Group work experiences of women students in a Scottish chemical engineering programme

Publication date: Available online 17 July 2016 Source:Education for Chemical Engineers Author(s): Jolan Nisbet, Mark D. Haw, Stuart Boon, Ross W. Harrington, Ashleigh J. Fletcher Chemical Engineering, similar to other Engineering courses, has seen an undergraduate gender shift in recent years towards greater women student representation. This raises the issue of the inclusion, in terms of equality of participation and opportunities, of these women students in learning activities and also the role that they can play in encouraging inclusion and development of others, which can have implications, not only for their current studies, but their future careers. This paper provides both statistical evaluation of students’ attainment from group working activities, and a narrative account of the students’ experiences along with the resulting impact on their inclusion, engagement and group interactions. We highlight the changing role filled by women students and their awareness of these changes and impacts. Notably, the work identifies a change in attitude with regards to roles for women in facilitating group work with many women students purposefully avoiding the additional work-load that past studies have identified.

Source: Education for Chemical Engineers - July 17, 2016 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research