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Female Researcher: We Must Make STEM Courses ‘Less Competitive’ to Be More ‘Inclusive’ of Women
National Review ^ | March 22, 2016 | Katherine Timpf

Posted on 03/23/2016 7:01:02 AM PDT by C19fan

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To: Political Junkie Too

the toilets in the Engineering Hall all had little chalk boards in them.
= = =

Engineers prefer problem solving over a ‘good time’ I guess.


41 posted on 03/23/2016 7:41:28 AM PDT by Scrambler Bob (As always, /s is implicitly assumed. Unless explicitly labled /not s. Saves keystrokes.)
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To: Westbrook

This is the Left trying to Control that last bastion of academia that they have no control over. They control everything else.


42 posted on 03/23/2016 7:41:36 AM PDT by mfish13 (Elections have Consequences.)
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To: C19fan

There *is* a little something to what she is saying. STEM programs use certain classes to “weed out the weak.” In theory, this practice should ensure the most gifted students progress. In practice, it ensures the most confident / competition-oriented / stubborn progress.

I was in a class where the average grade just before the mid-term and the last day to drop was a 30. (70 was passing, and anyone watching their GPA for grad school felt they needed an 85.) Looking at the syllabus, if you had a 30, the best grade you could hope for by the end of the semester was a 76... if you suddenly got perfect scores on every quiz and test. About 20 of 30 students dropped out. That only increased the class average to 35, so it wasn’t like the worst students were the ones who dropped out.

The class average at the end of the semester was 85. The professor threw out the bad test scores of anyone who passed the final.

Who stayed? The kids whose parents would kill them either way... the members of organizations whose other members had passed the course... Not a single white girl.


43 posted on 03/23/2016 7:41:44 AM PDT by dangus
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To: OpusatFR

Women like Parsons could get treated a lot better by STEM professionals if they’d make more sammiches for ‘em.


44 posted on 03/23/2016 7:43:20 AM PDT by jjotto ("Ya could look it up!")
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To: C19fan

Makes sense. All the BS that has infested blue collar police and firefighter jobs — relaxing standards for strength tests — has finally made its way into white collar jobs. It doesn’t matter if the female engineer was too stupid and screwed up the design for a bridge that collapsed, at least her self-esteem wasn’t hurt!


45 posted on 03/23/2016 7:50:50 AM PDT by Opinionated Blowhard ("When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.")
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To: C19fan

Dumb it down, fill it with incompetents and in five years the ‘profession’ will be paying slightly above minimum wage...


46 posted on 03/23/2016 8:04:55 AM PDT by GOPJ (Why isn't the press DEMANDING Hillary and Bernie denounce the violence of their thugs?)
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To: C19fan

STEM courses are fact based not feelings based, subjective not objective. Mathematical proofs must be rigorous, one wrong step and the proof goes blooey! Scientific hypotheses must be proven - they are not the result of consensus. No wonder the “feelings” crowd finds them difficult to comprehend.


47 posted on 03/23/2016 8:06:56 AM PDT by reg45 (Barack 0bama: Implementing class warfare by having no class.)
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To: C19fan

This lowering the bar has been going on for decades.

One of our younger relatives has a real construction project management degree (engineering plus the business management skills) needed to get jobs done on time and on budget.

A couple of decades ago, the heavy duty construction company he worked for magically made female secretaries construction project managers. He refused to work with any of them and his clients quickly did the math on these phonies and refused to deal with them.

I got a phone call from him it went like this after he explained the fraud, “Uncle Dave what should I do!”

My advice was to quickly find another job and let his new company know why he was leaving. He got several job offers. He is still with the company that hired him.

The company he left went broke in about a year. His current company has all the projects they can handle, including many
of his former clients with his previous now out of business company.


48 posted on 03/23/2016 8:12:20 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (I 'm just another low info/stupid & evil/vile/crazy Trump supporter wanting to select my candidate!!)
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To: Dr. Ursus

Einstein translates to “one stein” or “one glass” (of beer) - LOL!


49 posted on 03/23/2016 8:12:41 AM PDT by reg45 (Barack 0bama: Implementing class warfare by having no class.)
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To: C19fan
There is an opportunity for STEM courses to reduce the perception of courses as difficult and unfriendly through language use in the syllabi,

Reduce the perception? Okay.

