We are honored to receive so many positive reviews for the WomenTech Educators Training & Coaching System. Please contact us if you are interested in Professional Development.

Educators from 2-Year Colleges


Michelle Levine

The WomenTech Educators Training got us thinking intentionally about who we were going to target for outreach, how we were going to target them, and how we would follow up to make sure we had actual results linked to the different programs and events that we were holding. In a year’s time, we had increased female enrollment in our IT & CS Department from 149 to 226 female students and male enrollment had also increased from 751 to 1009 male students. Since then, it has grown organically and blossomed into something that our college just does naturally. [...]

I think getting together as a team with intention—because we're all so busy—and developing a written plan that we could stick to was what made all the difference. It made us really think outside the box and get more creative about the ways we could reach different demographics and teach our courses. I don’t think we would have ever done that if it wasn't for the WomenTech Educators Training. [...]

~ Michelle Levine, Interim District Director of Faculty Development, Broward College, FL participated with team in 2015 WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp

Michelle Levine

“A lot of the ‘Why Should You Study IT?’ PowerPoint presentation that our Associate Dean developed was targeting women based on what we learned from the WomenTech Educators Training."

The presentation shows that IT is not just Tech, there is IT in every field. There is IT in hospitals, in any kind of service learning, and in any kind of non-profit. IT is everywhere. That seemed to be a big win for us because a lot of times people think IT is limited to Tech, but really IT is infused into every field.

~ Felicidad Archila, Computer Science Professor and Computer Information Technology Program Manager, Broward College, FL participated with team in a 2015 WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp

Michelle Levine

“We recruited 9 new women to Welding in only 4 weeks after participating in a WomenTech Educators Training. Before the training, if we had 3 women in Welding it was like hitting a homerun. I tried some things like offering a Welding art class, but the women that came were not interested in our program. It was very frustrating; I realize now I didn’t have a plan."

It was the decisive work plan we developed as a team with Donna’s facilitation during the training that I believe made the biggest difference. Our plan included recruitment strategies that I would never have thought of myself. These strategies worked because they were so specific. The training made us look at everything differently, especially how the existing program brochures and other materials all featured men, and nothing featured any women. [...]

Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, you might as well go with something that has already worked for other schools—I believe that made the biggest difference for us. Otherwise, we could have gotten ten people together and sat in a room, but I am not sure we would have come out with the same outcomes or the same strategies that we did.”

~ Sue Silverstein, Welding Instructor, School of Technical & Applied Sciences, Milwaukee Area Technical College, Oak Creek, WI brought a team to a 2018 WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp

Michelle Levine

“There was a big difference in how we recruited for our 1st cohort of Pre-Apprentices—which had no women—and our 2nd cohort that had 7. We thought it would be a lot easier than it turned out to be. The first time we partnered with community-based organizations to help us with recruitment, but after the WomenTech Training I realized we weren’t welcoming to women.

The WomenTech Training gave us a robust Version 2.0 Outreach Strategy. We had an entire platform and the messaging including: a Women and Automotive website, flyers featuring female role models, and a fact sheet with talking points about why automotive and apprenticeship is a good field for women. Plus, we had 3 Women in Automotive Meet & Greets with female automotive technicians.

The knowledgebase that IWITTS provided us on how to build an outreach strategy that targeted women helped us to tap existing resources within the college and led to our great results—from zero to 7 women in the Automotive Pre-Apprenticeship program in 2.5 months.”

~ Monique Forster Pascual, Director of Apprenticeship & Instructional Service Agreements, Workforce Development, CCSF, CA hosted a 2018 WomenTech Educators Onsite Training: Customized to Automotive, Apprenticeship, Grant Goals and Timeline

Michelle Levine

“The most valuable takeaway for me was the importance of looking at every part of the program and outreach through the unified lens of a women-focused perspective: What would it be like for a woman entering this type of male-dominated environment?

This thinking applied to everything: whether it was putting up images of female role models on the Evan’s Campus, using the Women and Automotive Technology banners or including language and images on the outreach flyers that would speak to women. It was extremely valuable for me to look through this lens.

~ Jonathan Berg, CCSF’s Employment & Training Specialist, CA participated with a team in a 2018 WomenTech Educators Onsite Training: Customized to Automotive, Apprenticeship, Grant Goals and Timeline

Michelle Levine

“Before the WomenTech Educators Training, I felt like I was just spinning my wheels trying to get more women into our Automotive Manufacturing Technology program. After the training, Lawson State went from only 2 female students in Automotive Manufacturing Technology to 11 in just over a year.

If you’re tired of spinning your wheels attempting to get more women in your program, then the WomenTech Educators Training is the way to do it. [...]

I think the team was the biggest difference. We were able to get all kinds of perspectives. I think it worked much better because we had buy-in from the instructors and the staff—if you're working on it and you're part of it, you own it. Our team owned the Recruitment and Retention Plans. We were able to hear what strategies had been tried in the past that didn’t work, so we could leave those out of our plan.”

~ Nancy Wilson, Assistant Dean, Career Technical Education, Lawson State Community College, Bessemer, AL brought a team to a 2017 WomenTech Educators Online Training

Michelle Levine

“The WomenTech Makerspace Training brought our team together and was expertly facilitated.

It led us through the process of capturing our busy faculty's ideas, and collected them in a very effective way. Now we have an action plan for a short timeframe, so we can be ready for students the next semester.

I don’t think we could have gotten to this point without Donna's facilitation. I knew from my past experience with IWITTS that Donna could help us create a plan that would produce results. The materials, the research-based strategies, the PowerPoint slides, and the sample Student Leads Sheets were all so valuable and engaged faculty in the process. The WomenTech Makerspace Training enabled CCSF to achieve our grant’s goals to make our MakerSPHERE inclusive to ALL students from day one. [...]

It’s very challenging work to change a culture and do these kinds of projects, and anytime I feel lost at sea I fall back on the plan.

~ Maura Devlin-Clancy, MakerSPHERE Coordinator, Faculty, CNIT Department - Web Development Programs, City College of San Francisco, CA brought a team to a 2018 WomenTech Makerspace Onsite Training. CCSF achieved 50% female participation in the new Makerspace 101 course, 2 semesters in a row.

Michelle Levine

“Our college is a numbers-driven organization, so we know that the strategies we tried after the WomenTech Educators Training really made an impact. We now have more women in the program than we thought would be possible. We were able to go from only 1 female student to 15 in an Emerging Technologies course the very next semester after the training. A year later, we awarded almost half of our 43 Video Game Design & Development certificates to women. In fact, we're one of the programs that actually got off Perkins' Naughty List for not having enough women represented in the program because we were able to start meeting our goals.

~ Mark Evans, Program Chair and Instructor, Emerging Technologies, Athens Technical College, GA brought a team to a 2015 WomenTech Educators Online Training

Michelle Levine

The WomenTech Educators Training was very eye-opening and it provided a vehicle and framework to focus our efforts. It gets you to think about what it takes to be successful. The most valuable aspect of the training was building our team! Getting a group of people focused and thinking about retention was a good thing. Getting the institutional buy-in is critical. While top-level management needs to know what's going on, it's the faculty—the people actually doing the work—that you need to get on board. [...]

When our team first participated in the WomenTech Educators Training, we were focused on the BioTech Manufacturing program, but we built that up and we've now translated the training to our other Manufacturing programs with a similar approach.

Everybody knows that you can't maintain 100% retention, but that was the case from that second cohort to the next. As your program builds, there's inevitably going to be some attrition, but we have kept a very high retention rate. [...]”

~ Dr. John Henshaw, Dean of Workforce Development at Mount Wachusett Community College and Project Director for Massachusetts Advanced Manufacturing TechHire Collaborative brought a team to a 2015 WomenTech Educators Online Training. Female enrollment went from only 1 female student to 9 out of 13 the next semester. Retention of both female and male students went from 50% to 100%.

Michelle Levine

“Before the WomenTech Educators Training, we had our own ideas about how to recruit more women, but they weren’t successful. The training helped us learn how to better recruit female students, so we were able to go from 2 to 7 female students in our introductory Automotive Technology courses.

The training also helped on the retention side because I had talking points I could use when I would sit down and talk with female students about, ‘What are you struggling with?’ If they weren’t sure about opening up, I knew what to say and that was a big help. [...]

~ Lewis Nall, Former Coordinator & Instructor of Automotive & Diesel Program, Owensboro Community & Technical College, KY brought a team to a 2015 WomenTech Educators Online Training

Michelle Levine

“Before attending the WomenTech Educators Training I had a lot more success retaining women in my database class than in my introductory Programming classes—actually, I wasn't retaining any women in my introductory Programming classes. They were all dropping.

That was a big win for me, that I had an increase in retention of females in my introductory Programming courses. [...]

