Taste of EngineeringINTEGRATING ENGINEERING INTO A LIBERAL ARTS INSTITUTION

摘要

Studies show that exposing students to engineering early in their college career increases their retentionin engineering programs. But how can such an experience be created at a liberal arts partner institutionthat has no engineering department? The College of St. Catherine, the largest Catholic women’sinstitution in the US, is the liberal arts partner in engineering dual degree programs with the University ofMinnesota and Washington University. Recruitment and retention of women in engineering is animportant part of the College’s mission to educate women to lead and influence. “Taste of Engineering” isa pilot program that both supports women deciding to major in engineering and exposes other students towhat engineering is. The program’s design rests on the school’s strengths as a 100-year-old women’scollege and center for social activism as well as the current research in women and engineering. It hasgroups of students gathering together to address socially relevant problems using the engineering designprocess. Other important characteristics include 1) creating a social nature to the gathering, 2) educatingscience faculty about the engineering process so they can better identify successful engineering studentsand relate their courses to engineering students, 3) making the program into a 1-credit course that couldbe taken by students each semester during their 2-3-years of engineering preparation at the College, 4)tracking the participants’ success in the engineering part of their education, and 5) assisting otherinstitutions interested in creating a campus-wide, women-friendly recruitment and retention program attheir campuses.