Designing a Support System for Research on Engineering Education
Norman Fortenberry
Center for Advancement of Scholarship on Engineering Education
National Academy of Engineering

PowerPoint Presentation

Abstract
The National Academy of Engineering is launching a new center to support research on engineering education including

• teaching, learning, and assessment systems,
• teachers and learners,
• courses/laboratories, curricula, instructional materials, and learning technologies,
• political, economic, and social influences on engineering education, and
• diffusion of educational innovations.

The working assumption of the new center is that the faculty reward system will not change until research on engineering education is recognized as occurring with the same rigor as high-quality research on traditional engineering topics.

The center's staff will focus on facilitating high-quality scholarship by others through

• building the capacity for the conduct of high-quality research on engineering education,
• integrating engineering education research and practice, and
• leveraging the efforts and interests of relevant stakeholders.

Activities currently envisioned as part of the Center for Advancement of Scholarship on Engineering Education's core activities include senior and post-doctoral fellows, a virtual journal providing access to educational research in engineering and science disciplines, and a community network program to link individuals and organizations into a practice-based community committed to improving engineering education through the provision of test beds for and feedback on advances in engineering education research.

However, for the new center to be useful it must support the needs of engineering faculty. This session will seek your input on the new center's research priorities and program plans. Projected research areas and program components will be described in detail, and you will help in the design process for the new center by providing reactions and suggestions for improvement.

Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will have

• a clearer understanding of the full range of components in the engineering education system,
• a better understanding of the distinction between education activities and research on education,
• established priorities for research among and within the component of the engineering education system, and
• determined what value they would gain from the idealized operation of the National Academy of Engineering center.