I want to commend you [IWITTS] on the structure of the material and how when I walked out of the training, I had a plan.

If I had not had a plan, I would have gotten back and not done as much. Having a plan all laid out, when I walked in, gave me something I could work with. [...]

~ Barbara DuFrain, Associate Professor, Computer Science, Engineering and Advanced Technology, Del Mar College, TX participated in a 2012 WomenTech In-person Training, Female Enrollment in Her Computer Programming Class Increased by 65% and Retention of both female and male students increased by 45%.

We are honored to receive so many positive reviews for the WomenTech Educators Training & Coaching System. Please contact us if you are interested in Professional Development.

Educators from 2-Year Colleges (Contd.)


Michelle Levine

"Completely made me re-evaluate the approach that we have been taking. I realized the many mistakes and plan to make changes that I learned from the training. Great information!"

~ Hector Yanez, Department Chair/CADD Manager of Computer Drafting and Design Technology, Texas State Technical College - Harlingen, TX. Increased female enrollment from 11% to 37% in Computer Drafting after participating in a WomenTech Training.

Michelle Levine

"Thank you so much for the information you presented. The manner in which you did so was easy to understand and comprehend. The fact that we were able to create plans to implement at our institution were helpful; especially since we were able to receive input immediately from our peers. This certainly allowed my partner and I to adjust our plans given others input and perspectives. Again, thank you!!."

~ Edda Urrea, Director of Support Services/Title IX Coordinator, Texas State Technical College - Harlingen, TX

Michelle Levine

"Attending the WomenTech Educators Training was the best decision I have made in a long time! During the training, I developed a recruitment and retention plan for one of the CIS programs. This is not a training where you consider doing ‘something’ when you get back to your office, you are actually developing and obtaining feedback from other colleagues on what they have done and how you can improve your plan before implementation! Plus, I will be able to take my experience and work on other programs of study using the same framework."

~ Edna Quintana Claus, Ph.D., M.B.A., CIS Division Director, Texas State Technical College Harlingen - TX

Michelle Levine

"Participating in the IWITTS training refined my skills as an instructor and administrator to be an agent of change in this realm. Because Computer Networking and Information Technology was not on the radar of many women, the tools that were given to us by IWITTS for reaching out to students for our entry level class were very effective. And those changes have been institutionalized in my department. Thanks to our work with IWITTS, female enrollment in my department has risen from 19% to 33%."

~ Pierre Thiry, Principal Investigator, Mid-Pacific ICT Regional Center, San Francisco, CA (ATE Center)

Michelle Levine

“I've been an educator for a very long time: 40 years in education and 30 years at a community college. I thought I knew everything related to education. Well, I quickly found out with the WomenTech Educator’s program that you were guiding us through there were a lot of strategies that I had never realized we should try, things I never would have thought about doing myself to interest females in STEM fields. I also found out that there were many people at the college that were interested in the project. Getting people to buy in as early adopters in several areas in the college was very important. It might be slow go to start with, but if you could get a handful of champions early on, that that will be enough to keep the program sustained down the road.

I’m happy to say it worked! Our Engineering Technology program went from 2 female students to 12 in only one semester and retention went from 50% to 100%.”

~ Steve Branch, Former Dean of STEM, Patrick Henry Community College, Martinsville City, VA

Michelle Levine

"One thing that was especially valuable about the WomenTech Educators Training was having a variety of people come to the table to talk about all the issues. It was interesting for faculty to learn how they can engage students who might be on the fringes of the class, not necessarily just female students either. Also, in our publications and brochures, we're now as likely to use images of women as of men. As a result of working with IWITTS, over two years the percentage of women in targeted classes at CCRI went from 10.8% to 14.3%."

~ Peter Woodberry, PhD, Dean of Business, Science and Technology, Community College of Rhode Island, Newport, RI

Michelle Levine

“Originally, we participated in the WomenTech Educators Bootcamp because we were working towards obtaining a National Science Foundation grant and this had been recommended to our college. The Bootcamp gave us a solid foundation to start with, we increased female enrollment by 150% from 4 to 10 female students in our targeted Engineering Technologies course after only one semester. We’re happy to say we did receive the NSF grant ‘Increasing Women in Engineering and Industrial Technologies Programs’ and this will enable us to expand our success in increasing female participation through Industry Partnerships.”

~ Tony Bean, Director, Program Chair of Engineering Technologies, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Salisbury, NC

Michelle Levine

“When we started fully applying the WomenTech Training’s female-specific recruitment strategies our numbers doubled from 3 female students to 6 in BioTech Medical Equipment Technology. Our program now has 25% female students. The most important thing we learned was that we couldn’t do this half-way, our first attempts to recruit more women were gender-neutral and didn’t work! We appreciated the proven, specific strategies from other schools that were an important part of the WomenTech curriculum.”

~ Randy Libros, NSF PI, Associate Professor of Physics, Director of Applied Science and Engineering Technology Program, Community College of Philadelphia, PA

Michelle Levine

"If you are ready to learn how to recruit and retain females in your program, then I strongly suggest taking the training with IWITTS. The training was well worth my time. It opened up my eyes as to why the invisible barrier remains for females. I am a female and had never thought of some of the ways we are impacted culturally."

~ Paula Shelton, Executive Director of Maryland Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MD MESA), Laurel, MD

Michelle Levine

"We have the first three women in our Auto Technology Program and really want to make sure they succeed. After participating in the WomenTech Educator's online training, we created additional open lab time for them, realizing they may need extra time to develop hands-on skills in a nonthreatening atmosphere. Two months into the course they are still with us. I learned so much about retention from the online training, I decided our entire Engineering and Technology Department could benefit and we are bringing the online training to our school and rolling it out to all of the technical faculty over the next two years."

~ Van Madray, Dean of Construction and Industrial Technology Division, Pitt Community College, Winterville, NC

Michelle Levine

"The training was time well spent. It was such a minimal amount of time to get so many concrete implementable strategies. The WomenTech Educators Online Training gives you the most for your money—you can implement the tools immediately with minimal resources and see true quantitative results!"

~ Phyllis Baca, Director of STEM Initiatives, Santa Fe Community College, Santa Fe, NM

Michelle Levine

"The WomenTech Educators Online Training has the potential to change the way you view your program. Important data is presented with passion and humor. I want you to know I have gained a great deal from the course. By the time you have a graduate degree and have worked in education for decades, most "professional development" is repetitive. I can honestly say that you have given me much to think about and that it will result in changes to my approach to course development."

~ Lauran Sattler, Department Chair, Computer Information Systems, Ivy Tech Community College, President's Award for Instructional Excellence 2007, Warsaw, IN

Michelle Levine

"The most valuable things I received from working with IWITTS were strategies that have been researched and have data to support them. There are also many inexpensive strategies; "inexpensive" is a key term in these difficult economic times. I anticipate additional increased retention in my programs. I have already implemented retention strategies from IWITTS with much success. The workshop has empowered me!"

~ Jessica J. du Maine, Assistant Professor/Program Coordinator, Electrical/Electronic Engineering & Technology, St. Louis Community College, St. Louis, MO

Michelle Levine

"At the WomenTech Educators Workshop, it was eye-opening to learn that there is a long list of simple things we could be doing that would make women feel more welcome and included, for example the pictures we use to market the program, and some curricular approaches in the lab environment.

The first big benefit that we've seen is finding out the cross-campus interest in this topic. We've put together a team of 30 people covering a variety of academic departments, student services, admissions, and counseling. The workshop gives everyone a common language to continue discussions.

I don't see how we couldn't be successful. In the upcoming fall, we're looking forward to having more women in our Engineering and Computer Information Systems departments. [...]

The [Coaching] sessions really keep you on task. It’s too easy for this to be just one project among dozens, and the calls give you just-in-time reminders. It’s very helpful when you’re in the middle of implementing your plan to be reminded of something from the training you might want to go back and look at, or to receive new information from Donna [Trainer] that you need just at that moment."

~ Patrick J. Enright, Dean for Business, Mathematics, Engineering and Technologies, County College of Morris, Randolph, NJ

Michelle Levine

"The training conducted by Donna Milgram was the best training I have ever received because I can implement the recruitment and retention plans I created specifically for my program Computer Information Management (CIM) to help increase females in technology at Irvine Valley College!"

~ Roopa Mathur, Professor, Computer Information Management, Irvine Valley College, Irvine, CA

Michelle Levine

This was an engaging and practical learning experience that will help us to increase recruitment and retention."

~ Myron Curtis, Deputy Sector Navigator, ICT & Digital Media, Butte College, Oroville, CA

Michelle Levine

"The WomenTech Educators Training Workshop was one of the best things I've done. I feel very confident that I have the strategies and tools to help me increase the number of women in my STEM programs. Thank you so much."

