1. PEERs Seminar: Leadership Development to Promote Equity in Engineering Relationships
Co-Instructors:
Dr. Sapna Cheryan and Dr. Joyce Yen
Teaching Assistants:
Coleen Carrigan and Benjamin Drury

2. What is ?
2008 Grant from the National Science Foundation. NSF Program called I-Cubed: Innovation through Institutional Integration
Project Goal: Improve the experiences of underrepresented undergraduate students in the College of Engineering, resulting in increased participation of women, minorities, and people with disabilities in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).
Created PEERs: Promoting Equity in Engineering Relationships
A Program for-students, by students

3. Week 1 Outline PEERs Grant Overview Class Overview and Syllabus Review
Group Activity on Diversity and Engineering

4. Class Overview Different from standard engineering class
Explore issues that you discuss with your friends
Active and engaging class time
Mix of classroom activities
Discussion
Online demos
Videos
Presentations
Panels

5. What will YOU gain from PEERS?
Communication skills
Leadership skills
Unique perspective on diversity in engineering
New peer group outside of your primary discipline
Exposure to cutting edge research relevant to your personal and academic life
Opportunity to interact with faculty and CoE leaders

6. I3 Program Partners at UW
Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking and Technology (DO-IT)
ADVANCE Center for Institutional Change
Northwest Engineering Talent Expansion Program (NW-ETEP)
Center for Engineering Learning and Teaching (CELT)

7. PEERs Interventions 3 Student-Center Interventions
Peer-to-peer workforce of students
One-credit seminar
Presentations and panel discussions
5 Engineering Interventions
Capacity-Building Institute
Campus-climate survey
Education of faculty and department chairs
Education of staff of existing diversity programs
Community of Practice (let us know if you want to opt into this listserv)

8. Student-Centered Interventions
Identify and develop a cadre of students leaders who will help us improve CoE and engage peers and professors to create positive change toward a more inclusive engineering environment. 
Provide student leaders with information and resources to make the case for and initiate progress toward a more inclusive engineering environment
Students who complete the PEERs seminar will be eligible to apply for paid internships as PEERs Leaders

9. PEERs Seminar Goals
Explore implicit and explicit barriers to creating a welcoming climate for all in engineering and identify strategies to reduce and remove barriers
Examine how diversity fits into and benefits engineering
Develop materials to educate others (students, faculty, and staff) about lessons from this class
Explore how leaders make a difference and how to be a leader with respect to PEERs goals
Develop yourself as citizen engineers and critical thinkers

10. Round of Introductions
Name
Department
Why does this course interest you?

11. Class Assignments and Structure
Class time will be a mixture of lecture, small group activities, discussion, and guest speakers
Weekly Work
Minute paper (in class) to reflect on next week’s topic
Readings
Weekly assignments to be submitted on Catalyst by 11:59 pm Wednesday before class
Expert Jigsaw Model
Become resident expert on a topic and will teach home group about the topic

12. Final Group Project
10 minute group presentation aimed at student audience (your peers)
Reviews insights from the seminar and strategies and arguments you would make to others for creating a more inclusive environment in engineering
Must include 2 of the 3 expert jigsaw topics
Consolidate class material into something that will live beyond this class
Demonstrates what you’ve learned
Chance to put YOUR perspective on these topics

13. Final Presentations Open to the public
Scheduled Time: Friday, December 18, 2:30 – 4:20 pm
Will change time only if ALL students can attend alternate time
Other possible options
11 am – 1 pm on 12/11
3 – 5 pm on 12/11
10 – 12 am on 12/14
3-5 pm on 12 /15
Complete sign up sheet with your availability

14. Class Expectations
Peer evaluation of participation in and contributions to small group work
chance to get feedback on your leadership, group work, and presentation skills
Chance to practice your feedback giving skills
Compile and distribute individual evaluation (cut and paste)
Completion of Assignments (most via Catalyst)
Participation in large group discussions and activities
Bring your perspective to the conversation
Bring an open, non-judgmental mind to the discussions

15. Weekly WebQ
Summarize the reading by highlighting what you think would be useful for others to know the week’s reading.
How do/don’t this week’s readings relate to your life and your experiences?
What surprised you or was unexpected about the readings?
Optional: Submit a discussion question

