The talk was framed around the topic of social mobility. Matthew talked about access to universities and degree programs in terms of graduate premiums and professional status of their graduating students.

There is an underrepresentation of women and those from a lower socio-economic status in engineering classrooms.

Efforts are underway to address these issues.
1.building the business case of a diverse engineering workforce
a.by showing that creativity is increased
b.by showing that complex difficult questions are better solved
c.by showing that highly skilled graduates are good for competition
2.conducting outreach in schools through activities that are appropriate and relevant to the area, and that include a role model
3.getting engaged with the mainstream education process of STEM learner hours:
a.extracurricular engagement:
a.i.recruitment
a.ii.understanding what engineering is all about
a.iii.building an identity (that can be very fragile)
b.curricular engagement:
b.i.help to develop curriculum
b.ii.make sure it is relevant
b.iii.build self efficacy

Notes from Lisa McLoughlin

The talk followed the path of a person with practical skills (but no math background) who has opted to start at community college to their final destination of graduating from a four-year engineering program, and the questions that arise along the way. Who are they? Are they in the right place?

There needs to be a balance between abstract and applied content, including for evaluation for grades. There is a link through design. Students can close the apparent rift by completing a project in which theory and design are valued.

Students are taught to “learn to learn” so that they understand that various outcomes are valuable.

Structural accommodations allow for a diversity of students to have access to education. Many ‘non-traditional’ students attending community college for engineering are, for example, returning-learners, parents, part time, or low socio-economic status, so providing night classes or alternate models of delivery of material will allow them to attend. Providing a clear list of accepted welcomed pathways would also help.

Discussion
There was discussion around the ‘business case’ model and its effectiveness for this application.
There was a comment about giving students credit for prior experience, as long as it included a reflection process about the experience. This helps to bridge the gap.
Comments were made about the need for a positive identity for engineering students.
Outreach programs were discussed: need to get many schools involved and make the experience authentic and relevant.
Increasing tuition fees in the US/UK were discussed. US = self-destruct; UK = little effect so far, but larger changes coming that might change the picture.