~ Hank Miller, Division Head of Science and Math, Nebraska Indian Community College, Macy, NE

We are honored to receive so many positive reviews for the WomenTech Educators Training & Coaching System. Please contact us if you are interested in Professional Development.

Educators from 2-Year Colleges (Contd.)


Michelle Levine

"The information provided was applicable and easy to incorporate to improve my program. I'm confident I can increase the number of females enrolled in the nontraditional majors. I'm excited about the new changes to come!"

~ Shakisha Davis M.Ed., Transitions Program Director, Greenville Technical College, Greenville, SC

Michelle Levine

"In my division, we had about 200 students and only five of them were female. I have three daughters myself, and I really wanted to get more women interested in these technically oriented careers. I didn't realize initially that our programs may not have been welcoming for female students. Now, an important benefit that we've gotten from working with IWITTS is to have increased the number of female educators in the division. We're working together to recruit more female students, and to give them better support. We want to achieve a critical mass of female students in the classroom, so these numbers can become self-perpetuating."

~ Virgil Cox, Dean of Engineering & Industrial Technology, Gaston College, Dallas, NC

Michelle Levine

"I felt there was a tremendous opportunity to increase the proportion of female students in my computer programming and web design classes if I could only get help. During the WomenTech Educators Training, I loved learning about personal encouragement strategies. As an instructor, I now know how to retain women in my classes while providing them with the tools to be successful. When I walked in the door to the training, I did not know what to expect. When I walked out, I had additional tools and ways of teaching to women that I did not know about before."

~ Jim Luckas, Digital Media Instructor, North Orange County Community College District, Anaheim, CA

Michelle Levine

"I left the training feeling equipped and empowered with the necessary tools to improve female performance and success in STEM programs."

~ Timothy Brown, Department Chair of Mathematics, Georgia Perimeter College, Dunwoody, GA

Michelle Levine

"What stands out about what I learned from working with IWITTS is real strategies that can be applied as soon as you return to your institution. During the training, I had the opportunity to collaborate with other educators who are facing the same challenges. I'm excited to implement new ideas to increase female enrollment as well as build additional relationships within our school to support our initiative."

~ Nicole Carter, School to Career Partnership Coordinator, Colorado Springs, CO

Michelle Levine

"I learned a lot of new methods and perspectives on retention I did not have before and I've already started making changes on how I do things here at my school! The WomenTech Educators Online Training was a content-filled and highly informative training program."

~ Antigone Sharris, Full-time Faculty & Program Coordinator, Engineering Technology Program, Triton College, River Grove, IL

Michelle Levine

"The biggest benefit for me from the training was being in a room with people who all share the same desire to address the disproportionate numbers of female to male students in our IT programs. It helped to share stories and experiences, and to know that you weren’t alone in fighting this battle. This was a chance to meet other people, like administrators and staff in other campuses, who are having the same issues. The training was fantastic!"

~ Kent Spillers, Academic Advisor, Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny Campus, IA

Michelle Levine

“When I learned about this workshop, I knew that there was no way I was not going to attend. Recruitment and retention of non-traditional student populations is the most important thing that we can do for STEM education, and from my view as a STEM educator, for society. Every student population should have a STEM champion to mobilize faculty, administration, and resources across the educational spectrum from kindergarten through graduate school. Make sure your STEM champion does not miss this important workshop.”

~ Monica Mallini, Associate Professor, Northern Virginia Community College, Manassas, VA

Michelle Levine

"The online training was very manageable because it was asynchronous. I'm always teaching an overload, but you watch the training videos at your leisure, and participate as you're able. Because of that I was able to integrate the training into my very busy schedule."

~ Dr. Cynthia V. Marcello, Associate Professor, Computer Information Systems, SUNY Sullivan, Loch Sheldrake, NY

Michelle Levine

"If you want lights and action, this workshop provided great features, advantages and ways in which to recruit and retain our STEM women! This workshop covers the major points to develop your programs. Truly appreciate the statistics and websites."

~ Trinidad Stassi, Professor, Computer Information Science, Cosumnes River College, Sacramento, CA

Michelle Levine

"I have an awareness now of what we need to do to attract more women to our programs. I don't think if I tell most women to come in and learn how to make fighter jets and bombers it will be attractive to them. I learned from the WomenTech Educators Training to talk to female students about how the engineering program will be helpful to them, and to humanity in general.

Also, in all of our promotional materials, we now have 50/50 images of women and men, whether that's in print materials, brochures, event flyers or in our videos. Before, we always had at least one lady in our pictures, but you need to have 50/50 to show that you don't have just one woman as an outlier, or one person out of many."

~ Chrysanthos Panayiotou, Professor and Department Head of Electronics and Electrical Engineering Technology, Director of OP-TEC Program, Indian River State College, Fort Pierce, FL

Michelle Levine

"It was great attending this workshop and now I'll be able to be successful in our retention plan at our college."

~ Sergio Lujan, Computer-Aided Design Instructor, Laredo Community College, Laredo, TX

 

“Three years later, I still remember the WomenTech Educators Workshop held at Moorpark College during a California Engineering Liaison Council meeting and the positive reception it received. Many participants went on to integrate the high impact practices Donna shared into their teaching and program development efforts.”

~ Dr. Julius O. Sokenu, Interim President, Moorpark College, CA

 

"The best evidence-based training on recruiting and retaining women in technology I have attended."

~ Linda Meccouri, Professor/Professional Development Coordinator, Springfield Technical Community College, Springfield, MA

 

"The WomenTech Educators Workshop uniquely brought us together with an eye toward making class more friendly and informative. Whether teaching in the curricular area of Technology education, teaching Information Technology or teaching vocational education – National IWITTS Training is a must."

~ Tom Frawley, President, New York State Technology Education Association, NY

 

"This seminar was most helpful in that we had concrete examples to work from. We had good time for practice and actual use of the information."

~ Kathleen McNamee, Division Chair of Community & Technical Education, University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville, Batesville, AR

 

"I have been waiting for almost a year to attend this workshop and it was well worth the wait. The training has exceeded my expectations."

~ Christa Jones, Senior Training Development Specialist, Mountain View College, Dallas, TX

 

"This workshop was positive, relevant and provided participants with good tools to recruit and retain female students into technology programs."

~ Caroline McDowell, Director, Creative Career IDEAS, Dallas, TX

 

"Thank you so much for this training. It was all that I had hoped for and more. I have acquired new set of tools to help my students succeed."

~ M.J. Papa, Instructor, Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, CA

 

"The National IWITTS workshop provides participants with a plethora of useful strategies for recruiting and retaining girls and women in technical programs. An exceptional educational experience."

~ Christa Jones, Senior Training Development Specialist, Weatherford College, Weatherford, TX

 

"These two days provided tremendous information, strategies and the motivation to return to school and 'kick it up a notch!' Lots of exciting ideas!"

~ Sue Haughey, Counselor, Calhoun Area Technology Center, Marshall, MI

We are honored to receive so many positive reviews for the WomenTech Educators Training & Coaching System. Please contact us if you are interested in Professional Development.

Educators from 4-Year Colleges


Michelle Levine

"A lot of people, including me, before I met Donna, do a lot of things that aren't necessarily recruitment, they're career awareness tools. People think if you put up a flyer that will solve the problem. Donna really taught us proven techniques to grow the program."

~ Edie Schmidt, Professor, Technology Leadership and Innovation/Supply Chain Management Technology, College of Technology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, Purdue’s College of Technology Grew Female Enrollment from 539 to 676 (137+) after an Onsite WomenTech Training

Michelle Levine

"Last year, the Computer Science department held an Open House event for prospective students. Although a few female high school students came, none of our female faculty members could attend and there weren't any women there representing the department.

After attending the workshop with IWITTS, I was committed to making sure that didn't happen again. At this year's Open House, the College of Sciences held a special Women in Technology event in partnership with the College of Engineering. The girls who came had a great experience, they learned a lot, and I'm confident that it strengthened their resolve to pursue careers in science and engineering. Our goal is to have enough female students in science and engineering majors so that the process can become self-reinforcing."

~ Fred Martin, Associate Dean of College of Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Michelle Levine

"Even though I've managed a women in science and engineering program for many years, I found the WomenTech Educators Workshop to be very valuable. It was comprehensive and focused, and was packed full of well-organized, specific, evidence-based, and actionable strategies.

I walked away with a detailed recruitment and retention plan that can be implemented immediately. I wish I had attended this workshop when I first started in my role. I highly recommend this workshop to anyone interested in increasing the number of women in their STEM programs, and especially anyone starting out in a women in STEM program."

~ Elena Nasim, Manager of Women's Advancement Office, University of Calgary, Canada

 

"This workshop really answered my questions on how to interest women in IT careers, and also how to retain them. I feel I have a bag of tricks to take back home."