... and also as a guide for how to use less competitive teaching methods and grading profiles that could improve the experience of female students,”

Oh... this part is NOT okay. Lowering the bar is what we call it, and it's not okay.

50 posted on 03/23/2016 8:16:17 AM PDT by A_perfect_lady (When people get used to preferential treatment, equal treatment seems like discrimination. - Sowell)
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To: Pearls Before Swine

A PhD in education or an EdD is less difficult than an AA in electronics.


51 posted on 03/23/2016 8:16:30 AM PDT by reg45 (Barack 0bama: Implementing class warfare by having no class.)
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To: C19fan

I love these stories where the leftists and feminists rage against nature and biology, as if whining against the unfairness of it all has any weight with nature.

Boy are these spoiled children stupid.


52 posted on 03/23/2016 8:19:18 AM PDT by bkopto
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To: alternatives?

“Generally boys do better in STEM classes and worse in English and foreign languages. Guess which ones they keep adding to the requirements and which they try to take out? It’s part of the war on boys that has permeated our schools.”

One of our younger second generation male relatives is very good with math and science classes. He goes to an expensive private all male school. He recently told us that next year his STEM classes will become STEMA, The A stands for arts.

I posed the question to his parents, “Did they add A/arts to hire female teachers to meet some quota!”

At first I was laughed at, now his parents are not laughing.
They and other parents are now opposing this PC crap. They are paying $20 k per year out of their pocket for this PC bs.


53 posted on 03/23/2016 8:24:41 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (I 'm just another low info/stupid & evil/vile/crazy Trump supporter wanting to select my candidate!!)
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To: Grampa Dave
I just started teaching at a STEAM high school this year (The A is for Arts) and I'm an English teacher. The school is VERY boy-heavy. Most of my classes have about 28 boys and 6-7 girls. Nearby is a Performing Arts school. Guess where the girls are?

There really is a natural division of the sexes, but those who are cross-overs should be given their chance to compete. However, that can NOT mean making it easier. All it can mean is: you get a seat in the class. Do your best and good luck.

54 posted on 03/23/2016 8:28:51 AM PDT by A_perfect_lady (When people get used to preferential treatment, equal treatment seems like discrimination. - Sowell)
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To: Rennes Templar

Unfortunately, the only option might be taking the “fairy.”


55 posted on 03/23/2016 8:38:30 AM PDT by IronJack
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To: Westbrook

[ I work with female engineers that would take GREAT EXCEPTION to the thought that these courses need to be dumbed down for women to pass them! ]

I am one and I whole heatedly SECOND that!


56 posted on 03/23/2016 8:38:47 AM PDT by GraceG (The election doesn't pick the next president, it is an audition for "American Emperor"...)
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To: C19fan

“How do you feel about the number 7?”


57 posted on 03/23/2016 8:39:29 AM PDT by DungeonMaster (the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.)
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To: C19fan
A doctoral candidate at the University of North Dakota published a paper suggesting that we should make Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses more “inclusive” of women by making then “less competitive”

China and India have got to be laughing their heads off about nonsense like this.
58 posted on 03/23/2016 8:42:13 AM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: C19fan

This is like making the military “less competitive” so women can qualify for combat service. Making it less competitive is dangerous for the woman who couldn’t quite make the grade and the men who would be fighting alongside her.

My grandson is a computer science graduate from Purdue. There were 100 students in his class; 5 were women. He was offered an excellent job he loves and is doing extremely well. He has an opportunity for a great future. The company he is working for recruited from 3 universities because they know the quality of education those students receive. They know the curriculum has not been “dumbed down”, to put it bluntly.


59 posted on 03/23/2016 8:42:24 AM PDT by GoldwaterChick
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To: GOPJ

[ Dumb it down, fill it with incompetents and in five years the ‘profession’ will be paying slightly above minimum wage... ]

We used to be a “Merit-ocracy” now we are a “Victim-ocracy”


60 posted on 03/23/2016 8:45:27 AM PDT by GraceG (The election doesn't pick the next president, it is an audition for "American Emperor"...)
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