Perceptions and understanding of gender inclusive curriculum in engineering education

The scarcity of qualified engineers is a frequently registered concern across the English speaking world. Despite numerous efforts to broaden the entry, the overwhelming majority of Engineering enrolments continues to be male, reflecting the gender demographic of the established profession. The capacity of current University engineering departments to attract a more diverse student body appears extremely limited. Given the urgent needs of the developed and developing world for more innovative engineering solutions to social and industrial problems, this situation is becoming critical. This paper examines one potential solution to this issue. By making the curriculum in engineering undergraduate education more gender inclusive there is demonstrable potential to attract and retain more women in the profession. Beginning with an overview of previous analyses of gender inclusive curriculum in engineering, the paper proceeds to detail a case study of an inclusive curriculum project conducted at one university and the perceptions of current engineering students and faculty about the status of inclusive practice ten years on at the same University. Ultimately the paper argues that ongoing attention to questions of inclusive education must be maintained in order to enrich the educational experience of all students