~ Toni Black, Assistant Professor, University of New Mexico, Alburquerque, NM

 

"We know that the campuses involved in our partnership in Massachusetts have low numbers of women in their computer and IT programs. Getting people together in a workshop gives them time and space that they don't have in their busy faculty lives to strategize about recruitment and retention. They get a lot of new ideas and an opportunity to talk with people from other schools and stimulate their thinking. Since the workshop, someone has already taken an idea that they had and created a specialized recruitment event for female students.

~ Renee Fall, Project Manager, Commonwealth Alliance for Information Technology Education (CAITE), University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA

 

"The proactive approach to recruitment and retention of women in technology programs not only helped me with solutions, it helped me better understand the problem."

~ Beth Jeffrey, Advisor/Recruiter, University of Washington, Tacoma, Institute of Technology, Tacoma, WA

 

"It is really fabulous to have collected statistics and quotes available to prove to others what I have experienced to be true. Engineers like numbers, so these are useful!"

~ Rebecca Bates, Integrated Engineering Professor, Minnesota State University

 

"This is an empowering workshop that gives you the tools to put ideas into practice to better the institution you work for."

~ Angela Fulkerson, Academic Advisor, Montana State University-Billings, Billings, MT

We are honored to receive so many positive reviews for the WomenTech Educators Training & Coaching System. Please contact us if you are interested in Professional Development.

Secondary School Educators


Michelle Levine

"We were looking for a way to write a plan for both retention and recruiting that could be utilized in our very large county. This training provided direction, guidance, reassurance and a template for use to go on and complete a plan for all of our Career Technical Education pathways. Thank You Donna!"

~ Susan Rainey, Non-Traditional Coordinator, Oakland Schools, Waterford, MI

 

"We received the information we needed to put our desire to attract females for PLTW into action. The ideas were realistic, workable and encouraging. Thanks!"

~ Joel Noble, Teacher, East High School, Denver, CO

 

"This workshop gave me ideas and great resources to use in my classroom to attract and retain female students in my technical education classes."

~ Tanya Flikka, Instructor, Discovery Junior High, Fargo, ND

 

"This workshop is about empowering people and providing opportunities. Don't miss it!"

~ Owen Takamori, Cisco Networking Academy Program Instructor, Mililani High School, Mililani, HI

 

"This was a great hands on and tangible workshop to help increase female recruitment in PLTW courses.

~ Collen McElvogue, Counselor, Coronado High School, Colorado Springs, CO

 

"Continue providing untapped information that not only builds confidence but is proven to help women, as well as minority women, excel in STEM related career fields. I appreciate having the opportunity to learn about this detailed information which was provided by IWITTS by way of Donna Milgram. Thank you."

~ Tara R. Nesbitt, Teacher, Roosevelt High School, St. Louis, MO

 

"This workshop increased my knowledge and comfort level for helping to recruit middle school girls to Gateway and PLTW."

~ Karen Roberts, Counselor, Irving Middle School, District II

 

"A great workshop to help educators remember how different subject areas can all be related to help students engage and learn, if we all work together."

~ Collen McElvogue, Counselor, Coronado High School, Colorado Springs, CO

 

"A great workshop to help educators remember how different subject areas can all be related to help students engage and learn, if we all work together."

~ John Singer, Technology Education Teacher, Hanby Middle School

 

"The data, methodology, and personal deportment of the presenter created a positive learning climate for participants in South Central Louisiana."

~ Doug Chance, Supervisor, Acadia Parish Schools, Crowley, LA

 

"Valuable information for anyone working with students/adults in career centers."

~ Miff Rosar, Vocational Director, Fort Smith Public Schools, Fort Smith, AR

 

Attend the WomenTech Educators 3-Day Bootcamp to Learn How You Can Gain up to 25-50% Female STEM Enrollment in Only 8 Months

 

3-Day Online Bootcamp

July 13, 14 & 15, 2016

Community colleges that have implemented the strategies participants learn through WomenTech Educators Online Training Program have seen remarkable results: 5 of 7 colleges started enrolling an average of 4.8 more female students in their STEM courses and 6 of 7 increased female retention from an average baseline of 58% to 100% in only 8 months.

Application Deadline: June 15, 2016

This NSF-funded Bootcamp is FREE for teams of 6 community college STEM educators. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling admissions basis and the training fills quickly, so apply early.

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In this video, your trainer Donna Milgram shares remarkable results from past online training participants:

Watch this short video to learn how to help your female (and male) students be more successful in their STEM courses.

 

What Educators Are Saying About the Training

“Donna is so passionate about her work it shows. That passion is infectious and can only serve to close the digital divide.“

84% Knowledge Increase Online Training ChartSource: Participants in WomenTech Educators Online Training. External evaluator's report to the National Science Foundation for the CalWomenTech Scale-Up Project.

You Will Learn:

Training Participant

Attend the WomenTech Educators Training from the comfort of your own desk.

Females in STEM: Key Factors for Recruitment

✓ Top three recruitment strategies & how to put them to use
✓ How to adopt a program-wide “female friendly” recruitment approach
✓ How to communicate the benefits of STEM at each stage of the recruitment process
✓ Effective strategies to involve faculty & staff in your recruiting effort

Gender Diversity in STEM: Boosting Enrollment & Implementing New Culture

✓ Barriers to recruiting women into STEM & how to overcome them
✓ How to identify your target audience for recruitment and low-hanging fruit
✓ Success in STEM: See actionable examples of successful STEM programs

Strategies to Keep STEM Students on Course & Improve Graduation Rates

✓ How to make female students feel welcome and what not to do
✓ Ways to bolster confidence in STEM students to ensure success
✓ Strategies to help your female students be successful in the lab
✓ Building block skills to help close the experience gap

Addressing the STEM Challenge: Appeal to Women Who Aren't Excited by STEM

✓ How faculty can teach to female learning styles
✓ How to connect students with female role models & create community
✓ An "ah-ha" moment on spatial reasoning - what you need to know

Build a Leadership Team Model for Women in STEM: Strategies for Success

✓ Ways to partner with faculty, administrators, student services & others
✓ No educator is an island: How to work together & boost STEM retention
✓ Top 3 qualities of an effective Leadership Team & how to employ them

You Will Take Away:

  1. An easy-to-implement recruitment plan to greatly increase the number of women and girls in your STEM classrooms.
  2. A retention plan for your school to increase the completion rate of your female (and male students), starting this semester.
  3. The knowledge and confidence you need to put these plans into action right away, and free bonus tools that will help you be even more successful. (See Bonuses section below.).
  4. Results: Community colleges that have implemented the strategies participants learn through this program have seen remarkable results: 5 of 7 colleges started enrolling an average of 4.8 more female students in their STEM courses and 6 of 7 increased female retention from an average baseline of 58% to 100% in only 8 months.
Schedule and What's Involved:
  • Orientation call with your team and your trainer Donna Milgram July 4 - 8, 2016

  • 3-day Bootcamp July 13, 14, & 15, 2016 from 8am - 2:30pm PT/ 11am – 5:30pm ET

  • 9 months of Follow-Up Support on plan development and implementation (includes 3 team calls with your trainer, 1 group call, and access to online community)

Who Should Attend:

  • College-based teams consisting of administrators, instructors, counselors and outreach staff from STEM programs where female students are underrepresented

  • Teams should consist of 6 members

  • Preference will be given to teams connected with an ATE Center or Project

Continuing Education Credit:

Fresno Pacific University is now offering one unit of continuing education credit to online training participants! Note: You can sign up for the continuing education credit starting four weeks in advance of training.

Overview of 2016 Online Bootcamp Schedule

Visual Overview of the WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp

Team Support Calls and Customized Feedback led to AMAZING results from the online training in 2015!

We’ve unlocked the proven path to increasing the number of female students in your STEM program. Community colleges in our National Science Foundation-funded February 2015 online training group have seen remarkable results: 5 of 7 colleges started enrolling an average of 4.8 more female students in their STEM courses and 6 of 7 increased female retention from an average baseline of 58% to 100% in only 8 months.

Including...

A Georgia community college that went from only 1 female student in an introductory Emerging Technology course to 15 of 17 students just one semester after the online training.

A Massachusetts community college that went from 1 female student in manufacturing to 9 out of 13 students in its introductory course the next semester. Plus, 100% of the female students were retained!

NEVER let anyone tell you again that nothing can be done, or that making change happen for female students in your STEM program will take decades or require a huge budget. We have the evidence to prove your institution can start seeing real increases in as little as one year!

