PECASE: Interdisciplinary Graduate Education in Engineering

这个工程教育职业生涯的建议的目的是开发和测试跨学科工作能力的发展在工程研究生教育的背景下的理论。这项研究的动机是日益增长的全球化和国际竞争，这推动了新的努力，以准备适应工程师谁可以在跨学科的环境中工作。本研究将探讨以下问题：1。工程研究生如何培养对多学科认识论的深刻认识？和2.成功的工程学院和项目如何鼓励研究生的这种智力发展？ 将采用混合方法，其中第一个问题将通过严格的访谈和观察方法来解决，而第二个问题则采用调查来测试初始理论的有效性和普遍性。嵌入在这两个阶段是跨学科学习的评估工具的发展，既增长量规和调查式工具。 研究跨学科研究生教育的整体设置将通过NSF的IGERT（综合研究生教育研究和培训）倡议资助的网站。代表6个工程/计算学科和20个其他学科的四个IGERT将提供研究广泛互动的环境：工程师-工程师，工程师-科学家，工程师-社会科学家，工程师-艺术家，工程师-商人等。拟议的工作包括通过定性技术发展理论，通过调查研究测试理论，并通过伙伴机构的研讨会分享结果。

The purpose of this engineering education CAREER proposal is to develop and test a theory of the development of interdisciplinary work ability in the context of graduate education in engineering. The motivation for this research is the increasing globalization and international competition, which drive renewed efforts to prepare adaptable engineers who can work in interdisciplinary environments. The following research questions will be addressed: 1. How do engineering graduate students develop deep awareness of multiple (disciplinary) epistemologies? and 2. What do successful engineering faculty and programs do to encourage this type of intellectual development in graduate students? A mixed methods approach will be used, in which the first question will be addressed through rigorous interview and observation methods, while the second employs surveys to test the validity and generalizability of the initial theory. Embedded in both phases is development of assessment tools interdisciplinary learning, both a growth rubric and a survey-style instrument. The overall setting for studying interdisciplinary graduate education will be sites funded through NSF's IGERT (Integrative Graduate Education Research and Training) initiative. Four IGERTs representing 6 engineering/computing disciplines and 20 other disciplines will provide the setting to study a wide range of interactions: engineer-engineer, engineer-scientist, engineer-social scientist, engineer-artist, engineer-businessperson, and others. The proposed work comprises development of the theory via qualitative techniques, testing of the theory via survey research, and sharing of the results through workshops at the partner institutions.