16. Discussion Ground Rules
What are ground rules?
what we, as individuals, need to ensure a safe environment to discuss difficult and controversial issues
Discussion Ground Rules
Listen actively -- respect others when they are talking
Speak from your own experience instead of generalizing ("I" instead of "they," "we," and "you")
Participate to the fullest of your ability -- community growth depends on the inclusion of every individual voice
Help self and peers to become more self-reflective
CONFIDENTIALITY
What other ground rules should we have?
Ground rules – related to meta-cognition
Expect people to ask about where questions come from. When inquire why a question is asked, looking for where the perspectives come from (e.g. movies, tv, internet, personal experiences, etc.) What experiences gave rise to this perspective or this question about someone else’s remarks. What is the origin of a statement?
Listen actively -- respect others when they are talking.
Speak from your own experience instead of generalizing ("I" instead of "they," "we," and "you").
Practice timely attendance.
Do not be afraid to respectfully challenge one another by asking questions, but refrain from personal attacks -- focus on ideas.
Participate to the fullest of your ability -- community growth depends on the inclusion of every individual voice.
Instead of invalidating somebody else's story with your own spin on their experience, share your own story and experience.
The goal is not to agree -- it is about hearing and exploring divergent perspectives.
Be conscious of body language and nonverbal responses -- they can be as disrespectful as words.
From faculty.morainepark.edu/stiemsj/Ethics.../M-830-groundrules.doc
(google search)
GROUND RULES FOR CONTROVERSIAL DISCUSSION
Allow others to question your position.
Use the discussion as a “learning” time.
Keep your mouth shut. Listen.
Have a sincere interest in what the other is saying.
Respect each others’ opinion: Realize that others will have different realities; ask questions to demonstrate you’re open/receptive.
Avoid sarcasm.
Body language: not rolling eyes, crossing arms. Admit that you’re getting defensive. Maintain eye contact. Nod that you’re tracking what’s being said.
Avoid personalizing the attack.
Research the topic further.
Speak in the first person.
Stick to the subject.
Realize you’re only a small part of the world.
HOW TO HOLD A FRUITLESS DISCUSSION
Dominating the discussion.
Not listening: thinking about your comeback, looking around, changing the subject.
Avoiding “black and white” dichotomy.
Getting off track.
Losing eye contact, receptive body language.
Stereotyping.
Interrupting.
Changing voice or tone.
Waiting so you can say something back. (Or interrupting, arguing, becoming defensive/angry.)
Avoiding “sound bites” / clichés – ideas that have been tossed around a lot.
Speaking in slang/using obscenities/dismissing (“whatever”..)
Be willing to disclose personal experiences related to racism, classism, sexism, and homophobia
Honor confidentiality of personal disclosures
Allow for awkward and embarrassing comments and experiences
No covert or overt put-downs
Encourage open discussion, but will not tolerate harmful language
Intention versus consequences
Learn to sit with ambiguity

17. Group Activity
Individually: Take 2 minutes to answer the question on your handout
Group: (6 minutes)
Assemble with others with the same color handout as you
Discuss and share your responses to the handout question
Record responses (person with the birthday closest to today’s date records)
Report out: 2 minutes per group (person with birthday farthest from today’s date reports out)
Argue for diversity in engineering. How does engineering benefit from diversity?
Argue against diversity in engineering. Why would some people resist efforts to diversify engineering?
Approximately 15 minute activity

18. Diversity in Engineering
Your responses to arguments for diversity
Your responses to arguments against diversity
Arguments against diversity
From Telling Stories about Engineering: Group Dynamics and Resistance to Diversity
“Why is it necessary to permit entry to these ‘others’? If they belonged here wit us, wouldn’t they be here already?”
Diversity as a threat – threat to the integrity of the group
Circling the wagons
Us-versus-them mentality
Idealize the group as it is, not as it might be in some point in the future
“We don’t have a special lounge (or program or scholarship) for whites (or men), so why should they get one?” (These group members are unable to see how all of the institutional structures and spaces they occupy are already their own – this is invisible and unremarkable to them as the air they breathe. They are unable to see how those structures and spaces exclude and disadvantage out-group members, because they themselves are so very comfortable and welcome within them.
Response to “why special programs for women” should be that women and URM men do not need special help to be good engineers, but they do benefit from assistance in dealing with engineering culture. Thus the special programs are not for them so much as they are for engineering.

19. Minute Paper
How diverse do you find the fields of engineering? What patterns have you noticed, and what, if anything, do you think could be improved?

20. Week 2 assignments Potential discussion ground rule via Catalyst WebQ
Optional
Can be done at any time
Venue for addressing issues that arise
Readings
Summarize readings via Catalyst WebQ survey (see syllabus or class website for link)