DEM/RES: Small Group Mathematical Modeling Approaches to Improved Gender Equity in Engineering (SGMM) Project

小组数学建模方法，以改善性别平等的工程（SGMM）项目是一个合作之间的工程和数学教育学院在普渡大学。该计划旨在表明，大学工程课程的创新有可能解决兴趣和持久性方面的性别差异，并且实施是系统的。拟议的努力将旨在解决已被确定为基础的工程和可能的障碍，为妇女在这些课程的数学主题，并设计的技能和能力，妇女带来的工程奖励和重视的环境。建模活动将被纳入选定的早期工程课程在普渡大学，包括所有新生的要求工程专业的学生。这些涉及到3000多名工程专业的学生（约600名妇女）在大一工程课程，所有教师在大一工程（包括教师和研究生助理），以及一些工程教师教大二水平的课程。在第一阶段，一个小型的技术团队，现实，建模活动将是所有新生的要求。该活动将通过WebCT（一种基于互联网的教学工具）[www.webct.com]进行。在第二阶段，更多的真实建模活动将被纳入大学生材料工程课程。补充研究工作将用于建立这一创新的案例研究。研究的目的是告知（1）这些建模活动是如何用来识别新兴的学生人才，（2）如何使用这些活动的各种选区的反应（男性和女性学生，教师），（3）这些活动如何解决目标数学领域，以及（4）学生的未来工程职业的愿景和他们的性别认同如何相互作用。这些信息将提供深入了解小型技术团队的潜在影响，工程课程中的现实建模活动，普渡大学工程项目的性别平等问题动态，以及工程项目之外可能影响学生兴趣和持久性的因素拟议的项目在学生、教员和方案一级研究与性别有关的问题。这些活动和辅助材料将在普渡大学赞助的网站上提供给其他大学，并与普渡大学妇女工程项目网站相连。

The Small Group Mathematical Modeling Approaches to Improved Gender Equity in Engineering (SGMM) Project is a collaboration between the engineering and mathematics education faculty at Purdue University. The plan is to demonstrate that innovations in collegiate engineering courses have the potential to address gender differences in interest and persistence, and that the implementation is systemic. The proposed effort will be designed to address mathematical topics that have been identified as foundational to engineering and likely barriers for women in these courses, and to design environments where skills and abilities women bring to engineering are rewarded and valued.The modeling activities will be incorporated into selected early engineering courses at Purdue University, including those required of all incoming freshmen engineering students. Those involved are over 3000 engineering students (~600 women) in freshman engineering courses, all instructors in freshman engineering (including faculty and graduate assistants), and a number engineering faculty teaching sophomore level courses. During Phase I, a small technical team, realistic, modeling activity will be a required of all freshmen. The activity will be delivered via WebCT, an internet-based instructional tool [www.webct.com]. During Phase II additional realistic modeling activities will be incorporated in sophomore-level materials engineering courses.Complementary research efforts will be used to build a case study of this innovation. The purpose of the research is to inform (1) how these modeling activities are used to identify emerging student talent, (2) how the various constituencies react to the use of these activities (male and female students, instructors), (3) how these activities address the targeted mathematical areas, and (4) how students' vision of their future engineering career and their gender identity interact. The information will provide insights into thepotential effects of the small technical team, realistic, modeling activities in engineering courses, the dynamics of gender-equity issues of the Purdue engineering program, and factors outside the engineering program that may influence the interest and persistence of students (especially women) in the field.The proposed project studies gender-related issues at the student, the instructor, and the programmatic level. The activities and supporting materials will be available to other universities on a web site already sponsored by Purdue University, and linked to the Purdue Women in Engineering Program web site.