|
Abstract:
|
Websites convey the culture of a department through content, design, and structure. They are the official face a department presents to the world. They can affect recruitment of students and faculty, and counter or foster the exclusion of women. How should STEM websites be evaluated for the message they send about diversity? Design of a website evaluation tool must take into account the nature of the diversity issue in STEM. We make an argument here for the importance of websites and website evaluation to support goals of diversity and gender equity. In addition, we describe the development of a website evaluation method, Equity Enhancement Training. This method involves training department representatives to recognize explicit and implicit messages, and to determine if a site is broadly or narrowly appealing, inclusive or offensive, and whether it addresses diversity seriously or just pays lip service. The authors address the particular circumstances of website evaluation in the context of a National Science Foundation ADVANCE Grant for institutional transformation, as well as the kinds of issues that are likely to arise in the course of executing a website evaluation project in the STEM disciplines.
|