The WomenTech Educators Training is designed to provide you with a roadmap that will enable you to achieve your goals and because you get access to Follow-Up Support calls after the Bootcamp, you will receive support for implementation of your plan strategies. We are committed to helping educators succeed in creating a gender balance in STEM. Once you have achieved results in increasing the number of female students in your programs, you may be featured in case studies or webinars to highlight your team’s accomplishments while inspiring other educators!

After the WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp Program: Follow-Up Support

Keep online Bootcamp participants and your educational institution as a whole focused on your goal of increasing the number of women in STEM. With this ongoing support, you'll receive help as you work to improve and implement the Recruitment and Retention Plans that you develop during the training. In our successful CalWomenTech Project, the external evaluators found that along with the training, support for implementation was one of the top 2 most important things that helped schools achieve their impressive recruitment and retention results.

You will receive:

➤ Follow-Up Support on Plan Development and Implementation:

You'll have direct access to your trainer, Donna Milgram, on live team Immediate Plan Feedback Tele-Calls. You'll meet by phone with Donna in the weeks immediately following the Bootcamp. She'll give "focused advising" and personalized feedback on your team's strategic plans, and answer questions during each 1-hour call. You will have the opportunity to sign up for a call with just your team and Donna. The Follow-Up Support will end with a group call where all teams present on their plans and implementation progress. Colleges that have received this type of Follow-Up Support have found that it was extremely effective in moving them from plan to action, and ultimately helping them see significant gains in the number of women in their STEM classrooms. All calls are recorded and emailed to participants.

 

➤ Exclusive Online Learning Community:

All of the educators who attend the online Bootcamp will be granted access to a private members-only online course in Canvas -- an open source learning management system. Our online learning community in Canvas is a place to receive support, additional resources, and space to work together with other training participants to share documents and progress on plan implementation. Be a member of our community whose culture is one of positive change around increasing the number of women in STEM. The culture of our online community is, "We can do it!"

 
 

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This NSF-funded Bootcamp is free to ATE grantees and
STEM faculty in 2-year colleges (see above for who should apply).

Two FREE Gifts When You Enroll Your Team Now:

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Hard to Find Women in STEM Classroom Resources:

We've made it easy for educators to find online role model resources that will help women and girls see themselves in all career pathways. Also, this downloadable guide includes sample curriculums and websites that teach STEM in a female-friendly way. Don't miss this; it will save STEM educators many hours of researching on their own.

Sample Resource: Dot Divas are young women that believe in the potential of computing to make a better world. The Dot Diva website offers female role model profiles, examples of how computing can be used in many careers, and a webisode video featuring a young female role model. Parents and educators can find advice for talking to young women about computing, messages and images that work to spark their interest, downloadable recruitment materials (a Dot Diva poster, brochure, and flyer), and female role model videos on YouTube.

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Women in Technology Outreach Kit:

It's challenging to develop outreach materials that really work to recruit women to STEM! To help schools we have developed this easy-to-use kit with examples and templates for Women in STEM program brochure, program flyer, event flyer, recruitment PowerPoint presentation, and school website section that all include female role models. These materials were tested with 8 schools that were successful in recruiting more female students to STEM.

The female role model questionnaire alone is worth its weight in gold with the key questions and follow up questions to ask those hard-to-find female role models and how to elicit an inspirational quote from a women in STEM. Based on hundreds of interviews with STEM stars, you won’t want to miss this.

Don Levine

"For a long time, we heard from educators, 'Well, we can't find any girls who WANT to be welders'- but now, there's an increased perception that supporting female students in male-dominated careers is a much bigger deal, and there are resources available that can give all students a better ability to explore and pursue their interests. IWITTS materials like the STEM bibliography and Outreach Kit are a huge part of the resources we can offer to districts to help them serve their students. It's not just about Perkins compliance anymore."

~ Don Levine, CTE Education Specialist, Alaska Department of Education and Early Development


About Your Trainer: Donna Milgram

Milgram speaking at US DOE Symposium

Learn directly from Executive Director Donna Milgram, the creator of the WomenTech Educators Training

Donna Milgram is the founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Women in Trades, Technology and Science (IWITTS), a national nonprofit organization founded in 1994 that provides educators with a roadmap to increasing the number of women and girls in science, technology, engineering and math.

  • Ms. Milgram developed the WomenTech Educators Training to help educators nationwide increase the number of women in their technology programs.
  • A nationally recognized expert on closing the gender gap for women and girls in STEM, Ms. Milgram has personally conducted hundreds of WomenTech Educators Trainings in 46 states and Canada.
  • She is the author of numerous peer-reviewed articles and conference presentations including the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and Women in Engineering Proactive Network (WEPAN). Recent presentation highlights include:
    • U.S. Department of Education, Moving STEM Forward in the Career, Technical and Adult Symposium;
    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Challenging Technical Privilege Symposium Panel; and,
    • Engineering for Kids Conference (Keynote Presenter).  

  • Donna has been featured in the media on CNN, Fox Morning News, C-Span, and National Public Radio, and has been quoted in major newspapers such as The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, Associated Press, and more.
  • An innovative leader, Donna Milgram draws upon over 21 years of experience leading successful projects. The recent CalWomenTech Project was highlighted by the National Science Foundation for demonstrating significant achievement and program effectiveness and chosen as 1 of 3 model projects by the American Association of University Women.

NSF-Funded WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp FAQs:

Who is eligible?

College-based teams consisting of administrators, instructors, counselors and outreach staff from STEM programs where female students are underrepresented. Teams should consist of 6 members. Preference will be given to teams connected with an ATE Center or Project. Watch the webinar for more information on applying as a team and who should be on your team.

How much does it cost?

This grant-funded program is FREE to eligible participants, as part of the National Science Foundation-funded CalWomenTech Scale Up Project. This program, including the online training, Follow-Up Support, and access to the online learning community normally costs participants $4,700 per team.

What are the benefits of participating?

What is the #1 benefit? More female students in your classes! Here are some additional benefits to you if your team is accepted for the WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp Program:

  1. Get significant value: You can reach a team of 6 educators at your college, without incurring any travel costs.
  2. Accommodate everyone's busy schedule, from deans and administrators to part-time adjuncts, with this 3-day training (only 6.5 hours a day with time for lunch and breaks).
  3. Your team can implement what they're learning while the training is actually happening, and get guidance and direction from your trainer, Donna Milgram, and the other members of the community.
  4. If you are an ATE grantee, this training will strengthen the "Broader Impacts" you report to NSF.
  5. IWITTS has included past training recipients who have successfully increased the number of women in their classes in national conference presentations.
  6. Your achievements in increasing the number of women in your classes may be highlighted by IWITTS as case studies to inspire other educators and for your own future use.
  7. The top Women in STEM Recruitment and Retention Plans in the training will be chosen by your trainer Donna Milgram. The selected plans will be featured in the private online learning community and an email will be sent to the dean/VP of each team that develops a top plan recognizing your team's achievement.
  8. Certificate of completion: At the end of the implementation period, each team member will receive a certificate which can be referenced in your future grant proposals.

What's expected of my team?

  • Taking part in the WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp Program as a team of 6 members from your college (includes a team orientation call, 3-day online Bootcamp, and a total of 4 Follow-Up Support calls, 2 of which are Plan Feedback Tele-calls).
  • Developing Recruitment and Retention Plans as a team for the targeted program, and posting plans in a private online learning community.
  • Actively participating in the Follow-Up Support for plan implementation, which takes place in the 9 months after the online training ends, and a short, virtual presentation on the team's plan implementation progress in a required, final group call.
  • Posting successes and challenges in the online learning community, and responding to the posts of others.
  • Participating in evaluation-related activities (no individual student data will be requested).

How to Apply:

  1. Get started - Submit an Intent to Apply to get your application started. The date you submit your Intent to Apply will be the start date on your application, so submit early to get your application in before other teams! (Note: You don't have to have all your team members identified to submit an Intent to Apply.)
  2. Watch a short webinar - You'll receive more information when you fill out the Intent to Apply. This webinar will help you put together your team and submit a competitive application. It's required for all applicants and the online application will ask you to confirm that you watched the webinar.
  3. Create a team of 6 members, pick a team name (e.g. Greenville Technical College Team) and select a key contact for the application process. 
  4. Complete individual online applications before the June 15, 2016 deadline - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7RXFDZX (Note: Each team member must be identified at this point and must submit her/his own online application. There will be a place to enter your team name in the form.)
  5. Obtain a letter of commitment - Have your dean or supervisor sign a letter of commitment (PDF). Return the signed letter by fax (510-749-0500) or email to seminars[at]iwitts.org. (Note: Each team member must submit a signed letter of commitment from her/his dean/supervisor. If you are unable to submit the signed letter of commitment by the application deadline, go ahead and apply anyway. Contact us at seminars[at]iwitts.org and we will try accommodate you.)

