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Abstract of "Chapter4-Promoting Undergraduate Studies in Science and Engineering"

Author(s): Dr. Marsha Lakes Matyas

Identifying and Defining the Problem

Matyas begins by outlining the attempts that are being made to increase the gender and racial/ethnic diversity of the undergraduate science and engineering curriculum (especially in the subfields in which it is present in very small percentages). Specific areas have been targeted such as:

generating interest and prerequisite skills in science and engineering studies.
ensuring that women and minority students who showed pre-college interests in science and engineering maintain these interests.
preventing attrition, especially if due to lack of financial aid.

Matyas indicates that it is important that colleges and universities select the problem areas specific to their institution.

Selecting a Solution

The author proceeds to state that once the intervention target areas have been found, recruitment and retention strategies must be developed. At present two areas are being given the most attention -- the undergraduate and the pre-college level. Matyas believes that emphasis must be placed on the programs for pre-college students since these have shown to be more successful at recruitment and retention than the undergraduate level programs. She also identified characteristics that were common to effective pre-college intervention programs. These involved:

well-defined goals.
evaluation programs to test effectiveness.
strategic plans based on current research that can be implemented using several methods.
participants having input on the design and implementation.
accessibility to all who need the program, i.e. no financial limits.
strong involvement of sponsoring university's faculty and administration.
outreach activities in which parents, teachers, and students are able to participate.

Program Highlights

During the CSWE conference several programs at the undergraduate level were highlighted. These included:

Recruitment and comprehensive retention programs: Effective recruitment programs are usually combined with retention efforts. They are comprehensive programs that interact with students over a period of years. An example of such a program is the Women in Engineering Program (WIEP) at Purdue University.
Student research involvement: These programs provide students with stipends, tuition, fees, and travel funds as well as research training. Students who participate attend courses and seminars in their field. An example of such a program is the Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) program established in 1972. Matyas questioned the success of these programs however, since evaluations do not examine the effectiveness of the programs for men and women separately.
Scholarships and forgivable loans: Many industrial and academic institutions provide scholarships and forgivable loans for women and minority undergraduates in the field of engineering, e.g. AT&T and CSU at Los Angeles.
Bridge programs: College bridge programs assist the student with the transition from high school. These programs conduct diagnostic testing and provide academic advising and orientation to university life.
Mentoring activities: These have been used to increase students' interest and enthusiasm for science careers, and to provide a support structure for women already committed to a science major, e.g. "Big Sister" programs or the Association for Women in Science program.
Augmenting course activities: These programs allow students from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds to participate in intensive discussion sections, and do coordinated group work in areas related to science, mathematics, and engineering. An example is the Emerging Scholars Program (ESP) at the University of Texas at Austin.
Internships and summer work: Most internships and summer work programs are part of scholarship, research, and fellowship programs such as Purdue's WIEP.

Implementing Programs

Matyas reports that the participants at the conference discussed the process of developing and implementing programs. The process formulation includes:

defining goals and planned strategies.
setting specific and measurable goals, and developing evaluation plans.
securing funding for the program.
having participation from diverse racial/ethnic groups and geographic areas.
revising program activities based on evaluation results.

The Undergraduate Experience

The author states that so far, intervention has focused on teaching female and minority students to survive in the system. However, no serious effort has been made to change the system. She believes that currently successful intervention programs should evolve into structural reform.

Undergraduate Programs and Women

Matyas noted that there were very few programs that targeted women, and that those that did were more likely to charge fees. She stated that there must be an increase in the number of recruitment and retention programs geared directly at women, instead of only minorities.

Future Directions

The conference discussions suggest a number of future steps for increasing the participation of women in science and engineering (S&E):

Monitor student progress to determine where the "losses" of S&E students (especially women and underrepresented minorities) occur.
Acquire specific funding for S&E intervention programs targeted at women, particularly minority women.
Create comprehensive intervention models targeted at women, but implemented at diverse institutions.
Expand the research base on intervention programs.
Develop, evaluate, revise, and disseminate new models involving faculty members in strategies which increase the participation of women in science and engineering.

Dr. Marsha Lakes Matyas, Director of the Women in Science Program in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.