Collaborative Research: EAGER - Developing a Consortium Model for the Successful Implementation of the Rising Engineering Education Faculty Experience (REEFE)

University Of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville TN

Investigators

Abstract

Within the STEM community, experts call for improving the way we educate future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics leaders. Therefore, we need intentional ways to connect cutting-edge scientific research on learning and pedagogy to teaching practice. To bridge this gap in the research-practice cycle, we propose the Rising Engineering Education Faculty Experience (REEFE), a semester long, immersive program for future engineering education professionals (graduate students). The benefits of the program are two-fold in that it provides graduate students in engineering education research the opportunity to apply their skills in a practical setting and develop collaborations and professional identity while also exposing experienced education practitioners to the benefits of engineering education research. During each semester, a graduate student (currently enrolled in an engineering education PhD program) works with faculty members at a host institution on selected projects or problems identified at the school. Host institutions have high levels of practical engineering education experience, but limited engineering education research experience. Through this program, graduate students learn how to apply their knowledge of educational theory, assessment, research methods, and skills at being a change agent while gaining practical knowledge about teaching engineering from experienced engineering educators. In exchange, faculty members at the host institution collaborate with engineering education research experts (late-stage graduate students) and discover how research can benefit their teaching and classrooms. This EAGER project will support an extended pilot program ultimately leading to the development of a full, sustainable model for a larger Rising Engineering Education Faculty Experience Consortium. In this pilot program, graduate students will be recruited from Virginia Tech and Purdue's Engineering Education programs and collaborate with faculty at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Two prior tests of the program produced positive collaborations between researchers and practitioners and evidence of participants' professional development. These results, expressions of interest from peer schools, and affirmations from independent stakeholders indicated a need to explore a larger, sustainable consortium model. This program focuses on integrating future engineering education experts (engineering education graduate students) into traditional engineering programs in order to provide support for implementing and sustaining educational interventions developed by researchers. By infusing late-stage graduate students into traditional engineering departments, this program seeks to broaden the engineering community's understanding of the benefits to and ability to incorporate and sustain research-based practices into courses and departments. Overall, the Consortium will facilitate the following activities: 1) recruit and match engineering education graduate students to partner institutions where they will work closely with engineering faculty on engineering education research activities, 2) provide developmental coaching for graduate students and faculty before, during, and after the program experience, and 3) conduct research on the impact to the research-practice cycle. Through these efforts, we seek to positively impact engineering education practices and graduate student development.