Today’s Relevance of Feminist Theory and Gender Inclusive Engineering Curricula to help Students Overcome

Thresholds In Engineering Education

Sally Male

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Structure of Presentation• Threshold Concept Theory• Engineering Thresholds Project• Workshops• Sample potential engineering thresholds• Insights from WIE studies and experience• Conclusions

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Threshold Concept Theory

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Threshold concepts are

• Transformative• Troublesome

complex, inert, alien, counter-intuitive, ritualistic, tacit, using troublesome language, requiring unfamiliar ways of thinking or practising

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By identifying threshold concepts we can

• Focus teaching, learning, and assessment activities

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Engineering Thresholds ProjectFirst ever worldwide, inventory of thresholds across an integrated engineering course

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Method1. Interviews, focus groups and workshops to

identify potential thresholds as perceived by academics, tutors, and students a. in individual disciplines and thenb. negotiated across disciplines

2. Workshops to negotiate, refine and reduce the thresholds

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Student Workshop

Participants: 13 students, 7 femaleDisciplines: computer science, chemical, civil, environmental, mechatronic and mechanical engineering

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Student WorkshopQuestions:1. What is the engineering threshold concept?2. How is the threshold concept

transformative?3. What makes the threshold concept

difficult?4. How could we reduce/remove barriers?

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Student-Staff WorkshopParticipants: 7 students, 4 female8 academics, 3 female

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Potential Thresholds 1. Mathematical concepts: moving between

reality and models2. Communication of ideas3. Computingand others

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Participants’ suggestions and insights from inclusive curriculum design 1. Mathematical concepts: moving between

reality and models – provide context and spatial visualisation skills

2. Communication of ideas – give communication status and understand culture

3. Computing – provide introductory courses

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Conclusions

• Knowledge and experience on inclusive engineering curriculum design can contribute to general engineering curriculum development• Helping a minority group could help many