Collaborative Research: Workshops to Develop a Community-Informed Framework Characterizing the Impact of Engineering Education R&D

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University, Blacksburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of this project is to broadly and comprehensively define impact in the context of engineering education research, allowing the results of that research to be used more effectively in the education of future engineers. By doing so this project will increase the impact of NSF's prior and future investments in engineering education research. Researchers and educators will work together to develop a shared understanding and language around how engineering education research can influence educational practice. This will enable them to effectively articulate the impact of their work to diverse audiences and more carefully plan broad impacts for their future work. The results will provide a basis for future studies on better indicators and measures for assessing impact at the project level and across funding programs as well as directly impact current engineering programs. This project is engaging the global engineering education community in creating a valid research impact framework for the field of engineering education that is inclusive of researchers and practitioners' perspectives on impact; and describing practitioners' insights on the role of research in engineering education practice. In an environment of increased accountability, engineering education researchers are being asked to identify the tangible impacts of their work on a regular basis. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of scholarship within and beyond engineering education on how to characterize the impact of research. A shared understanding among engineering education researchers and practitioners of what research impact looks like for this field lends itself to conversations on how engineering education research can influence practice. The engineering education research impact framework resulting from this study will draw broadly upon the perspectives of practitioners and researchers as well as existing research impact frameworks developed by other disciplines, including health sciences and science in general. As such, it will be robustly relevant across a wide range of engineering education research and practice activities. Workshops, interviews and recruitment procedures ensure representation of perspectives from a wide range of stakeholders and experts. The methodological approach to achieving the project goal adapts an instrument development procedure for framework development and validation, and will serve as the basis for a follow up study of an impact assessment. Because this project seeks to broadly and comprehensively define impact in the context of engineering education research, the resulting definition will extend beyond esoteric scientific impacts such as journals and academic communities to focus on the social impacts of engineering education and related research. Workshops engage a large number of community members in development, which positively impacts awareness, quality, robustness of usability/applicability, dissemination, buy in, and helps develop consensus in the community around impact. Additional efforts and interviews will ensure representation of practitioner perspectives in the resulting framework, even if these groups do not attend the engineering education conferences. This work may also inform initiatives around broader impacts in other engineering disciplines and across NSF.