Collaborative Research: Conference: A Planning Workshop for the Advocacy Building Campaign for EER (ABC for EER)

This project is a planning workshop that will kick off an Advocacy Building Campaign for Engineering Education Research (ABC for EER) to promote the recognition and support of EER by universities and colleges nationwide. The ABC for EER seeks to address the problems facing the field of EER in gaining widespread acceptance and support within academia as a valued field of study.

The field of EER includes educators and researchers with experience in the practices of both engineering and teaching and with expertise in education research, psychology, and social sciences. EER focuses on complex problems such as recruiting students in engineering with diverse perspectives and backgrounds, embracing new technologies and approaches to teaching engineering, and preparing diverse types of engineering students for the global challenges they will face as practicing engineers and leaders.

Research by EER scholars provides evidence and knowledge to help universities and colleges address these complex problems; yet their work is often dismissed by administrators and faculty in engineering programs at universities and colleges as not being robust or relevant. This project aims to start the process of advocating for EER through a targeted campaign that will clearly articulate the value of EER to scholars outside the field, to leaders in higher education, and to policymakers who make decisions that affect higher education.

This project aligns with the focus of the Engineering Education and Centers Division to promote research that creates and supports an innovative and inclusive technical workforce for the future, particularly in terms of understanding systemic and structural changes in engineering education programs, departments and colleges.

This planning workshop for the Advocacy Building Campaign for Engineering Education Research (ABC for EER) aims to address the challenges facing the field of EER, which can be characterized as a disconnect between the tangible benefits and impact of EER and the metrics typically prioritized by engineering programs, colleges and universities. These challenges often result in a lack of institutional support and recognition for EER scholars, they hinder the career advancement of EER scholars and the growth of EER as a discipline, and they limit the integration of innovative educational practices within higher education.

The planning workshop will convene EER scholars, stakeholders and leaders at different levels of power and influence in higher education, policymaking, advocacy, and legislation. It will be conducted as a series of three sessions structured to build trust, foster collaboration, outline critical paths for implementation, and establish evaluation metrics to assess the success of the ABC for EER.

Interim steps between workshop sessions are proposed to synthesize, communicate, and gather feedback on the planning process at different time points. The workshop sessions will be guided by elements of campaign strategy to identify and articulate the value of EER to a broad audience both within and outside of academia, develop a strategic communication plan, and lay out actionable objectives for promoting EER within the higher education community.

The two anticipated outcomes of this workshop series are: (1) a list of key stakeholders in the EER ecosystem to participate in the future, ongoing ABC for EER, and (2) a plan for a series of activities to successfully conduct the ABC for EER as an advocacy campaign.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.