Archived News Items (2003–2010)

2009
Special Session at the 39th Annual Frontiers in Education Conference, October 18-21, 2009, in San Antonio, TX Cindy Atman, CAEE Director, gave the keynote address at the FIE 2009 Conference on October 20, 2009. Her presentation, Educating the Well-rounded Engineer, Insights from the Academic Pathways Study, covered a subset of findings from different components of the research centered on factors affecting persistence in engineering. Download keynote slides (on FIE website). CAEE Research Scientist Debbie Chachra led a special session at the 2009 FIE conference entitled Research Findings on Engineering Student Learning and Engineering Teaching: Interactively Exploring the Implications for Engineering Education.
Sheri Sheppard presented APS results at the ASME Turbo Expo 2009 in Orlando, FL. Sheri Sheppard, CAEE co-PI and APS Team Lead, presented the latest APS results to a national leadership team in mechanical engineering that is working to rethink/redesign mechanical engineering education for today’s global needs. This meeting was held in conjunction with the ASME Turbo Expo 2009, held in Orlando, FL, June 8-12, 2009.
2009 ASEE Annual Conference, June 14-17, 2009, in Austin, TX The CAEE Research Team presented six research papers at the ASEE 2009 Conference. Click here for a printable list of CAEE papers and posters (Adobe Acrobat required). Special Session 2530—Findings from the Academic Pathways Study of Engineering Undergraduates 2003-2008, Overview and Panel Discussion—presented the latest CAEE research results to more than 100 ASEE attendees. The interactive panel discussion generated good questions and thoughtful comments and insights from audience participants. Participant thoughts, transcribed from comment forms, and presentation slides are now available. A pdf of Findings from the Academic Pathways Study, a document summarizing CAEE's research findings, is available here.
Keynote presentation at the WEPAN 2009 National Conference, June 17-19, 2009, in Austin, TX. CAEE Director Cindy Atman was the keynote speaker for the WEPAN Conference, Thursday, June 18 at 1:00 pm. The keynote included an interactive session involving over 100 attendees who shared a wide range of viewpoints regarding potential future actions that could be taken in response to the CAEE findings. Keynote presentation slides and transcribed participant thoughts are now available.
APS research paper at the Mudd Design Workshop VII, May 28-20, 2009 APS researchers presented a paper at the Mudd Design Workshop VII: Sustaining Sustainable Design. The workshop was designed to “bring together engineering educators, designers, and researchers to articulate the relevant issues of sustainability in engineering design education." The APS paper is entitled From beginning to end: How engineering students think and talk about sustainability across the life cycle. The Mudd Design Workshop VII was held May 28-30, 2009 at the Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, CA.
CAEE Team Presentations at the AERA Annual Meeting, April 13-17, 2009. CAEE researchers presented three papers and one poster based on research from the Academic Pathways Study (APS) at the 2009 AERA Annual Meeting. This year’s meeting theme was Disciplined Inquiry: Education Research in the Circle of Knowledge. The meeting was held April 13 through April 17, 2009 in San Diego, CA. Additional information on the AERA conference is located here.
CAEE Director, Cindy Atman, Presented CAEE Results at the NSF Engineering Education Programs Awardees Conference, February 1-3, 2009, Reston, Virginia. This National Science Foundation Engineering Education Programs Awardees Conference was a meeting of current PIs from a broad range of NSF engineering education award categories. Engineering deans, department heads, and center directors also shared in the exciting results of this research. The meeting was held at the Hyatt Regency in Reston, Virginia.

2008
Keynote Address and Workshop at the ASEE—Pacific Northwest Conference, University of Washington, Seattle, November 6-8, 2008. The Pacific Northwest-ASEE/WCERTE fall meeting was held at the University of Washington in Seattle November 6-8, 2008. CAEE team members were in attendance and presented CAEE results. CAEE Director Cindy Atman delivered the keynote address. Cindy Atman, CELT Assistant Director Jim Borgford-Parnell, and CAEE lead Jennifer Turns, conducted a workshop focused on results from the Academic Pathways Study (APS) and the Studies of Engineering Educator Decisions (SEED). This conference was the combined efforts of ASEE and the Washington Council for Engineering and Related Technical Education (WCERTE), "a voluntary organization of post secondary educational institutions within the State of Washington who are involved with some portion of the total spectrum of engineering and engineering related technical education."
Papers and a CAEE-led Interactive Special Session at the 38th Frontiers in Education Conference October 22-25, 2008. CAEE researchers presented papers and hosted a special interactive session at the FIE Annual Meeting in Saratoga Springs, New York. Over 50 participants attended the session which was focused on results from the Academic Pathways Study (APS) and the Studies of Engineering Educator Decisions (SEED) results. The session was designed to introduce engineering education researchers, engineering educators, faculty development practitioners, engineering curriculum developers, and policy makers to recent CAEE findings through an interactive format. For more information on the FIE Annual Conferences, click here.