More information:

For additional information about the NSF-funded WomenTech Educators Online Training Program, contact us at seminars[at]iwitts.org or call Christine Lesaca, Program Assistant, at 510-749-0200 ext 105.

NEW

Free: Leadership Team Webinar for Your WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp Application

Watch our informative 60-minute webinar led by Donna Milgram to learn how to get the most out of this valuable training opportunity - fill out the Intent to Apply for more information. Donna is the founder of IWITTS and will be your WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp Instructor.

In This Free Webinar You Will Learn:

✓ About successful outcomes of schools that have participated in the WomenTech Educators trainings in the past
✓ What's included in the NSF-funded WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp Program
✓ How to put together a strong WomenTech Educators Leadership Team and apply for this free NSF-funded program
✓ How to choose a STEM Career Pathway to focus on in the training
✓ How your team can set you up to be successful and help you institutionalize takeaways from this proven program
Answers to questions asked during our live sessions by educators applying for the program

You Will Take Away:

The vital information you need to create a competitive application for our limited number of NSF-funded WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp Program seats! Applications for this training program are reviewed and scored on a first-come, first-served basis.

This webinar will help you create a competitive application and set your team up for greater success. Start your application today to receive access to our webinar recording.

applynowbutton

This NSF-funded Bootcamp is free to ATE grantees and
STEM faculty in 2-year colleges (see above for who should apply).

The Power of Teams:

Teams communicate as a single voice during the program. While team members may watch modules individually, the team joins together weekly to synthesize and apply the information into a group assignment. These assignments build to create full Recruitment and Retention Action Plans by the end of the training.

Experience and research show that participating as a team sets you up to be successful and see results. Over 5 NSF-funded projects and 20 years of offering professional development, we have found that educators who work in teams develop stronger Women in STEM Recruitment and Retention Action Plans, are able to get the support they need to start implementing those plans right away, and are more likely to institutionalize lasting change.

Some of the many benefits of participating as a team:

  • Team participation enhances and encourages engagement in the online training and the practical application of training content.
  • The more people you can train in your department, region, or state, the more likely you are to see significant increases in female students, as well as lasting institutional change.
  • Team members support each other using a common educational language and framework. The team facilitates cross-departmental relationships and institutional change, providing benefits that go far beyond the training itself.

What WomenTech Educator Participants Said About Their Teams in the Training:

“We have a fabulous team. So many people have different varied areas of expertise. We meet Wednesday mornings and everybody is energized and works hard.”

~ Patti Williams, Faculty, Surveying & Mapping Technologies, Mid-west College

Who Should Be on Your Team:
Your team will be the most effective if it includes a variety of stakeholders from your college dedicated to increasing the number of female students in the targeted STEM program. In our experience, a Women in STEM Leadership Team with 6-10 members sets a school up to be successful from the start. Ideally, a dean, department chair, technology center director, or Principal Investigator (PI) of an Advanced Technology Education (ATE) grant will act as key leader and an instructor from the targeted program will act as co-leader.

Recommended core team members:

  • Dean or Chair of the Department of the targeted program;
  • Director of the Technology Center (or equivalent if applicable);
  • Principal Investigator of the ATE grant (if applicable);
  • Minimum of two instructors in targeted technology courses, with one being an adjunct if possible (highly recommended);
  • If you have math prerequisites for core targeted courses, a math administrator.

Other potential team members could include counselors, advisors, outreach coordinators, learning center staff, curriculum developers, Workforce Development Director, Research & Planning Officer, STEM coordinators, representatives from feeder high school(s) or job training programs, and other key stakeholders. The free Leadership Team Webinar and the Online Bootcamp include additional guidance on forming and working with a Women in STEM Leadership Team.

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The more educators who are trained, in your school, the more effective you will be!

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This NSF-funded Bootcamp is free to ATE grantees and
STEM faculty in 2-year colleges (see above for who should apply).

What Educators Are Saying About the WomenTech Educators Training:

testimonialvanmadray

"We have the first three women in our Auto Technology Program and really want to make sure they succeed. After participating in the WomenTech Educator's online training, we created additional open lab time for them, realizing they may need extra time to develop hands-on skills in a nonthreatening atmosphere. Two months into the course they are still with us. I learned so much about retention from the online training, I decided our entire Engineering and Technology Department could benefit and we are bringing the online training to our school and rolling it out to all of the technical faculty over the next two years."

~ Van Madray, Dean of Construction and Industrial Technology Division, Pitt Community College, Winterville, NC

eqc

"Attending the WomenTech Educators training was the best decision I have made in a long time! During the training, I developed a Recruitment and Retention Plan for one of the CIS programs. This is not a training where you consider doing "something" when you get back to your office, you are actually developing and obtaining feedback from other colleagues on what they have done and how you can improve your plan before implementation! Plus, I will be able to take my experience and work on other programs of study using the same framework."

~ Edna Quintana Claus, Ph.D., M.B.A., CIS Division Director, Texas State Technical College Harlingen, Harlingen, TX

Pbaca

"The training was time well spent. It was such a minimal amount of time to get so many concrete implementable strategies. The WomenTech Educators Online Training gives you the most for your money—you can implement the tools immediately with minimal resources and see true quantitative results!"

~ Phyllis Baca, Director of STEM Initiatives, Santa Fe Community College, Santa Fe, NM

lauransattlersq

"The WomenTech Educators Online Training has the potential to change the way you view your program. Important data is presented with passion and humor. I want you to know I have gained a great deal from the course. By the time you have a graduate degree and have worked in education for decades, most "professional development" is repetitive. I can honestly say that you have given me much to think about and that it will result in changes to my approach to course development."

~ Lauran Sattler, Department Chair, Computer Information Systems, Ivy Tech Community College, President's Award for Instructional Excellence 2007, Warsaw, IN

rmathur

"The training conducted by Donna Milgram was the best training I have ever received because I can implement the Recruitment and Retention Plans I created specifically for my program Computer Information Management (CIM) to help increase females in technology at Irvine Valley College!"

~ Roopa Mathur, Professor, Computer Information Management , Irvine Valley College, Irvine, CA

See the full list of testimonials

Here are just some of our past ATE clients:

  • Consortium for Alabama Regional Center for Automotive Manufacturing (CARCAM), Gadsden, AL
  • Midwest Center for Information Technology (MCIT), AIM Institute, Omaha, NE
  • South Carolina Advanced Technological Education National Resource Center for Engineering Technology Education (SC ATE), Florence-Darlington Technical College, Florence, SC
  • Convergence Technology Center (CTC), Frisco, TX
  • Technology and Innovation in Manufacturing Education Center (TIME Center), Baltimore, MD
  • Nevada Information Technology Education (NVITE), Community College of Southern Nevada, North Las Vegas, NV
  • Center for the Advancement of Process Technology (CAPT), Mainland College, Texas City, TX
  • Diversity in Engineering Technology (NC JETS), University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC

There are a limited number of NSF-funded WomenTech Educators Bootcamp Program spaces available.

applynowbutton

This NSF-funded Bootcamp program is free to ATE grantees and
STEM faculty in 2-year colleges (see above for who should apply).

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The National Online WomenTech Project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education Program from The National Science Foundation - Grant no. 1400531

NSF-funded Training Hosted by Convergence Technology Center (CTC) for IT Community College Educators

LIVE 3-Day Online Immersion Training

Event on December 14-16, 2015

Based on proven practices, the online curriculum includes the "best-of-the-best" of our strategies, culled from our 5 National Science Foundation (NSF) projects and 20 years of success helping educational institutions recruit and retain female students in STEM programs. Our work has been highlighted by NSF for showing significant achievement and program effectiveness.

Application Deadline: November 20, 2015

This NSF-funded hybrid online and in-person Bootcamp hosted by the Convergence Technology Center (CTC) is FREE for teams of 6 community college IT educators. The event will be streamed live online while your team is encouraged to get together in the same room in person to complete the exercises together. Classroom space, lunch, and mileage reimbursement are available from the CTC for some teams from North Texas. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling admissions basis and the training fills quickly, so apply early.

In this video, your trainer Donna Milgram shares a "confession" about a lab strategy that will help your female students:

Watch this short video to learn how to help your female (and male) students be more successful in their STEM courses.

 

It's possible to nearly double the female students in your STEM classes.

How our past WomenTech Educators Training participants transformed their STEM classrooms:

Silvers

Pam Silvers, Chairperson of Computer Technologies at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, in Asheville, NC, credits the live WomenTech Educators Training she attended with changing her approach to female enrollment and helping her to nearly double the female students in her engineering and technology programs from 39 to 72.

