Engineering Inclusivity in University Programs
It’s a fact: persistent gender stereotypes lead more women than men to experience low self-efficacy in engineering and technology fields. Resulting socially-induced individual obstacles, such as imposter syndrome and stereotype threat, may affect how women perceive and respond to institutional barriers commonplace in engineering departments such as underrepresentation, biases, alienating cultures, and opaque grading policies. The evidence on this topic is both anecdotal and data-driven. The speakers will present both, and reveal how college engineering programs can improve retention by dismantling the institutional barriers that disproportionately discourage talented women. This talk will introduce recommendations for mitigating individual and institutional obstacles to empower all members of the engineering community seeking to promote the inclusion and success of diverse students and recent graduates.