WG EER brochure

Background

Higher engineering education has become field of scholarly research in its own right.  It is no longer sufficient that engineering education development is based on experience and beliefs. We need evidence and knowledge about the effect of our educational choices. This development towards a more research based approach is sustained by the growth in conferences, journals and publications dedicated to the subject.
Globally, engineering education research is on the agenda for the improvement of higher engineering education and the development of strategies for solving important issues for the future of engineering education, such as recruitment, the need for new competences and the ability to deal with new types of interdisciplinary and complex knowledge.
Engineering education research in Europe, is characterized by a unique interdisciplinary approach. Engineering education researchers do have various backgrounds in engineering, science, social science and educational psychology investigating higher engineering education. Many universities in the north-west of Europe have their own centres of expertise for educational development where the research component is directly linked to curriculum or staff development.
Due to this European unique approach to engineering education research, it is very important to initiate a more structured network among European engineering education researchers. Establishment of a SEFI working group means an important step towards the creation of such a network.Higher engineering education has become field of scholarly research in its own right.  It is no longer sufficient that engineering education development is based on experience and beliefs. We need evidence and knowledge about the effect of our educational choices. This development towards a more research based approach is sustained by the growth in conferences, journals and publications dedicated to the subject.Globally, engineering education research is on the agenda for the improvement of higher engineering education and the development of strategies for solving important issues for the future of engineering education, such as recruitment, the need for new competences and the ability to deal with new types of interdisciplinary and complex knowledge.Engineering education research in Europe, is characterized by a unique interdisciplinary approach. Engineering education researchers do have various backgrounds in engineering, science, social science and educational psychology investigating higher engineering education. Many universities in the north-west of Europe have their own centres of expertise for educational development where the research component is directly linked to curriculum or staff development.Due to this European unique approach to engineering education research, it is very important to initiate a more structured network among European engineering education researchers. Establishment of a SEFI working group means an important step towards the creation of such a network.

Objectives

The overall objective for the SEFI Working Group on Engineering Education Research is to create a European community of engineering education researchers in order to contribute with research evidence to the advancement of engineering education.

Specific objectives are:

- to raise awareness of the need of a research approach to the development of engineering education,
- identify and define the research area of engineering education and the engineering education researchers,
- to support the establishment of engineering education research as a discipline in Europe as a whole as well as regionally,
- to establish and contribute to European research projects,
- to collaborate in the training of  PhD students and to establish a European standard for doctoral training for engineering education researchers
- to influence and strengthen the engineering education research dimension at SEFI annual conferences
- to actively support the development of the SEFI journal European Journal of Engineering Education as a platform for research on engineering education

For further information, please contact: Dr. Jonte Bernhard - jonbe@itn.liu.se
http://eersefi.ning.com/
http://euro-eng-ed-research.pbworks.com/FrontPage