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Career Advancement of Women in Engineering Disciplines at Two-Year Degree Institutions: Documenting Challenges and Potential Solutions to Raise Inclusivity

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Conference

2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Minneapolis, MN

Publication Date

August 23, 2022

Start Date

June 26, 2022

End Date

June 29, 2022

Conference Session

Inclusivity at Two Year Colleges

Page Count

8

DOI

10.18260/1-2--40561

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/40561

Download Count

224

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Paper Authors

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Kimberly Luthi Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide

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Abstract

This paper presents the findings from a Delphi study exploring structural support systems that leads to women’s advancement and factors that have the potential to delay women’s career acceleration in higher education institutions that offer two-year degrees, specifically within engineering disciplines. Through four consecutive rounds, the Delphi method provided a consensus-building approach to explore the experiences and perceptions of 17 panelists who currently or formerly served in an academic leadership position overseeing faculty and staff in engineering-related and STEM-related programs. The diverse panel included women who held positions as deans, principal investigators over large federally-funded programs, and assistant vice presidents. A consensus was reached on nine factors supporting advancement and three factors inhibiting advancement for a total of 12 factors that were considered relevant to the research questions based on the mean score of 3.50.

Two-year degree offering institutions have unique missions focused on student success in general studies and relevant workforce education which is often reflected in the requirements for promotion and tenure (Shattuck et al., 2018). The research is centered on the experiences of women who have served at this specific institution type to better understand how the conditions at two-year degree institutions may differ from those at larger research institutions in the context of advancement opportunities. These traditionally open-access institutions attract faculty that are focused on teaching and service within postsecondary two-year programs designed to address regional STEM workforce needs. These programs have diverse student populations with specific needs that require additional attention of faculty to engage in best practices for teaching and learning. The institutional commitment to student learning metrics is reflected in the promotion process as faculty members at two-year degree institutions may be evaluated and promoted on their abilities to contribute to the institutional benchmarks for student learning, success and persistence, among others without research and publication pressure. Therefore, this study sheds light on factors that were identified by the women panelists with shared experiences and were deemed relevant for supporting advancement: Support Systems, Personal Attributes, Willingness to Advance, Leadership Skills, Curiosity about New Experiences, Role Models, Opportunities for Leadership Roles, Experiences in Undergraduate and Graduate Studies, and Awareness of Institutional Environments; and those for inhibiting advancement: Conflicting Family Obligations, Lack of Compensation, and Personal Concerns. Support System and Personal Attributes were the top-rated factors contributing to advancement, while Conflicting Family Obligations and Lack of Compensation were the leading hindrances. The paper addresses implications for practice based on these findings and considers the differences in workplace climate and the alternative pathways to promotion available at two-year degree offering institutions that may impact the experiences of the participants in this study who served as a current or former administrator at these institutions.

Luthi, K. (2022, August), Career Advancement of Women in Engineering Disciplines at Two-Year Degree Institutions: Documenting Challenges and Potential Solutions to Raise Inclusivity Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--40561

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