Grants

Two Universities Join Forces to Develop an Educational Program for Women Exiting Prison

There are currently more than 1 million incarcerated women in the United States. And women are the fastest-growing segment of the prison population, increasing nearly 834 percent nationwide within the last 40 years. Yet, most prison education programs are focused on men.

A new initiative led by Hyunjin Seo, an associate professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Kansas – has the goal to help women exiting prison advance their technology skills in hopes of improving their eligibility for better job opportunities and their ability to support their children’s education. Dr. Seo holds a Ph.D. in mass communication from Syracuse University in New York.

The effort also includes researchers at the University of Missouri-Kansas City led by Baek-Young Choi, associate professor of computer science and electrical engineering. The UMKC team will participate in education sessions and curriculum development, build the online learning system and participate in experiential research to understand the challenges of women-in-transition with respect to acquiring technology skills. They will also analyze the effects of different education models – face-to-face, hybrid (a combination of on-site and online) and online only.

“Many women going into prison were underprivileged to begin with, and then in prison there’s a lack of access to the internet,” Dr. Choi said. “This leaves women vulnerable because when they are released, it’ll be difficult for them to find good jobs and have positive influences on their children as well.”

“We really want this program to be informed by research, so we do a lot of research to learn what the participants’ needs and interests are, and incorporate that into the STEM curriculum,” added Dr. Choi. “We also want to know what the most effective way of teaching STEM is for this population, so we’re testing multiple modes of education.”

Dr. Choi earned a Ph.D. in computer science and engineering from the University of Minnesota.

The education program for women exiting prison project is funded by a $1.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles

Latest News

Tawny Dotson Named the First Woman President of Mt. San Jacinto College

1
Dr. Dotson spent six years as president of Yuba College in California. Earlier, she served eight years as a senior administrator with Clover Park Technical College in Washington.

Duke University’s Svati H. Shah to Lead the American Heart Association

0
Dr. Shah is the Ursula Geller Distinguished Professor of Research in Cardiovascular Diseases and associate dean for translational research at the Duke University School of Medicine. She will serve as president-elect of the American Heart Association in 2026–2027, followed by a one-year term as president in 2027–2028.

Melissa Batten to Lead Horry-Georgetown Technical College in South Carolina

0
Dr. Batten will become interim president of Horry-Georgetown Technical College on August 1. She most recently served as the two-year college's vice president for student affairs.

Leamor Kahanov Appointed President of Notre Dame de Namur University

0
Dr. Kahanov became the twentieth president of Notre Dame de Namur University in California on July 1. She previously served as provost at Alvernia University in Pennsylvania, Stockton University in New Jersey, and SUNY Oneonta.

Jennie Sanders to Lead Academic Affairs at Purdue Global

0
Most recently, Dr. Sanders served as vice president of experiential product management and interim vice president of product and technology at Western Governors University.

Latest Job Listings

Professor of Africana and Digital and Computational Studies

0
The Program in Africana at Bates College, in conjunction with the Program in Digital & Computational Studies, invites applications for an open rank tenure-line position in the data sciences that spans Africana Studies and Digital & Computational Studies, to begin in July 2027.

Assistant Professor of Biology (Two Tenure-Track Positions)

0
The Department of Biology at Haverford College invites applications for two tenure-track Assistant Professor positions in Biochemistry or Cell Biology, beginning July 1, 2027 (or possibility of July 1 2028 if preferred by the successful candidate).

Pediatric Gastrointestinal/Liver Pathologist – Assistant Professor – Clinician Educator Track (CHOP)

0
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania seek candidates for an Assistant Professor position in the non-tenure clinician educator track. Expertise is required in the specific area of gastrointestinal and liver pathology.

Pediatric Gastrointestinal/Liver Pathologist – Associate Professor – Clinician Educator Track (CHOP)

0
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania seek candidates for an Associate Professor position in the non-tenure clinician educator track. Expertise is required in the specific area of gastrointestinal and liver pathology.

Pediatric Gastrointestinal/Liver Pathologist – Assistant Professor – Academic Clinician Track (CHOP)

0
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania seek candidates for an Assistant Professor position in the non-tenure academic clinician track. Expertise is required in the specific area of gastrointestinal and liver pathology.