GSE/RES: Does Project-Based Learning Matter to Undergraduate Women in Engineering? A Study of Performance, Interests, and Participation in Gateway Technical Courses

Franklin W. Olin College Of Engineering, Needham MA

Investigators

Abstract

Project-Based Learning (PjBL), is an increasingly implemented, yet controversial pedagogical technique in undergraduate education. PjBL is broadly promoted in science and engineering training, yet the benefits and drawbacks of learning, motivation, and participation have not been rigorously studied. There are few reliable studies on the impact of PjBL on women, and even fewer studies that describe successful PjBL-related innovations to guide the design and implementation of successful programs at other institutions. This project will help to address these critical gaps in the educational research literature. The study that will identify gendered patterns of performance, interests, and participation in engineering in relation to teaching methods and curricula undergraduates receive in their "gateway" or introductory technical courses. Specifically, the PIs will examine how engineering-related (i.e., physics, mathematics, and engineering) classrooms that emphasize PjBL compare with classrooms that emphasize other innovative or traditional methods, in terms of their effects on women. Over three years, the PIs will conduct an in-depth, qualitative and quantitative study on the experiences of 600 female and male students in twelve classrooms across four high-caliber engineering schools with high percentages of women (32% to 43%, compared to the national average of 22%): California Institute of Technology, The Cooper Union, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, and Harvey Mudd College. Intellectual Merit: The study may advance knowledge about the effectiveness of PjBL relative to traditional and other methods in terms of student performance, interests, and participation as well as provide advanced knowledge of how curricular and pedagogical structures influence academic and social experiences of undergraduates. This project will generate and advance the knowledge about issues related to the participation of undergraduate women in science and engineering and will bring immediate and long-term contributions to theory development. Broader Impacts: This study may contribute knowledge about ways of creating more equitable and welcoming environments to encourage more women to participate in engineering. Results and analyses will be shared with institutional partners through workshops. Findings will also be disseminated through national conferences, journal publications, and other national outlets.