PROGRAMME DE RATTRAPAGE POUR LES
FEMMES À L'INSTITUT POLYTECHNIQUE RYERSON

Le programme se proposait de développer chez les étudiantes les connaissances en informatique et en mathématique, ainsi que les aptitudes à effectuer des recherches et à formuler des solutions. Son but ultime était de former les participantes au milieu professionnel contemporain, où l'ordinateur et les technologies connexes règnent en maîtres.

Les femmes inscrites à ce programme avaient, au départ, de solides connaissances générales. Toutes avaient terminé leurs études secondaires et trois quarts d'entre elles avaient fait des études postsecondaires. Le programme a remporté un vif succès. Très peu d'inscrites ont abandonné (50 sur 55 ont remis au professeur leur projet de fin d'étude) et la plupart ont assisté au cours avec assiduité. L'auteur du rapport attribute ce succès à plusieurs facteurs: souplesse des heures d'étude, étude en petits groupes, esprit de collaboration, enseignement concret, progression individuelle, et acquisition des connaissances fondée sur l'expérience personnelle.

REPORT ON A 'BRIDGING' PROGRAM FOR WOMEN:
Contemporary Careers,
Ryerson Polytechnical Institute
January - June, 1983.

by Sandy Campbell Budden

This program was designed to enable women to build skills in computers, math, research and problem solving; to acquire knowledge of the special features of the contemporary work world created by computers and allied technologies and to develop an attitude to learning and change that could best be described as pro-active rather than reactive. The opportunity to develop these skills and knowledge was provided in the belief that students would then have the tools with which to come to a personal definition of the changing nature of the contemporary work world and the role they would play in it.

This 110 hours program was delivered over a 6 month period: students met for a 3 hour weekly meeting and attended 7 day-long Saturday workshops. Half of course time was formally designated for skill learning; half for knowledge and action planning.

The student population was a sophisticated one. All of the women had completed high school and nearly 3/4 had acquired some post secondary education. The ages of the students ranged from 21 to 60 with the largest cluster of students being in the 30 to 39 year age range. About half of the students were in the paid lab our force.

The success of the program was demonstrated by the very low drop-out rate and high regular attendance. 55 students began the program in January and 50 completed their final project at the end of the program. In addition, the written feedback provided by the students indicated that the program goals were being accomplished. There has been no follow-up study of the students to date.

I believe that the following factors were among those that were helpful accomplishing the program goals.