STEM Girls Grow ConfidenceWith Science

Sue Caley Opsal, Co-PIIllinois Valley Community College

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

Grant Team

• Sue Caley Opsal, Co-PI• Dorene Perez, PI• Jim Gibson, Co-PI• Rose Marie Lynch, Co-PI• Kristi Eager, Middle School Science Teacher• John Fusinatto, Middle School Science Teacher

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

The Challenge• Women still underrepresented in engineering

technology

– Encourage girls to consider science, technology, engineering, and math careers

– Prepare for advanced course work in high school

– Foster independent thinking

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

Middle School Program• Began Spring 2010• Two Co-Lead middle school teachers• Co-PI Coordinates• Focus on girls• One full day campus visit per semester• All activities hands-on– Assessments– Integration of STEM– Career exploration

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

Best Practices for Success

• Partners • Participants• Parents • Hands-on STEM tasks• Long-term program• Campus visits• College honor students • Research and evaluation

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

Choosing Partners• Passionate teachers

• Excited about your goals

• Understand population

• Administrative buy-in

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

Choosing Participants:STEM Girls

• Not based on grades• Based on interest • Will follow through

• 23 girls this year – 48% Hispanic

• 68% poverty level

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

STEM Girls Name

• Girls christen themselves….

»Smart»Team where»Everyone »Matters

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

Parent Participation

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

Hands-on STEM Tasks

• Robots• Computer hardware• Genetics and DNA• Diodes• Rockets• Forensic science• Microscopy • Math

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

Science

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

Lego Mindstorm Robots

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

Making Diodes

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

Long-term Program

• Began spring 2010 and continues today• Multiple college instructors from many

disciplines• Most activities are periodic• Lego Mindstorm NXT (robots) ongoing• One campus visit per semester

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

Completed Robot

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

Campus Visits

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

Research and Evaluation

• Surveys

• Interviews

• Random sample studies– Effect of Parent Participation (Diodes)– Boy-girl Behavioral study (March 2011)

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

Pre and Post Survey Questions

• Boys can design and build things• Girls can design and build things• I like to think about the way things work• I like to explore how mechanical gadgets work• Girls can be as good as boys in math• My parent has suggested I consider a career in

STEM– *Likert scale suggestions

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

Interviews• Evaluate pre and post activity confidence• Sample questions:– I prefer to complete hands-on tasks alone– I prefer to complete hands-on tasks with a team

• Likert scale confidence questions – Programming robots– Building robots– Performing math problems– Taking apart computer/reassembling

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

Computer Activity Clip

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

Outcomes: Confident in…

• Working alone: 28%• Working with team: 94%• Millennium generation characteristics

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

Outcomes: Confident in…• Building/constructing, using tools, hardware

(legos, screwdrivers) BEFORE 33%• Building/constructing, using tools, hardware

(legos, screwdrivers) AFTER 72%

• Video interviews 1

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

Outcomes: Confident in…• Programming a robot: BEFORE 27%• Programming a robot: AFTER 76%

• Computer: BEFORE 28%• Computer: AFTER 55% – Video clip: Interviews 2

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

Random Sample Studies• Build a diode activity– Effect of parent participation– Girls participating with a parent had more positive

attitudes towards science, technology, and engineering careers (95% confidence level)

– Both groups said the activity increased their confidence in technical skills

– Involving parent in activities may be an effective recruiting strategy for girls

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

Future Research

• Explore gender roles - have they changed with the millennial generation

• Behavioral study of STEM girls paired with a boy completing a hands-on task

• Behavioral study of non-STEM girls paired with a boy completing a hands-on task

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women

For More Information

• Grant website: www.ivcc.edu/nsf

• Grant Team Phone Numbers:– Sue Caley Opsal: 815-224-0412– Dorene Perez: 815-224-0221– Jim Gibson: 815-224-0453– Rose Marie Lynch: 815-224-0209– Kristi Eager & John Fusinatto: 815-223-0933

04/20/23Building an Engineering Technology

Workforce: A Plan for Reaching Young People, Adults, and Women