Workshop at the 2008 POD Network/NCSPOD Conference, October 22-25, 2008. CAEE researchers Jim Borgford-Parnell, Jennifer Turns, and Ken Yasuhara conducted an interactive workshop entitled Research on Engineering Learning and Teaching: Implications for Engineering Education at the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network and the National Council for Staff, Program and Organizational Development (NCSPOD) Annual Conference, October 22-25, 2008 in Reno, Nevada. This workshop focused on recent results from the Academic Pathways Study (APS) and the Studies of Engineering Educator Decisions (SEED) and was intended to promote a dialogue between the research team and audience participants. •To see a short video of Jim Borgford-Parnell talking about CAEE at the POD Resource Fair click here.
CAEE Researchers at the 7th Annual ASEE Global Colloquium on Engineering Education, Cape Town, South Africa, October 19-23, 2008. CAEE researchers presented a plenary talk at the 7th Annual ASEE Global Colloquium in Cape Town, South Africa. This interactive session presented results from the Academic Pathways Study of engineering undergraduates. The colloquium “links engineering educators across international borders and brings together teachers and researchers who would otherwise never have an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas and viewpoints.”
Research in Engineering Education Symposium, July 7-10, 2008, Davos, Switzerland. CAEE team members presented three papers at the Research in Engineering Education Symposium (REES) in July. REES provides “an opportunity for emerging and established scholars and practitioners in the field to interact and collaborate substantively on their research.” REES is an invitation-only, highly interactive retreat-oriented meeting where attendees participate in discussions and activities throughout the symposium.

ICLS2008 in the Netherlands, Utrecht, The Netherlands, June 24-28, 2008. CAEE team members presented one paper and one poster at the 2008 International Conference for the Learning Sciences (ICLS). The theme for the 2008 conference was International Perspectives in the Learning Sciences with the goal to "broaden the geographical, cultural, and intellectual scope of the learning sciences community." For information about the ICLS2008 Conference, click here.
2008 ASEE Annual Conference, June 22-25, 2008, in Pittsburgh, PA. The CAEE Research Team presented twelve papers at the ASEE 2008 Conference in two special sessions (#1531 and #2531) devoted to the latest CAEE research results. The two special sessions were successful, attracting well over 100 people each day. A full list of CAEE papers in the two special sessions can be viewed here. View research briefs based on these papers through the Research Briefs menu tab at the top of the page.
CAEE Workshop at the 2008 WEPAN National Conference, June 8-10, 2008, St. Louis, MO. CAEE and WEPAN researchers facilitated the workshop Bridging Research and Practice in Engineering Education: Student Voices from the Academic Pathways Study at the 2008 WEPAN National Conference. Participants built visions of engineering instruction, programming and policy that stem from gender-related APS findings. For information about the WEPAN Conference, click here.

APS Results Presented at Rice University Dean’s Invited Lecture Series, April 9, 2008 Sheri Sheppard, CAEE Co-PI, presented Academic Pathways Study (APS) results to Rice University Dean’s Invited Lecture Series, on April 9, 2008. Sheri’s talk, entitled Does Teaching Matter? (Making a Case for Better Teaching), explored the relationships between teaching and research using examples that illustrate the variety of ways that teaching can affect the engineering student experience. The talk was based on the soon to be published book Educating Engineers: Designing for the Future (sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching), and emerging findings from the NSF-funded APS. Taken together, Educating Engineers and APS show the ways that engineering education is meeting students' and the nation's needs and the many ways it is failing to do so, and suggest ways to embark on redesigning engineering higher education.
CAEE Team Presentations at the AERA Annual Meeting, March 24-28, 2008 Seven members of the CAEE research team attended the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting in New York. Reed Stevens, University of Washington, and Holly Matusovich, Purdue University, presented papers using results from the Academic Pathways Study of engineering undergraduates.
APS Results Presented at Gendered Innovations in Science and Engineering II conference, hosted by the Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University, March 13-14, 2008. Deborah Kilgore, CAEE Research Scientist, participated in the Gendered Innovations in Science and Engineering II conference, hosted by the Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University, March 13-14, 2008. Deborah was a panelist for “Gendered Innovation in Engineering” with CAEE co-PI Sheri Sheppard as moderator. Deborah presented findings from the Academic Pathways Study (APS) that describe differences between women and men engineering undergraduates in their approaches to design. The conference agenda can be viewed here.
APS Results Presented at the NSF Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEP) Meeting in Washington, D.C. March 7, 2008. Cindy Atman, Director of CAEE, presented the latest Academic Pathways Study (APS) results to over 300 Principal Investigators of NSF's Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP) on March 7, 2008, in Washington, DC. Cindy discussed the APS research plan and findings on student persistence, pathways, and preparedness for practice. The audience included people from each of the 107 STEP projects funded by NSF since 2003. STEP seeks to increase the number of students (U.S. citizens or permanent residents) receiving associate or baccalaureate degrees in established or emerging fields within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

