Advancing Global Capacity for Engineering Education Research: Preliminary findings

Advancing the Global Capacity for Engineering Education Research (AGCEER) is a joint initiative by the European Journal of Engineering Education (EJEE) and the Journal of Engineering Education (JEE). The purpose is to significantly advance the global capacity for engineering education research. A series of moderated interactive sessions are being offered at international engineering education conferences between July 2007 and December 2008. In these sessions, participants discuss what constitutes engineering education research, who is and should be involved, and what infrastructure is required to sustain engineering education research. To date, AGCEER sessions have been held at regional engineering education conferences in Europe, Hong Kong, Australasia, and at the ASEE Global Colloquium in Turkey. Future sessions are planned for Europe, the United States, Russia, Brazil, South Africa, and India. Transcripts of completed sessions were analyzed using qualitative, open coding methods. Common themes across all these sessions were (a) the need for more rigorous engineering education research, (b) improving resources and recognition for engineering education researchers, and (c) getting research results into the hands of practitioners. Variations across countries and regions include who is engaged in engineering education research (e.g., faculty, administrators, policymakers), their levels of activity, and their interest and expertise in engineering education research. Our analysis includes some background on engineering education in each of these regions to help explain variations in the current state of research efforts.