This report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research includes profiles of seven projects that have successfully worked to recruit and/or retain female students in community college STEM programs, including IWITTS’s CalWomenTech Project. The report highlights proven strategies from successful programs, reviews the current literature on recruiting/retaining female STEM students, and recommends institutional and broader policy changes for increasing the number of women completing community college STEM degrees. One of the key research-based recommendations of the report is to recruit women into STEM programs by emphasizing the economic value of careers in STEM fields.
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Costello, C. B. (2012). Increasing Opportunities for Low-Income Women and Student Parents in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math at Community Colleges. Washington, DC: Institute for Women’s Policy Research. Retrieved from http://www.iwpr.org/initiatives/student-parent-success-initiative/increasing-opportunities-for-low-income-women-and-student-parents-in-science-technology-engineering-and-math-at-community-colleges-1/view |
This paper from the ASEE 2010 Conference shares CalWomenTech Project results, strategies, resources, and survey responses from female students in STEM programs where they are underrepresented. Two community college technology programs that implemented recruitment strategies within recommended timelines increased enrollment of female students from 18% to 30% and 35% to 50% respectively. Retention strategies implemented by CalWomenTech colleges also led to significant increases in completion rates of not only women, but also men, in several technology programs. One college that went from a female completion rate of 81% to 100% in 15 months also saw an increase of over 20% in male completion.
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Copyright© American Society for Engineering Education. By viewing this paper, you agree to all the copyright laws protecting it. Milgram, D., & Severs, D. (2010). CalWomenTech Project: Recruiting and Retaining Women in Technology Programs. The U.S. Conference Proceedings of the 2010 Annual ASEE Conference & Exposition. Louisville, KY: American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) |
This paper written in the third year of a five year project for presentation at the 2009 WEPAN Conference includes promising early CalWomenTech Project results, sample strategies, and project resources for educators. CalWomenTech Project community colleges that implemented project recruitment strategies within the recommended timeline had an increase in enrollment of women in their targeted technology programs of 10 to 15 percentage points in just over a year. Colleges that implemented the retention strategies saw increases in both female and male retention, and one college saw their retention of women go from 81% to 100% in a little over a year.
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Milgram, D. (2009). CalWomenTech Project: Increasing Recruitment & Retention of Female College Students in Technology Courses. Conference Proceedings of WEPAN 2009 Center Stage: Effective Strategies for Recruitment and Talent Development. Austin, TX: Women in Engineering ProActive Network (WEPAN). |
Donna Milgram, IWITTS’s Executive Director, shares proven strategies STEM educators can use to recruit and retain more women and girls to their STEM courses in this 4-page interview published in the December 2013 issue of International Innovation. In the interview, Ms. Milgram points out some common misconceptions about the best way to recruit and retain more female students to STEM, so that educators can avoid these pitfalls. She then gives concrete examples of effective strategies for increasing the enrollment and completion rates of women and girls in STEM courses and programs.
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Research Media. (2013). Analysis Exclusive: Forming the Complete Picture. International Innovation, 102-105. Note: International Innovation is the leading global dissemination resource for the wider scientific, technology and research communities, dedicated to disseminating the latest science, research and technological innovations on a global level. More information and a complimentary subscription offer to the publication can be found at: www.researchmedia.eu |
This paper highlights the lessons learned from two successful programs for transfer students in engineering and computer science. The most recent program has a graduation rate of over 95%. All of the students in the program have unmet financial need, and more than 60% are female or an underrepresented minority. Dr. Mary R. Anderson-Rowland shares 30 key strategies she learned over 10 years of running these programs that you can use in your own institution.
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Copyright© American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). By viewing this paper, you agree to all the copyright laws protecting it. Anderson-Rowland, M.R., (2014) Transfer Students: Lessons Learned over 10 Years, The U.S. Conference Proceedings of 2014 Annual American Society for Engineering Education Conference & Exposition, Indianapolis, IN, 8 pages. |
