A Gendered Comparison of Learning Experiences in a Multi-Disciplinary Product Development Class
Type of Proposal
Oral presentation
Faculty
Odette School of Business
Faculty Sponsor
Francine Schlosser
Proposal
While cross-functional teams have often been studied in workplaces, similar experiences at an educational level have not been examined. Previous research from the University of Windsor on a multi-disciplinary class of Business and Engineering students supports the idea that interest in entrepreneurship may be teachable to students in this environment (Schlosser, Pasek, & Roy, 2014). The purpose of this research is to investigate further with a specific focus on gender. It will examine if males’ and females’ interest in entrepreneurship changed in the same way and if they experienced similar challenges in the course. Other studies support that there may be gender differences when it comes to learning, and the idea is that “if women have more positive attitudes than men toward cooperation and social interdependence, then it follows that learning methods that allow for the development of trusting and interdependent relationships among students and between students and teachers should be more effective for women than for men” (Rodger, Murray, & Cummings, 2007). Most studies, however, have been in a single- or inter-disciplinary environment. Therefore, findings from this research will contribute to the research on multi-disciplinary environments. Additionally, if such learning environments are found beneficial, and to female students in particular, then it supports the creation of such environments within classrooms, especially where female students’ needs are not being met. To conduct this research, surveys were given to students in the Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship and Global Management Engineering classes at the beginning and end of the Fall 2015 semester. They contained mostly Engineering students between 18 and 22. The data will be analyzed in Winter 2016 using SPSS software. Prior research supports the idea that students’ interest in entrepreneurship may increase and that the environment will be more effective for females, however this can’t be confirmed until analyzing the data. References Rodger, S., Murray, H. G., & Cummings, A. L. (2007). Gender differences in cooperative learning with university students. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 53(2), 157-173. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.uwindsor.ca/ Schlosser, F., Pasek, Z., Roy, N. (2014). Understanding the Value Proposition of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Entrepreneurship. Presented at the Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference, June 2014, London, Ontario, Canada.
Start Date
29-3-2016 10:00 AM
End Date
29-3-2016 11:20 AM
A Gendered Comparison of Learning Experiences in a Multi-Disciplinary Product Development Class
While cross-functional teams have often been studied in workplaces, similar experiences at an educational level have not been examined. Previous research from the University of Windsor on a multi-disciplinary class of Business and Engineering students supports the idea that interest in entrepreneurship may be teachable to students in this environment (Schlosser, Pasek, & Roy, 2014). The purpose of this research is to investigate further with a specific focus on gender. It will examine if males’ and females’ interest in entrepreneurship changed in the same way and if they experienced similar challenges in the course. Other studies support that there may be gender differences when it comes to learning, and the idea is that “if women have more positive attitudes than men toward cooperation and social interdependence, then it follows that learning methods that allow for the development of trusting and interdependent relationships among students and between students and teachers should be more effective for women than for men” (Rodger, Murray, & Cummings, 2007). Most studies, however, have been in a single- or inter-disciplinary environment. Therefore, findings from this research will contribute to the research on multi-disciplinary environments. Additionally, if such learning environments are found beneficial, and to female students in particular, then it supports the creation of such environments within classrooms, especially where female students’ needs are not being met. To conduct this research, surveys were given to students in the Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship and Global Management Engineering classes at the beginning and end of the Fall 2015 semester. They contained mostly Engineering students between 18 and 22. The data will be analyzed in Winter 2016 using SPSS software. Prior research supports the idea that students’ interest in entrepreneurship may increase and that the environment will be more effective for females, however this can’t be confirmed until analyzing the data. References Rodger, S., Murray, H. G., & Cummings, A. L. (2007). Gender differences in cooperative learning with university students. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 53(2), 157-173. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.uwindsor.ca/ Schlosser, F., Pasek, Z., Roy, N. (2014). Understanding the Value Proposition of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Entrepreneurship. Presented at the Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference, June 2014, London, Ontario, Canada.