Session T4D GENDER DIFFERENCES IN SKILLS DEVELOPMENT IN HANDS-ON LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Women’s participation in engineering education is low relative to their presence in the general and college student populations, and it is sometimes assumed that the competitive engineering culture has a detrimental effect on women’s confidence in their engineering skills. The described study investigated self-assessed confidence in five engineering skills across three K-16 curricular initiatives conducted by the Integrated Teaching and Learning Program at the University of Colorado at Boulder during a two-year period. In this investigation, attention is paid to gender differences in skills self-assessment and the reasons underlying gender disparity in engineering education. The effects of engineering and pre-engineering curricula on gender, with respect to student confidence in a number of skills necessary to succeed in engineering, are investigated. Results are discussed with respect to the structure of genderfriendly curricula and strategies for closing gender gaps. Suggestions for future research are presented. 1 Daniel W. Knight, Assessment Specialist, Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Colorado at Boulder, 522 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0522, [email protected]. 2 Lawrence E. Carlson, Co-Director, Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory, same as above, [email protected]. 3 Jacquelyn F. Sullivan, Co-Director, Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory, same as above, [email protected]. Index Terms – Gender, Retention, Self-Confidence, Skills Assessment, Women in Engineering