Gender-aware course reform in scientific computing

• Autores: Elisabeth Larsson, Stefan Pålsson, Jarmo Rantakokko, Lina von Sydow, Michael Thuné
• Localización: The International journal of engineering education, ISSN-e 0949-149X, Vol. 29, no. Extra 2, 2013, págs. 403-414
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • A holistic approach was used to thoroughly redesign courses in Scientific Computing at Uppsala University. The objectives weretwo-fold: to improve the learning outcome for students in general and to make the courses more appealing to women students inparticular. The redesigned courses include a combination of learning activities motivated by previous research on preferences ofwomen students regarding learning environments and educational approaches. Moreover, particular care was taken to design thecourses according to the principles of constructive alignment. This was achieved by structuring the course content into thematicmodules, where each module was organized into different learning activities with several cycles of action, observation andreflection. Indications that the resulting course design fulfils the objectives stated above are, for example: that the students get aclearer and more coherent view of the subject; that they consider the courses to be well-structured with well-connected activities;and that the student–student and student–teacher interactions are increased. The new course structure is clearly appreciated,especially by female students, and considered to be important for the learning process. The conclusions are supported by qualitativeas well as quantitative evidence.