ISSN 1072-8325/17/$35.00 Copyright © 2017 by Begell House, Inc. 289 Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering 23(4): 289–302 (2017) IMPROVING GENDER DISPARITY IN CONSTRUCTION EDUCATION USING EDUCATIONAL GAMES Saeed Rokooei, * James D. Goedert, & Asregedew Woldesenbet Building Construction Science Program, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi, USA * Address all correspondence to: Saeed Rokooei, 823 Collegeview St., 132 D Howell Building, P.O. Box 6222, Mississippi State, MS 39762, Email: srokooei@caad.msstate.edu Gender disparity in engineering education, and particularly construction programs, has been an elu- sive issue for decades with some recent progress being made regarding enrollment rates for female students. In the current study, it is hypothesized that educational games may remove some of the gender barriers inherent in the current engineering education environment (based on performance in a protected environment and perception of knowledge gained). Virtual Interactive Construction Education (VICE) Bridge is an educational game with a gender inclusive curriculum that introduces the construction management process using learning strategies that provide experience in an engaging and safe environment while supporting a broad range of learning styles. This study looked at the dif- ferences in performance and perception between male and female students involved in the construction simulation exercise. The main objective of this study was to determine the differences in performance and perception from the VICE educational experience based on gender in order to inform future simu- lation development. Survey and content data were collected and then analyzed using an experimental quantitative research design. The study found that there was no difference in actual performance nor was there a difference in participant perception of performance. Descriptive statistics indicate some differences in the increased level of interest in construction and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines resulting from their exposure to VICE. KEY WORDS: gender, simulation, educational games, construction education 1. INTRODUCTION Gender disparity in engineering education has been an elusive issue for decades with some re- cent progress due, in part, to engineering programs that focus on improving enrollment rates for female students. According to Profles of Engineering and Engineering Technology Colleges (Yoder, 2014) women received 19.9% of engineering bachelor’s degrees in 2014, which is a signifcant increase for the sixth straight year, climbing from 17.8% in 2009. The percentages of female engineering master’s and PhD degrees in 2014 were 24.2% and 22.2%, respectively. While statistics show a growing trend in female participation in engineering felds, there is still a huge disparity when compared to other felds such as education and health services (74.6%), fnancial activities (53%), and information (39.1%) (Yoder, 2014). The disparity in construction education is even more striking with numerous studies addressing restricted access for females in this industry. Toor and Ofori (2011) reviewed the status of women in construction and found that the situation has not changed considerably since the 1990s and obstacles still exist. Isaacs (2001) showed that once female students enroll in engineering programs they tend to stay at ap- proximately the same rate as their male counterparts.