It was interesting for me since I have never used google docs before or created a Wikipedia site. One day and I was able to add to my experience two new items.
I worked with Hadi to understand the definition of engineering education research, I was unable to come up with a concise definition. But there were two options that I looked into, neither made it to the final page because of time constraints. Both were an attempt to summarize the Journal of Engineering Education Special Reports:
The first was Robins and Felder, where they stated that "engineering education involves the engineering professional and society it serves, educational institutions , educators and students...It is an organization that focus on building a culture of innovation and continual learning and emphasize the importance of systems thinking, dialogue and reflective practice"(1)
The other option was to summarize the research agenda.
I think I have my own impressions of engineering education research. Some of my impressions are captured in the quote above. I hope that it becomes a practice within engineering that serves as an engagement tool to align engineering faculty and students with the non-traditional methods in cognitive theory of how people learn, design problem solving process and other tools that are highlighted in the research agenda. These tools should be developed to engage theory with engineering practice and with industry to develop more innovate strategies for building and applying knowledge in practice.
Overall this experience was a great kick off to thinking about writing the essay and working with classmates collectively to create a public place for future discussions on what is engineering education research. I am looking forward to the updates from others outside of our class and hopefully outside of Purdue and the US.
(1)Robin S Adams, R. M. F. (2008). "Reframing Professional Development: A Systems Approach to Preparing Engineering Education to Educate Tommorrow's Engineers." Journal of Engineering Education Special Guest Editorial.
