The Impactful Partnership: Promoting Gender Equality in Higher Education with ASU and Social Asking

One of the things we are very proud of at iSAW is the work we do with the Universities. The student program supports the following objectives:

1. Raises students’ awareness on Gender Equality in the workplace, regionally and globally
2. Builds research, accreditation and writing skills
3. Builds visual and oral presentation and communication skills
4. Students’ work is shared in the iSAW platform worldwide in 30 different languages, contributing to a greater good
5. Top contributors are recognized on LinkedIn and iSAW.org to help build their credentials and network

 iSAW has partnered very successfully with Arizona State University (ASU), specifically with Professor Jennifer Donovan in running this program for over 3 years now. We have over 1000 students to-date who have participated in this program under Professor Donovan’s leadership. We asked Professor Donovan to share her thoughts on this program with the 2 questions below:

Question: How do you think this project will help shape the perspectives and actions of the students as they prepare to enter the workforce?

Jennifer: This project has the ability to enlighten students to the choices and challenges that they may face in the workforce and be prepared to anticipate some of these in regard to gender equity as well as the opportunity to see beyond the issue at hand and move forward with purposeful solutions.

 Question: Based on your experience with this collaboration, what advice would you give to other educators or institutions seeking to create impactful partnerships for promoting Gender Equality?

Jennifer: I would advise educators to reach out to students and seek partnerships to increase awareness and help to prepare students for life beyond college. This may involve trying new things and being open to feedback and collaboration from different perspectives.

 As part of iSAW’s continuous improvement effort to ensure the effectiveness of this program, we conduct a P D C A (Plan, Do, Check, Act) at the end of every program. We make changes as needed to ensure we continue to deliver a high quality program. Last year, we incorporated a pre and post survey for the students to ensure the program delivers to its objectives. Abi Barrow who is the Co-Founder/Director of Customer Success and Experience for Social Asking partnered with iSAW and ASU in administrating the surveys and summarized valuable insights from the surveys. We were very impressed with the interaction capability (including safe space) and the speed of converting data into insights. Below is a more detailed explanation from Abi on the uniqueness of Social Asking platform.

Question: How would you summarize the capabilities of Social Asking platform?

Abi: Social Asking is unique because it merges the real-time feedback benefits of social media with the structure and purpose of traditional surveys. This methodology combined with our core values, creates an environment where students can engage in enlightening discussions without the usual chaos and distractions of social media, reconnecting people in a world full of noise. We provide an environment for open discussions, ensuring that every voice is heard. Moreover, the intuitive design of the product and super helpful analytical tools provide facilitators, like professors, with instantaneous insights, making it an easy choice for academic engagements. Using our platform, businesses, educators, and organizations can facilitate conversations that matter, ensuring every participant is both a listener and a contributor.

Question: What is unique with Social Asking platform that made it the best choice to engage the students?

Abi: What sets Social Asking apart is its innate ability to foster a safe space for genuine communication. For students, especially those navigating topics as sensitive as gender equality, it’s paramount they feel heard and respected without the toxicity that other comment platforms usually have running rampant. Our platform doesn’t just capture responses—it captures emotions, sentiments, and evolving perspectives as well. This vital approach ensures students aren’t just ticking boxes, but are genuinely and transparently involved in the discussion.

 I want to thank both Jennifer and Abi for their amazing partnership on iSAW’s Student Program, their believe in iSAW’s mission to accelerate gender equality, and the importance of STEM education in helping this cause. ASU’s partnership has allowed iSAW to touch over 1000 students through this program. Social Asking’s partnership has allowed iSAW to take this program to the next level by providing an interactive engagement model to gain insights to the effectiveness of the program. The survey conducted showed that iSAW project on Gender Equality had a significant impact on their understanding of the issues facing women in STEM fields. The project helped them to recognize the depth of bias, stereotypes, discrimination, and harassment that women face in the STEM field, especially minority women. The students learned how much harder women have to work to achieve the same things as their male counterparts, even though some studies prove them to be more valuable assets. The students also learned that equality starts with opportunity, and they acknowledged the need to stand up as allies for women in any situation that requires it.

For the other universities that are already working with iSAW, we thank you for your partnership. For universities that are interested in working with iSAW, please reach out to Julie.Cheam@iSAW.org and we can explore opportunities together.

Below are bios for both Jennifer and Abi.

Jennifer Donovan, Ma.ED, M.S, PhD,  is an Associate Teaching Professor in the School of Math and Natural Sciences for Arizona State University. Her research experiences include work on folivory in Costa Rica, forage enhancement in Mexico, recovery work in Idaho along with lab-based research in conjunction with Dr. Petra Fromme. She has also worked with the AERO Institute and NASA to design radiation experiments for the STEM Excelsior Mission.  Her continued research involves the effectiveness of medical interventions for children with certain genetic disorders and she has been published in The American Journal of Medical Genetics Part C. Dr. Donovan continues to work on research which focuses on therapy services for disabled children along with efficacy of specific online instruction for a large online chemistry course.

Dr. Donovan is particularly interested in the use of technology to aid in instruction and to garner interest into STEM fields for all students. She has partnered with organizations such as iSAW to advance gender equity worldwide. She has performed outreach with several local high schools to promote this idea and is continually open to updating courses to reach out to broader audiences and provide real word applications to the study of basic and introductory chemistry. This has led her into the field of publishing easily available and inexpensive text material to benefit all students.

Abi Barrow, an accomplished professional in the field of customer-centric roles, is a driving force at Social Asking, where she serves as one of the Co-founders and also the Director of Customer Success and Experience. With an educational background rooted in her studies at Clemson University, Abi’s journey in the business world has been a dynamic one. With over 15 years of experience across diverse sectors, including retail, CSM, sales, IT, and business, her unique ability to bridge the gap between technical intricacies and client needs is what sets her apart. Abi’s dedication to creating lasting relationships shines through her exceptional communication skills and her genuine approach to understanding client requirements. Outside of her corporate responsibilities, Abi’s passion for philanthropy is evident through her collaborations with nonprofits like 48in48, iSAW, and hergametoo, where she leverages her skills to make a positive impact on the community.