Engineering Equity Extension Service (EEES)

By bringing together experts in gender studies, the research base on science and engineering education as well as social science, and project management, the Engineering Equity Extension Service (EEES) sough to impact the following influences on girls and women:

1. Academic preparation for engineering study for students at the middle school (grade 6) through collegiate sophomore levels,
2. The out-of-class social environment,
3. The in-class social environment,
4. Curricular content, curricular scope and sequence design, and
5. Curriculum delivery and instructional style.

Through the use of the extension agent model, the EEES project emphasized reaching those teachers and faculty who are neither actively engaged in nor actively pursuing gender equity activities. The Extension Agents influenced the core professional activities of 1) teachers and faculty who develop formal and informal curricula and 2) teachers, faculty, and outreach volunteers who shape the social environment through mentoring and programmatic activities. The EEES objectives were to increase teacher and faculty familiarity with the current and emerging knowledge bases on gender equity, engineering education, and project management in such a manner they became inextricably linked in the minds of our target audiences.

Resources developed as part of the EEES project include:

Teachers Integrating Prior Scholarship (TIPS)
These two to four page information resources distill information from the social and behavioral science literature in order to provide practical guidance on instruction to engineering faculty.

 Data-driven Engineering Education Practices (DEEP)
These two to four page information resources distill information from the emerging literature in engineering education research in order to provide practical and validated guidance on instruction to engineering faculty.

Responding to Administrative Priorities (RAP)
These two to four page information resources distill information from the social and behavioral science literature as well as the emerging engineering education research literature in order to provide practical guidance on curricular and instructional matters suited to the information needs of deans and department chairs.

Applying Research to Practice (ARP) Resources:
These resources result from a joint project between the Society of Women Engineers-Assessing Women and Men in STEM (SWE-AWE) project and CASEE. Each resource consists of three documents - a short abstract including recommended reading, a 2-page information sheet, and a 8-10 page literature overview on a topic related to women in STEM fields. All resources are peer-reviewed and are written as practical guides for teachers and faculty, including research-based tips for improving classroom climate and encouraging all students. Individual ARPs can be downloaded from http://www.engr.psu.edu/awe/ARPResources.aspx. Hard copies of Olio, a compilation of several ARP literature overviews, can be ordered online from http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/olio/6259088, while copies of Olio Digest, a compilation of the shorter information sheets, can be ordered online from http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/olio-digest/6259058.

All resources, including those developed by the EEES project and those collected from external projects, are available using the link to the right.