Rigorous Research in Engineering Education: Creating a Community of Practice

该项目旨在通过工程教育者、学习科学家和教师开发人员的合作，建立培训教师进行严格的工程教育研究的结构和机制。工程教育工作者通过美国工程教育协会参与进来。学习科学家通过美国教育研究协会的职业教育部门参与其中。高等教育的教师开发人员通过高等教育的专业和组织（POD）网络参与进来。通过为工程学院创建和举办关于在工程教育中进行严格研究的讲习班，正在建立培训教师的结构。为工程学院提供为期五天的研讨会，以进行严格的教育研究。2004年至2006年每年夏季举办一次讲习班。这个项目的发展是通过建立一个实践社区来维持的。作为一项完善计划的一部分，一名外部评价人员正在评估讲习班的影响和实践社区的有效性。该项目通过将学习科学和教师发展的信息传播到工程教育中，扩大了工程教育研究的边界。这使得强大的合作关系得以形成，因为有关学生如何学习和支持学生学习的教学方法的信息与实践工程教育工作者的内容知识相结合。实践共同体正在使国家一级的有效传播成为可能。

This project is establishing the structure and mechanism for training faculty to conduct rigorous engineering education research through a collaboration of engineering educators, learning scientists, and faculty developers. The engineering educators are involved through the American Society for Engineering Education. Learning scientists are involved through the Education in the Professions Division of the American Educational Research Association. Faculty developers in higher education are involved through the Professional and Organizational (POD) Network in Higher Education.The structure for training faculty is being established by creating and presenting workshops for engineering faculty on conducting rigorous research in engineering education. Five-day workshops are being offered for engineering faculty on conducting rigorous educational research. One workshop is being held each summer between 2004 and 2006. The development of this project is sustained through establishment of a community of practice. The impact of the workshops and the effectiveness of the community of practice are being assessed as part of a well developed plan by an external evaluator.This project is expanding the boundaries of engineering education research by disseminating information from the learning sciences and faculty development into engineering education. This is allowing powerful partnerships to be formed as information about how students learn and teaching methods that support students' learning are being coupled with the content knowledge of practicing engineering educators. The community of practice is enabling the effective dissemination at a national level.