study was conducted), and more. These questions were designed to give insight on what gets the students to stay in engineering. Interview questions elaborating on these topics were also included. The first phase of the study involved sending the surveys to students of senior standing (approximately 400 students). Of the 66 responses received, 45% of the students surveyed were female. The second phase, sent out the same survey to all the undergraduate engineering students, and received about 260 responses with about 30% female. The results were varied across six different disciplines. The results showed that the survey participants had supportive families and friends, but lacked mentorship. There was also a high interest in the subject matter of their chosen discipline, which appeared to be the main factor. During the second phase, student interviews were conducted on those who opted for it. The interview questions were based on female student experiences while attending the university. Seventeen students were interviewed to gain knowledge of their experiences. The results identify some important factors that impact recruitment and retention.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85095776364&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Conference article
AN - SCOPUS:85095776364
VL - 2020-June
JO - ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings
JF - ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings
SN - 2153-5965
M1 - 1731
Y2 - 22 June 2020 through 26 June 2020
ER -