Scenario: Gender Gap
Scenario: Gender Gap
Embedded Files
I teach a humanities course (HIST ---) that has a large gender gap. Not only is this gap larger than other similar courses in my program, but the gap is reversed from most of the smaller gaps that are observed in those other courses. In my course, male students have an average GPA of 2.23 while female students have a GPA of 3.4 – a gap of 1.17 grade points. I was concerned about how men are performing in this class, so when I limited the dashboard to male students only, I also noticed a large Pell-gap among those male students. Male Pell-eligible students have a course GPA of 1.08, but male non-Pell eligible students have an average course GPA of 3.04 – a gap of nearly 2 full grade points. The gap isn’t nearly as large for male HUGs or male first gen students. What could be going on with this intersection between gender and Pell-eligibility (low-income)? How can I better support the low-income men in this course? I know the male majors in my program are less likely to be retained and have higher rates of academic notice. I don’t want my class to contribute to those outcomes for any students in my program, but especially when it’s disproportionately impacting men and low-income men at that.
A Textual description of the Gender Gaps Scenario Image below is available in a Google Doc.
How to Access this Page in the Course Dashboard
How to Access this Page in the Course Dashboard
Instructional Moves You Can Try
Instructional Moves You Can Try
It can be tempting to make assumptions about male Pell-eligible students and their performance gaps. However, some suggestions for improving outcomes for these students include the following:
Create and answer a learner information survey early in the course so you can get a sense for their learning preparation and context.
Include low-stakes opportunities for students to connect the content of your class with their personal lives and lived experiences.
Provide consistent communication about course structure and due dates.
Consider adding regular low-stakes pulse check assignments into your course to 1) provide students with low-stakes opportunities for practice and metacognition and 2) provide you with early insights on where students are struggling before grade-altering exams or assignments. You can use these insights to learn about learners' needs and adapt your teaching to meet them.
A few ideas for low-stakes assignments: graded quiz with two or more attempts, a draft submission with peer feedback before the official assignment is due, PlayPosit assignment with embedded questions, exit tickets (OneHE course: Improving the Student Experience with Exit Tickets).
When possible, employ a +1 approach to content and assignments. This means that learners can access the content and represent their understanding in more than one way. In both cases below, the content or the prompt are the same, but the way information is represented can vary.
A +1 approach to reading a PDF would be text-to-speech that allows for a learner to listen to the content.
A +1 approach to an essay assignment would be an alternative, like a slide deck or worksheet that addresses the same prompt.
Additional Resources
Additional Resources
Recommended OneHE Courses and Resources:
Recommended OneHE Courses and Resources:
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