~ Pamela Silvers, Chairperson, Computer Technologies, Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, Asheville, NC

Thiry

"Participating in the IWITTS training refined my skills as an instructor and administrator to be an agent of change in this realm. Because Computer Networking and Information Technology was not on the radar of many women, the tools that were given to us by IWITTS for reaching out to students for our entry level class were very effective. And those changes have been institutionalized in my department. Thanks to our work with IWITTS, female enrollment in my department has risen from 19% to 33%."

~ Pierre Thiry, Principal Investigator, Mid-Pacific ICT Regional Center, City College of San Francisco,
San Francisco, CA

DuFrain

"Before [attending the WomenTech Educators training] I had a lot more success retaining women in my database class than in my introductory programming classes -- actually I wasn't retaining any women in my introductory programming classes. They were all dropping. That was a big win for me, that I had an increase in retention of females in my introductory programming courses."

~ Barbara DuFrain, Associate Professor, CS, Engineering and Advanced Technology, Del Mar College, Corpus Christi, TX, increased female enrollment in her introductory programming courses by 62% and female and male completion by 45%.

Yanez

"Completely made me re-evaluate the approach that we have been taking. I realized the many mistakes and plan to make changes that I learned from the training. Great information!"

~ Hector Yanez, Division Director of Engineering, Texas State Technical College, Harlingen, TX increased female enrollment from 11% to 37% in his Computer Drafting & Design Technology Program.

The WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp: Empowering Educators to Recruit and Retain Women in STEM, is the online version of my popular annual In-Person Live Event. This December 14-16, 2015 WomenTech Educators Bootcamp hosted by the Convergence Technology Center will be a special hybrid online and in-person version of my 3-day Bootcamp. The event will be streamed online while your college's team is encouraged to get together in the same room in person to watch the training and complete the exercises together.

I have taken the knowledgebase of my WomenTech Educators Training, which includes a successful system created from my 5 National Science Foundation (NSF) projects and 20 years of experience helping educators recruit and retain more women in STEM, and presented it in an easy-to-access interactive format that packs in as much information as possible.

Over the course of 3 days, you'll be immersed in my powerful WomenTech Educators Training program and learn all 20 of the required elements of my system. You'll walk away with Recruitment and Retention Action Plans that you will customize to your college. No matter how busy you are, you have the time for this 3-day investment that can transform the way you recruit and retain women (and men) in your IT programs and classes.

Training Participant
 

 

"What You'll Learn in 3 Amazing Days"

Day 1-2: Recruit

  • Learn how to choose the "right" target audience for your recruitment goals so that you can go after the low-hanging fruit and enroll more women in your classes

  • Understand how to leverage a Women in STEM Leadership Team so that you don't have to recruit more female students all by yourself

  • Discover what excites women about technology and learn how to find female role models so that your outreach is more effective

  • Leverage online recruitment strategies so more female students know about your STEM programs and you can recruit 24/7

  • Find out how to execute event-based recruiting that actually leads to increases in female enrollment

  • MILESTONE: Create a Recruitment Action Plan you will customize to your school that will provide you with a roadmap to increasing female students in your IT classes

Day 2-3: Retain

  • Find out how to close the experience gap and level the playing field for ALL students including those with less informal IT experience, so they all are retained

  • Uncover strategies to help your female students feel welcome in the classroom and prevent them from dropping out in the first few weeks

  • Learn how to appeal to the large group of women and girls who just aren't excited by STEM in its present form so they are engaged and complete your classes

  • Discover the teaching practices and learning methods that dramatically increase retention of
    female AND male students


  • MILESTONE: Create a Retention Action Plan you will customize to your school that will provide you with a roadmap to retaining more female (and male!) students in your IT classes

You will take away:

  • An easy-to-implement Recruitment Plan to increase female enrollment to up to 25-50% in your IT programs and classes

  • A Retention Plan for your school to increase the completion rate of your female (and male) students, starting this semester

  • The knowledge and confidence you need to put these plans into action right away

* Bonus: You'll also receive, as free bonus tools, my Women in Technology Outreach Kit and STEM Bibliography to help you save time and money and be even more successful (see below!)

 

 

After the WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp Program: Follow-Up Support

Keep your team and your educational institution as a whole focused on your goal of increasing the number of women in IT. With this ongoing support, you'll receive help as you work to improve and implement the Recruitment and Retention Plans that you develop during the training. In our successful CalWomenTech Project, the external evaluators found that along with the training, support for implementation was one of the top 2 most important things that helped schools achieve their impressive recruitment and retention results.

You will receive:

➤ Follow-Up Support on Plan Development and Implementation:

You'll have direct access to your trainer, Donna Milgram, on live team Immediate Plan Feedback Tele-Calls. You'll meet by phone with Donna in the weeks immediately following the Bootcamp. She'll give "focused advising" and personalized feedback on your team's strategic plans, and answer questions during each 1-hour call. You will have the opportunity to sign up for a call with just your team and Donna. The Follow-Up Support will end with a group call where all teams present on their plans and implementation progress. Colleges that have received this type of Follow-Up Support have found that it was extremely effective in moving them from plan to action, and ultimately helping them see significant gains in the number of women in their STEM classrooms. All calls are recorded and emailed to participants.

 

➤ Exclusive Online Learning Community:

All of the educators who attend the online Bootcamp will be granted access to a private members-only online course in Canvas -- an open source learning management system. Our online learning community in Canvas is a place to receive support, additional resources, and space to work together with other training participants to share documents and progress on plan implementation. Be a member of our community whose culture is one of positive change around increasing the number of women in STEM. The culture of our online community is, "We can do it!"

 

 

 

Plus, you'll receive 2 free gifts:

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Women in Technology Outreach Kit ($150 value)

This Outreach Kit plus the included Online Website Strategy Guide will help you increase the number of women in your school's technology programs. Recruit more women to your STEM programs with these fill-in-the blank templates for proven outreach materials. You'll take the guesswork out of your outreach.




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STEM Resources for Instructors to Help Women and Girls: Annotated Bibliography  ($35 value)

We've made it easy for you to find online role model resources that will help women and girls see themselves in all career pathways. Also, find sample curriculums and websites that teach programming in a female-friendly way. Don't miss this; it will save you many hours of researching this yourself.

 

 

 
Schedule/Time Required:
  • Orientation call with your team and your trainer Donna Milgram week of December 7 - 11, 2015

  • 3-day Bootcamp December 14-16, 2015 from 10am - 4:30pm CT (8am - 3:30pm PT/ 11am - 5:30pm ET)

  • 6 months of Follow-Up Support on plan development and implementation (includes 3 team calls with your trainer, 1 group call, and access to online community)

Who Should Attend:

  • College-based teams consisting of administrators, instructors, counselors and outreach staff from STEM programs where female students are underrepresented

  • Teams should consist of 6 members

  • Preference will be given to teams connected to the Convergence Technology Center

Download the brochure (PDF) to share with others in your institution.

NSFFellowshipOverview

Visual Overview of NSF-funded WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp

 

 

Assistance for IT Educators in North Texas from the CTC:

The CTC will provide classroom space at Collin College’s Preston Ridge campus in Frisco, Texas and lunch for teams of qualified community college IT faculty and administrators in the North Texas region. Qualified team members that live over an hour away from Frisco, Texas will also be eligible for mileage reimbursement from the CTC. This assistance will be provided to make it easier for teams to participate in this 3-day training together in one room.

If you would like to request classroom space for your team and/or mileage reimbursement, please indicate that in the online application and the CTC will get in touch with you.

Questions? Please contact Mark Dempsey, CTC Program Manager, with any questions about support for teams from community colleges in North Texas (email: MDempsey[at]collin.edu; phone: 972-377-1582).

 

 

About Your Trainer: Donna Milgram

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Learn directly from Executive Director Donna Milgram, the creator of the WomenTech Educators Training

Donna Milgram is the founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Women in Trades, Technology and Science (IWITTS), a national nonprofit organization, founded in 1994, that provides educators with a roadmap to increasing the number of women and girls in science, technology, engineering and math.

  • Ms. Milgram developed the WomenTech Educators Training to help educators nationwide increase the number of women in their technology programs.
  • A national expert on recruiting and retaining female students in STEM programs in which they are underrepresented, Ms. Milgram has personally trained educators in 46 states and Canada.
  • Ms. Milgram is the author of numerous peer-reviewed articles and conference presentations including the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and Women in Engineering Proactive Network (WEPAN). Recently, she received a reader's choice award from the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) for her cover article, "How to Recruit Women & Girls to the STEM Classroom" published in the Technology and Engineering Teacher magazine. The success of the CalWomenTech Project was featured in articles on the NSF "Discoveries" website and the Community College Times.
  • Ms. Milgram has testified before the U.S. Congress and appeared extensively in the news media. Her media appearances include CNN, Fox Morning News, C-Span and National Public Radio. She has been quoted in major news outlets such as The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune and the Associated Press.

