For Institutions of Higher Education
For institutions of higher education, CWD can offer:
Mentoring Programs for Graduate Students
CWD can help establish a mentoring program to improve retention of students. Mentors are experienced scientists and engineers, who act as advisors and role models, in the students' respective fields of interest. Graduate students and faculty members are matched based on field of study, interests, and other preferences. Through mentoring programs, the faculty mentors have the opportunity to share their experiences to encourage students' success in academia or industry.
CWD administers mentoring programs for University of Washington students. CWD developed the Curriculum for Training Mentors and Mentees in Science and Engineering, to help mentors and mentees establish a positive and successful relationship.
Student Tracking
CWD can establish a long-term longitudinal tracking system to follow cohorts of students over the long term. A longitudinal tracking system consists of an initial in-person interview with CWD staff, an annual continuing interview by email, and an exit interview by email. The goals are to:
- Learn about students' experiences throughout their academic careers
- Identify perceptions of satisfaction with their program of study, research, and careers
- Provide ongoing (anonymous) feedback to the faculty on the effectiveness of research training
CWD has perfomed tracking for the Information Technology Research project headed by DR. Mari Ostrendorf, and for the UW Nanotechnology Graduate Student Mentoring Program.
Technical Assistance in Starting up a Diversity Program
For institutions looking to recruit a more diverse talent pool, CWD offers technical assistance in the logistics of starting up or improving a diversity program on campus. The University of Washington Women in Science & Engineering program was successfully designed, implemented, and maintained by CWD for many years. CWD can share its expertise in growing a program at various phases, from start-up to expansion and maintenance.
Evaluation and Assessment of Diversity Programs
CWD can perform a formative or a summative evaluation of a diversity program.
A formative evaluation examines program implementation and quality to determine if the program is reaching the intended population in an effective manner. This information can be used to improve what the program offers.
A summative programmatic and long-term goals evaluation can show how a diversity program impacts student outcomes. This type of evaluation provides data to show how a diversity program supports larger college or university goals, such as improving graduation rates.
CWD is funded by the National Science Foundation to evaluate the Northwest-ETEP program, as well as the ADVANCE program at the University of Washington. CWD also performs formative evaluation of its mentoring programs.
NSF ADVANCE Proposal Assistance and External Evaluation of ADVANCE Programs
NSF ADVANCE aims to promote equal representation of women in academic science and engineering. ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Awards are given to institutions of higher education on a competitive basis. CWD can provide:
- technical assistance to institutions or faculty members writing NSF ADVANCE Award proposals.
- assessment of institutional programs funded by ADVANCE.
The ADVANCE proposal must demonstrate a detailed, comprehensive approach to institution-wide change, expertise of university award administraters in both management and relevant social/cultural issues, and a plan for external review and assessment.
CWD serves as the internal evaluator for the UW ADVANCE-funded Center for Institutional Change. In addition, the CWD Executive Director serves on the external evaluation team for the ADVANCE program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.