Introducing and Evaluating the Effective Inclusion of Gender Dimension in STEM Higher Education

Marta Peña, Noelia Olmedo-Torre, Elisabet Mas de les Valls and Amaia Lusa
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Marta Peña: Department of Mathematics, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
Noelia Olmedo-Torre: Department of Graphic and Design Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
Elisabet Mas de les Valls: Department of Physics, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
Amaia Lusa: Department of Management, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 08034 Barcelona, Spain

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 9, 1-26

Abstract: The need to incorporate the gender dimension in higher education is a central element of gender equality policies within the European Union (EU). When most institutions of higher education have already strengthened and consolidated their curricula, the next challenge is to include and ensure that all people have the same opportunities to progress in education. This study intends to incorporate the gender dimension in teaching through a guide providing recommendations for the introduction of changes that will allow its effective incorporation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) areas. It will take into account the administration in charge of formulating policies in the field of education, the students, and, mainly, the teaching staff. Its objective is to cover aspects related to the principles of equal opportunities and gender equality in STEM higher education disciplines. For this purpose, 41 volunteer teachers from 8 degrees and master’s degrees from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Spain participated. To achieve the results of this study, aspects related to social and gender relevance of the subjects, inclusive methodology, classroom management and assessment were considered. As a preliminary step to the development of the guide of recommendations, a teacher’s self-assessment tool and a questionnaire for students to analyze the perception of the gender dimension were developed.

Keywords: gender; diversity; equity; STEM; higher education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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