| Abstract Scope |
“Promoting Equity in Engineering Relationships” (PEERs) was established in 2009 in response to the dramatic underrepresentation of women, minorities, and people with disabilities in engineering relative to their representation in society at large. The program offers an annual diversity course for students in the University of Washington’s College of Engineering. The course exposes students to social science research on diversity, including topics such as privilege, structural bias, and allyship. PEERs aims to equip and empower students as change agents in transforming barriers to equity in engineering. PEERs evaluation data indicates that it has a significant impact on students’ understanding of and responses to diversity, including their understanding of white privilege and their involvement in diversity issues. The PEERs course could serve as an excellent model for other engineering programs. The presentation will outline the course model and discuss strategies for engaging students in accessible and transformative conversations about diversity. |