Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity and inclusion are key topics for the TEACH group, which aims to foster an inclusive environment in engineering education through various innovative projects.

The Reverse Inclusion project explores a novel approach to inclusivity by pairing talented students with protégés. This initiative, part of the "Research among Quality - Young Talent track," has shown promising results in fostering collaborative learning environments and enhancing student performance. The related paper earned the "Most Original Contribution" award at the UK&IE EERN Symposium 2018 in Portsmouth. Initiated in 2013, this track supports talented freshmen in Engineering Bachelor's courses by combining rigorous curriculum reinforcement with activities in soft skills, critical thinking, humanities, and creativity. This program promotes mutual learning and knowledge exchange through reverse inclusion, encouraging a collaborative and inclusive educational experience.

The Balance4Better project targets gender equality in STEM education, aligning with Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite ongoing efforts, a significant gender gap remains at Politecnico di Torino, where only 25% of first-year engineering students were female in 2018/19. The innovative WeAreHERe campaign was launched to address this issue, empowering female students to become role models through guided training and storytelling via social media. This initiative aims to improve female engineering students' recruitment and retention.

The SAperI (Spatial Ability per Ingegneria) project examines the relationship between spatial abilities and success in STEM fields, particularly engineering. By utilizing standardized tests and specific training, the project underscores the importance of spatial skills in engineering education, contributing to better student outcomes and retention. The project’s first results received the "Best Scientific Divulgation Video" award at the TEEM'20 conference in Salamanca.

The Matabì project (website), coordinated by Fondazione Agnelli, aims to enhance spatial abilities and reduce the gender gap in mathematics through construction play with building toys and LEGO Duplo brick sets. Starting in October 2022, the project involves around 200 classes in Torino and utilizes Randomized Control Trials (RCT) to evaluate the impact. Early findings indicate significant improvements in spatial abilities among both teachers and students, particularly benefiting female students by addressing gender disparities in math performance.

These initiatives collectively aim to improve diversity and inclusion in engineering education by addressing key factors influencing student success and fostering an inclusive, supportive learning environment.

We have also been involved in different EU projects on this topic, which can be found here: INGDIVS, W-STEM, HerTechVenture.

Publications

2024
  • Profiles of students in STEM across Latin America and Europe
    Article

    Ballatore, MARIA GIULIA; García-Holgado, Alicia; Tabacco, Anita; Mena, Juanjo; José García-Peñalvo, Francisco; Amores, Lucía
    EDUCATION SCIENCES & SOCIETY
    FrancoAngeli
    Vol.15 pp.19 (pp.260-278) ISSN:2284-015X DOI:10.3280/ess1-2024oa17421

2023 2022
  • Balance4Better: “We Are HERe” More Than a Gender Campaign
    Book chapter

    Ballatore, M. G.; De Giorgi, C.; Montorsi, A.; Tabacco, A.
    LECTURE NOTES IN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
    Women in STEM in Higher Education. Good Practices of Attraction, Access and Retainment in Higher Education
    Spriger
    pp.13 (pp.85-97) ISSN:2196-4963 ISBN:9789811915512 DOI:10.1007/978-981-19-1552-9_5

2020 2019
  • The relation between storytelling, spatial ability and its gender gap: a literature review
    Proceeding

    Duffy, Gavin; Ballatore, MARIA GIULIA
    In: Book of abstract
    DCU Institute of Education (IRLANDA)
    Mathematical Literacy Throughout and Beyond Education (Dublin, Ireland) 11-12/11/2019
    pp.1

  • Increasing gender diversity in STEM
    Proceeding

    Ballatore, Maria Giulia; Barman, Linda; De Borger, Jelle; Ehlermann, Julia; Fryers, Robbie; Kelly, Kevin; Misiewicz, Julia; Naimi-Akbar, Ida; Tabacco, Anita
    In: Proceeding TEEM'19 Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality
    ACM
    TEEM'19 (León, Spain) October 16 - 18, 2019
    pp.7 (pp.216-222) ISBN:9781450371919 DOI:10.1145/3362789.3362832

  • Inclusion: a new reverse perspective
    Proceeding

    Ballatore, MARIA GIULIA; Montanaro, Laura; Tabacco, Anita Maria
    In: Realising Ambitions: Proceedings of the 6th Annual Symposium of the United Kingdom & Ireland Engineering Education Research Network
    University of Portsmouth (REGNO UNITO DI GRAN BRETAGNA)
    Realising Engineering Ambitions: The Role Of Engineering Education Research? (University of Portsmouth (UK)) 1-2 November 2018
    pp.10 (pp.151-160) ISBN:9781861376695

  • Empowering Talented Students: An Italian Experience of an Enriched Curriculum in Engineering
    Article

    Ballatore, Maria Giulia; Montanaro, Laura; Tabacco, Anita
    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING PEDADOGY
    Kassel university press GmbH
    Vol.9 pp.20 (pp.56-75) ISSN:2192-4880 DOI:10.3991/ijep.v9i3.10140

Total: 9