Shawna L. Fletcher

The Women in Applied Science and Engineering Summer Bridge Program: easing the transition for first-time female engineering students

The Women in Applied Science and Engineering (WISE) Summer Bridge Program is designed to prepare incoming female students for the transition from high school to the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS) at Arizona State University (ASU). This program offers academic reviews in courses such as mathematics, physics, and chemistry. Computer programming tutorials are also offered in Excel and HTML to better prepare students for their freshman introductory engineering course. Participants acclimate to the campus by receiving general information concerning the university, financial aid, and departmental advising. Students attending the program become familiar with the campus, have a head start on their freshman engineering classes, and have a chance to meet other female students. An overview of the WISE Summer Bridge Program is presented as well as retention data for 1998 and 1999 program participants. In addition, the paper discusses the need for and impact of bridge programs specifically geared toward female students. Further, the paper investigates other life circumstances, such as level of involvement in student activities, living situation, and employment that impact retention of these students. Finally, future projections of implementation and direction of student retention programs are explored.

A comprehensive programmatic approach to recruitment and retention in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Ensuring a diverse engineering workforce has never bean more important than now as technology impacts every aspect of both global businesses and our personal lives. At the same time general interest in engineering is at a twenty year low. The ability to attract students into technical fields begins very early with collaboration of teachers, counselors, parents, business partners, university faculty and community. Since engineering is not a part of a normal junior high or high school curriculum, special creative efforts need to be made to motivate potential students about the multiple career options they have in technical fields. Students very early on need to see the relationships between the things that interest them and how an engineering career is a vehicle to impact and to improve the future of that interest. The author describes how the Office of Student Affairs for the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS) at Arizona State University (USA) has a three pronged collaborative, sustained program for the recruitment and retention of engineering students that addresses these concerns.

Design and implementation of engineering projects for the Women in Applied Science and Engineering (WISE) summer recruiting programs

The Women in Applied Science and Engineering (WISE) Program at Arizona State University provides summer recruiting programs that serve to bridge elementary, secondary, and college level education. In addition to introducing students to career options, these programs spark individual interest and allow students to preview types of courses associated with engineering academics. Attrition studies have reported that women often enter into science, mathematics, and engineering with little information on their discipline and consequently decide to transfer to other majors or forgo receiving their education altogether. Therefore, it is necessary that recruitment programs create curricula that introduce the student to basic engineering concepts and directly expose them to the expectations of the college level curriculum. The WISE summer program curriculum includes several projects designed to allow the student to experience engineering in both social and academic settings. These projects center on understanding concepts of teamwork, problem solving, and analytical evaluation. Specific projects introduce students to several different engineering disciplines and allow them to draw conclusions concerning their similarities and how these disciplines interact with each other. An overview of WISE summer program projects geared toward the college level engineering curriculum is presented and a discussion of methods used to design and implement these projects is included. Specific factors that influence implementation, as well as benefits and shortcomings of the projects, is also discussed.

ArtVentures in engineering at Arizona State University

ArtVentures in engineering (AVIE) is a series of community workshops and educational K-12 outreach projects designed to examine and explore the interdependence of science and the arts. This project was conceived from a unique partnership formed between the Katherine K. Herberger College of Fine Arts and the Women in Applied Science and Engineering (WISE) program at Arizona State University. The primary goal of this collaboration is to educate and bring community awareness to a diverse population through the exploration of interdisciplinary principles and to value the contributions of artists to science and scientists to the arts. To date, four workshops have been completed and a fifth workshop is scheduled for Spring, 2005. Preliminary workshops described will serve as a basis for statewide and national models to train teachers and educators in bringing multidisciplinary learning and integrated teaching into the classroom. Results of each workshop were examined on an immediate basis however, future research will include both short-term and long-term assessment components to examine program effectiveness. An overview of workshops will be presented as well as future program expansion including preliminary discussions of teacher education and teacher training.

The Women in Applied Science and Engineering (WISE) Recruitment Programs: investing in the future

The Women in Applied Science and Engineering (WISE) Summer Recruitment Programs are designed to introduce female students to the twelve engineering disciplines available at ASU. WISE TEAMS targets middle school girls entering grades 6-9, especially under-represented ethnic minorities. The TEAMS program consists of three days of team training in the context of science and engineering exploration. The hands-on engineering and science labs and physical activities are described. WISE-Up, a weeklong residential program, is offered for high school girls entering grades 10-12. WISE-Up offers a variety of labs and activities, company tours, team-building exercises, and a weeklong, hands-on, team project. In addition, WISE awards scholarships to outstanding senior participants in WISE-Up. An overview of the WISE Summer Recruitment Programs is presented, as well as retention data on 1997-2000 participants who are now attending ASU. In addition, the paper discusses the need for and impact of recruitment programs specifically geared toward female students.

Industry involvement in the Women in Applied Science and Engineering (WISE) recruiting and retention programs

Industry has recognized that the employment of women and minorities is critical in maintaining a diverse and progressive engineering environment. It has played a significant role in the Women in Applied Science and Engineering (WISE) recruitment programs. For example, industry has offered financial support, sponsored company tours and initiated the participation of engineers to serve as educators and speakers for both middle school and high school summer programs. In addition, industry has played a significant role in WISE retention programs including the multi-tiered mentor program and onsite shadow program. These programs foster relationships between students and engineers and help bridge the gap between education and employment. Finally, industry members have further strengthened collaborative efforts by serving on the WISE industry advisory committee and participating as industry panel members at various events. An overview of WISE programs that involve industry support are presented as well as a discussion of the impact industry has made on these particular programs. In addition, the mutual benefits of industry supported pre-college recruitment and college retention programs are discussed.