Communications of the ACM
Colleges Work to Engage Women, Minorities in STEM Fields
Students that don't see faculty or peers who look like them in their classes can lose their motivation, experts say.
Credit: U.S. News and World Report
The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) recently announced that 20 schools have been selected to participate in Teaching to Increase Diversity and Equity in STEM (TIDES), a new initiative designed to help faculty learn how to better engage women and underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), as well as create curricula that are more inclusive for these students.
The program focuses on fostering change for students interested in computer science. "We had an interest in computer science because the data was saying that the numbers of women in computer science were declining," says AAC&U vice president for undergraduate STEM education Kelly Mack.
As part of the program, 14 schools will receive up to $300,000 for work completed over the next three years.
Women and underrepresented minorities also should find out what resources colleges offer students who are interested in STEM degrees. For example, the Center for Women in Technology at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County provides mentoring services, seminars that discuss topics such as networking and time management, and several other resources, according to Center for Women in Technology director Penny Rheingans.
At the University of California, Berkeley, the Association of Women in EECS provides women in computer science with a sense of community.
From U.S. News & World Report
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