Active learning ideas
Women in Engineering History focuses on the often-overlooked contributions of women to the field. A central figure is Alice Perry, a Galway native who became the first woman in Ireland and the UK to graduate with an engineering degree in 1906. This topic connects to NCCA SESE History (Life in the Past) and SPHE (Myself and the Wider World) by discussing equality, perseverance, and breaking barriers.
Activity 01
Students are assigned roles (university board members, aspiring female students, etc.) from the year 1900. they debate whether women should be allowed to study engineering, highlighting the arguments of the time.
Who was Alice Perry?
Activity 02
Post profiles of Alice Perry, Beulah du Pont, and modern engineers like Norah Patten. Students move in pairs to find one 'engineering achievement' and one 'challenge' each woman faced.
What challenges did early female engineers face?
Activity 03
Students consider a product (like a car seat or a tool). They discuss how having both men and women on the engineering team might change the design, then share their thoughts on the importance of diversity.
How has the role of women in engineering changed over time?
A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Women only started becoming engineers recently.
Women like Alice Perry were qualifying over 100 years ago. Highlighting these historical figures helps students realize that women have always had the talent for engineering, even when they lacked the opportunity.
Engineering is only about 'heavy' work that requires physical strength.
Engineering is primarily about logic, design, and problem-solving. Discussing the work of software engineers or structural designers helps students see that engineering is an intellectual pursuit open to everyone.
Methods used in this brief
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