Rigorous Research in Engineering Education: Creating a Community of Practice

该项目正在建立培训教师的结构和机制，以通过工程教育者、学习型科学家和教师开发人员的合作来进行严格的工程教育研究。工程教育工作者通过美国工程教育协会参与其中。学习科学家通过美国教育研究协会的教育专业部参与其中。高等教育中的教员开发人员通过高等教育中的专业和组织(POD)网络参与其中。通过为工程教员创建和举办关于在工程教育中进行严格研究的研讨会，正在建立教员培训结构。为工程学教师提供了为期五天的研讨会，内容是如何进行严格的教育研究。在2004年至2006年期间，每年夏季都举办一个讲习班。这一项目的发展是通过建立实践共同体来维持的。一名外部评估者正在评估讲习班的影响和实践社区的有效性，这是一项完善的计划的一部分。该项目正在通过将学习科学和教师发展的信息传播到工程教育中来扩大工程教育研究的范围。这使得关于学生如何学习的信息和支持学生学习的教学方法与实践工程教育者的内容知识相结合，形成了强大的合作伙伴关系。实践界正在推动在国家一级的有效传播。

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.