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This NSF-funded Bootcamp is free to ATE grantees and
IT faculty in 2-year colleges (see above for who should apply).

NSF-Funded WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp FAQs:

Who is eligible?

College-based teams consisting of administrators, instructors, counselors and outreach staff from IT programs where female students are underrepresented. Teams should consist of 6 members. Preference will be given to teams connected with the Convergence Technology Center. Watch the webinar for more information on applying as a team and who should be on your team.

How much does it cost?

This grant-funded program is FREE to eligible participants, as part of the National Science Foundation-funded CalWomenTech Scale Up Project. It is hosted by the Convergence Technology Center and funded by the NSF. This program, including the online training, Follow-Up Support, and access to the online learning community normally costs participants $2,995 per team.

What are the benefits of participating?

What is the #1 benefit? More female students in your classes! Here are some additional benefits to you if your team is accepted for the WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp Program:

  1. Get significant value: You can reach a team of 6 educators at your college, without incurring any major travel costs. The only travel is to meet up with your team at your college.
  2. Accommodate everyone's busy schedule, from deans and administrators to part-time adjuncts, with this 3-day training (only 6.5 hours a day with time for lunch and breaks).
  3. Your team can implement what they're learning while the training and Follow-Up Support is actually happening, and get guidance and direction from your trainer, Donna Milgram, and the other members of the community.
  4. If you are an ATE grantee, this training will strengthen the "Broader Impacts" you report to NSF.
  5. IWITTS has included past training recipients who have successfully increased the number of women in their classes in national conference presentations.
  6. Your achievements in increasing the number of women in your classes may be highlighted by IWITTS as case studies to inspire other educators and for your own future use.
  7. The top Women in STEM Recruitment and Retention Plans in the training will be chosen by your trainer Donna Milgram. The selected plans will be featured in the private online learning community and an email will be sent to the dean/VP of each team that develops a top plan recognizing your team's achievement.
  8. Certificate of completion: At the end of the implementation period, each team member will receive a certificate which can be referenced in your future grant proposals.

What's expected of my team?

  • Taking part in the WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp Program as a team of 6 members from your college (includes a team orientation call, 3-day hybrid Bootcamp, and a total of 4 Follow-Up Support calls, 2 of which are Plan Feedback Tele-calls).
  • Developing Recruitment and Retention Plans as a team for the targeted program, and posting plans in a private online learning community.
  • Actively participating in the Follow-Up Support for plan implementation, which takes place in the 6 months after the online training ends, and a short, virtual presentation on the team's plan implementation progress in a required, final group call.
  • Posting successes and challenges in the online learning community, and responding to the posts of others.
  • Participating in evaluation-related activities (no individual student data will be requested).

How to Apply:

  1. Get started - Submit an Intent to Apply to get your application started. The date you submit your Intent to Apply will be the start date on your application, so submit early to get your application in before other teams. (Note: You don't have to have all your team members identified to submit an Intent to Apply.)
  2. Watch a short webinar - Watch a recording of our 60-minute Leadership Team Webinar by clicking here or accessing it from your application. This webinar will help you put together your team and submit a competitive application. It's required for all applicants and the online application will ask you to confirm you watched the webinar.
  3. Create a team of 6 members, pick a team name (e.g. Greenville Technical College Engineering Department or "ATE Project Name" team) and select a key contact for the application process. Consider creating a fun team name! Some examples of team names used in a recent online training are "Motherboards of Invention", "Dogs that Byte", and "Pi-rates."
  4. Complete individual online applications before the November 20, 2015 deadline - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WBVFC7X (Note: Each team member must be identified at this point and must submit her/his own online application. There will be a place to enter your team name in the form.)
  5. Obtain a letter of commitment - Have your dean or supervisor sign a letter of commitment (PDF). Return the signed letter by fax (510-749-0500) or email to seminars[at]iwitts.org. (Note: Each team member must submit a signed letter of commitment from her/his dean/supervisor.)
 

Note: If you are unable to submit the signed letter of commitment by the application deadline, go ahead and apply anyway. Contact us at seminars[at]iwitts.org and we will try accommodate you.

More information:

For additional information about the NSF-funded WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp Program, contact us at seminars[at]iwitts.org or call Christine Lesaca, Program Assistant, at 510-749-0200 ext 105.

NEW

Free: Leadership Team Webinar for Your WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp Application

Watch our informative 60-minute webinar led by Donna Milgram to learn how to get the most out of this valuable training opportunity. Donna is the founder of IWITTS and will be your WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp Instructor.

Click here to instantly watch a recording of the webinar.

In This Free Webinar You Will Learn:

✓ About successful outcomes of schools that have participated in the WomenTech Educators trainings in the past
✓ What's included in the NSF-funded WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp Program
✓ How to put together a strong WomenTech Educators Leadership Team and apply for this free NSF-funded program
✓ How to choose a STEM Career Pathway to focus on in the training
✓ How your team can set you up to be successful and help you institutionalize takeaways from this proven program
Answers to questions asked during our live sessions by educators applying for the program

You Will Take Away:

The vital information you need to create a competitive application for our limited number of NSF-funded WomenTech Educators Online Bootcamp Program seats! Applications for this training program are reviewed and scored on a first-come, first-served basis.

This webinar will help you create a competitive application and set your team up for greater success. Start your application today and we'll send you a link to the webinar recording that you can forward on to your other team members.

applynowbutton

This NSF-funded Bootcamp is free to ATE grantees and
IT faculty in 2-year colleges (see above for who should apply).

 

What Educators Are Saying About the WomenTech Educators Training:

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"We have the first three women in our Auto Technology Program and really want to make sure they succeed. After participating in the WomenTech Educator's online training, we created additional open lab time for them, realizing they may need extra time to develop hands-on skills in a nonthreatening atmosphere. Two months into the course they are still with us. I learned so much about retention from the online training, I decided our entire Engineering and Technology Department could benefit and we are bringing the online training to our school and rolling it out to all of the technical faculty over the next two years."

~ Van Madray, Dean of Construction and Industrial Technology Division, Pitt Community College, Winterville, NC

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"Attending the WomenTech Educators training was the best decision I have made in a long time! During the training, I developed a Recruitment and Retention Plan for one of the CIS programs. This is not a training where you consider doing "something" when you get back to your office, you are actually developing and obtaining feedback from other colleagues on what they have done and how you can improve your plan before implementation! Plus, I will be able to take my experience and work on other programs of study using the same framework."

~ Edna Quintana Claus, Ph.D., M.B.A., CIS Division Director, Texas State Technical College Harlingen, Harlingen, TX

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"The training was time well spent. It was such a minimal amount of time to get so many concrete implementable strategies. The WomenTech Educators Online Training gives you the most for your money—you can implement the tools immediately with minimal resources and see true quantitative results!"

~ Phyllis Baca, Director of STEM Initiatives, Santa Fe Community College, Santa Fe, NM

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"The WomenTech Educators Online Training has the potential to change the way you view your program. Important data is presented with passion and humor. I want you to know I have gained a great deal from the course. By the time you have a graduate degree and have worked in education for decades, most "professional development" is repetitive. I can honestly say that you have given me much to think about and that it will result in changes to my approach to course development."

~ Lauran Sattler, Department Chair, Computer Information Systems, Ivy Tech Community College, President's Award for Instructional Excellence 2007, Warsaw, IN

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"The training conducted by Donna Milgram was the best training I have ever received because I can implement the Recruitment and Retention Plans I created specifically for my program Computer Information Management (CIM) to help increase females in technology at Irvine Valley College!"

~ Roopa Mathur, Professor, Computer Information Management , Irvine Valley College, Irvine, CA

Here are just some of our past ATE clients:

  • Consortium for Alabama Regional Center for Automotive Manufacturing (CARCAM), Gadsden, AL
  • Midwest Center for Information Technology (MCIT), AIM Institute, Omaha, NE
  • South Carolina Advanced Technological Education National Resource Center for Engineering Technology Education (SC ATE), Florence-Darlington Technical College, Florence, SC
  • Convergence Technology Center (CTC), Frisco, TX
  • Technology and Innovation in Manufacturing Education Center (TIME Center), Baltimore, MD
  • Nevada Information Technology Education (NVITE), Community College of Southern Nevada, North Las Vegas, NV
  • Center for the Advancement of Process Technology (CAPT), Mainland College, Texas City, TX
  • Diversity in Engineering Technology (NC JETS), University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC

There are a limited number of NSF-funded WomenTech Educators Bootcamp Program spaces available.

applynowbutton

This NSF-funded Bootcamp program is free to ATE grantees and
IT faculty in 2-year colleges (see above for who should apply).

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The CalWomenTech Scale Up Project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education Program and the Program for Research on Gender in Science and Engineering from The National Science Foundation - Grant no. 1102996