What is Engineering Knowledge: A Longitudinal Study of Conceptual Change and Epistemology of Engineering Students and Practitioners

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The goal of this engineering education research project is to understand the conceptual and epistemological differences between young undergraduates and early-career practicing engineers and to understand the processes that result in these differences. Past research has shown that engineering, science, and mathematics students do not understand concepts fundamental to their discipline, but researchers do not fully understand the conceptual and epistemological frameworks used by early-career practicing engineers. Since one of the objectives of undergraduate engineering education is to prepare students to practice engineering, it is essential to understand how and what practicing engineers know. This project, focused on the specific context of civil engineering, will model the development of student and early-career engineer epistemology and conceptual understanding of civil design concepts, and identify key conceptual and epistemological changes that challenge early-career engineers. To understand how students' knowing changes as they become practicing engineers this research project is based on two external sources of foundational research: (1) Theoretical cognitive research on conceptual change that provides extensive evidence of the value of conceptual understanding and a methodological basis for researching engineering thinking and knowing. (2) Epistemology research that provides clear evidence of the importance of epistemology to diversity, retention and learning and a framework for understanding how engineers use knowledge differently than other disciplines. The broader impacts of this project can directly inform engineering teaching and learning by providing roadmaps representing how conceptual change and epistemology vary across gender and ethnic backgrounds. This knowledge can help understand, and thus improve retention. To maximize the impact of this research, the results of this project will be shared with engineering educators.