ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the issue of why more women are not attracted to and retained in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education from multiple perspectives and situates it in a meaningful context to uncover the potential "paths" to finding solutions for this problem. Understanding why few women enter STEM studies and careers and developing solutions provides a case study of the limitations of working exclusively with well-structured problems. Teamwork and collaborative or cooperative learning have become staples of engineering classrooms. The chapter provides the reader with an initial understanding of this systemic— and necessarily complex— problem, and specific strategies and suggestions for beginning to embark on solution paths. Presenting and selecting problems that are embedded in meaningful contexts can have a positive impact on student interest in those problems. Research indicates that well-mixed populations can result in more innovative solutions to design problems and raise the level of critical thinking and analysis.
