Recruitment and Retention of Women in STEM

Institute for Women in Trades, Technology and Science

WomenTech Educators Scale-Up Workshop (funded by NSF)

Del Mar CollegeCorpus Christi, TXJune 24-28th

e-RecruitmentHaving a mobile version of school website

In-progress

Diversity in images on webpages (50% should be female)

Lots of images

Website ExperienceOnline Expectations of Prospective Students

and Their Parents, 2011One in five students removed a school from

consideration because of a bad experience on the website

When first visiting a school’s website, more students and parents tend to click on links related to academics and programs of study

https://www.noellevitz.com/documents/shared/Papers_and_Research/2011/2011_E-Expectations.pdf

Presenting Female Role ModelsProgram of Study one of highest traffic pages

on college websites Feature smiling women on programs of studyBest to use our own labs

Programs of StudyList career pathwaysLocal industry/businesses that hire certain

majorsSalary information – glassdoor.comLinks to programs at our four-year schools

Website Experience27% of students with Facebook accounts had

visited a college’s Facebook page55% of students watch videos hosted on the

college website88% of students use email93% who use email check the address they

gave the college at least once a week

https://www.noellevitz.com/documents/shared/Papers_and_Research/2011/2011_E-Expectations.pdf

Email ExperienceHigher-Ed Benchmarks – 2012 e-Recruiting

Practices and Trends at Four-Year and Two-Year SchoolsA typical prospective student in 4-year

colleges receives 15 bulk/blast emails compared to two from 2-year colleges

Most students (79%) find email helpful when considering colleges in a separate 2010 study

https://www.noellevitz.com/documents/shared/Papers_and_Research/2012/2012%20E-Recruiting%20Practices%20Report.pdf

WebChats220 of the 260 students who participated in a video chat in 2010 applied to Ohio Wesleyan.

92 were ultimately enrolled.

Dedicated WebpagesWomen in Program X webpage

http://depts.gpc.edu/~dunmath/STEMwomen.html

Minorities in Program X webpageChanging careers webpage

Student success stories, resources, role models

e-newsletters

Presenting Female Role ModelsMatch up female students with female

mentors

Guest speakers from women in the field/workforce

Posters/Flyers/Outreach Materials

Finding mentorsLocal industry leadersAlumni groupsAssociationsLocal community leaders

Press & EventsGet local TV news to talk about specific

and/or new programsRecruit at events on campus

Science Olympiad

EnrollmentUser Friendly as possible

Pre-College workshops/classesMyFoundationsLab

RetentionHave content/curriculum that appeals to the

targeted audience

LEGO MindStorms Themes

Robotic Arm Robot Scorpion Dinosaur Snake

Skills they teach Robotics Programming Teamwork Math Science Engineering

PicoCrickets Themes

Singing Cake Purring Cat Glowing Night Lights Play Dough Piano Interactive Jewelry

Skills They Teach Robotics Programming Teamwork Math Science Engineering

Open Labs

Female students come with less hands-on experience

Pair females together

Additional Lab time staffed with female and minority students

CommunitiesCreate communities

Women and minority networks Women in STEM club

Study GroupsMentoring

Retention – ConfidenceWhy Women Leave (STEM majors)

Lack of confidence and perception of poor gradesLack of building block skillsClimate/Classroom environment not friends and no

communityLearning style/curriculum not appealingWork Overload

Create curriculum that engages and builds confidence

Teach how to manage unrealistic expectations

Time Management SkillsGuaranteed 4.0 plan

Arizona State University minority engineering students who participated in the Academic Success class and practiced the Guarantee 4.0 plan received a higher GPA than others

Minority Engineering Students in Trial Program

Average First Semester GPA

Students in Academic Success Class with 4.0 3.58 (n=11)

Students who did not attend Academic Success Class 1.87 (n=13)