2007
APS Results Presented at the House STEM Education Caucus in Washington, D.C. November 19, 2007 Debbie Chachra, CAEE Research Associate and Assistant Professor at Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, presented CAEE research results to the House STEM Education Caucus in Washington, D.C. on November 19, 2007. Debbie’s presentation entitled Design and Student Engagement: Some Differences by Gender was well-received with Debbie fielding several inquiries from audience members both during and after the presentation. The meeting included three other presenters discussing STEM education topics that addressed: What to Teach?, How to Teach?, and Whom to Teach? at the K-12, undergraduate, and graduate levels.
APS Results Presented at the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology: Gendered Pathways to Success in Engineering, November 13, 2007 Sheri Sheppard, CAEE Lead, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University, and Senior Research Fellow at the Clayman Institute for Gender Research, discussed results from CAEE's Academic Pathways Study (APS). The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology and the Clayman Institute for Gender Research are focused on women and gender in science, engineering, technology, and mathematics, and the impact of women on all aspects of technology. A description of the event is located here.

Papers and Two CAEE-led Interactive Special Sessions at the Frontiers in Education Conference October 10-13, 2007

Posters and CAEE-led Interactive Workshop at the CASEE Dane and Louise Miller Symposium, October 9, 2007

CAEE Poster at the NSF Grantees Meeting, September 27-28, 2007.

Papers and Posters at the ASEE Conference, Honolulu, HI, June 24-27, 2007

Cindy Atman, CAEE Director, presented the opening address to the Danish Centre for Engineering Education Research and Development, June 8, 2007, Copenhagen, Denmark

CAEE Research Presented at ASME Chairs Meeting, March 2007

CAEE Research Presented at the Third Annual Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) Capacity Building Meeting, February 2007

CAEE Presentations at AERA Annual Meeting, April 9-13, 2007

Team members presented results of CAEE research at this year's AERA Meeting in Chicago.

• Invited Session: Images From Professional Education in College and the Workplace: Pathways to Engineering Expertise and "The New Engineer"; Chair: Reed Stevens
• Paper: Getting In: How Women and Men Think About Admissions to Competitive Technical Programs In Higher Education; Author: Lari Garrison et al.
• Individual Paper Discussion: Becoming an Engineering Education Researcher: Finding Pathways Toward Interdisciplinarity; Author: Cheryl Allendoerfer et al.

CAEE's Institute for Scholarship on Engineering Education featured on CLTNet.org: CAEE's Institute for Scholarship on Engineering Education: Building the community of engineering education researchers

The field of engineering education research has grown impressively over the last decade. However, many unsolved problems in engineering learning and teaching still exist. CAEE's Institute for Scholarship on Engineering Education (ISEE) seeks to address some of these problems by actively cultivating a community of engineering education scholars.

CAEE Researchers to Present Their Work at a Number of Major Conferences in 2007

• Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) Third Evaluation Capacity Meeting February 1-3: CAEE APS methods presentation
• ASME Chairs Meeting, March 23-27: Plenary Session 1, March 24, Research on Engineering Education (S. Sheppard, Session Leader)
• AERA 2007 Conference, April 9-13: three papers and a CAEE Symposium: Images from Professional Education in College and the Workplace: Pathways to Engineering Expertise and “The New Engineer”
• ASEE 2007 Conference, June 24-27: 17 papers and 2 posters.

2006

CAEE Papers at 2006 Frontiers in Education Conference, October 28-31

Three CAEE papers were presented in three different FIE sessions at the 36th Annual Frontiers in Education Conference held in San Diego, CA in October. Two papers presented results from the Engineering Thinking and Doing and Academic Pathways Study research threads of the Scholarship on Learning (SoL) element and one paper presented results from the Studies of Engineering Educator Decisions (SEED) thread of the Scholarship on Teaching (SoT) element. 2006 FIE Conference papers can be viewed at the FIE Clearinghouse.

ISEE 2006-07 Summer Summit at Howard University, July 9-14

The 2006-07 Institute for Scholarship on Engineering Education Summer Summit took place July 9 through July 14, 2006, with eighteen Scholars from around the nation participating. ISEE 2006-07 is focused on the theme of diversity and is titled Advancing Engineering Education Research to Meet the Needs of the 21st Century. Scholars developed questions to address topics such as the global engineer and intercultural awareness, social justice, professional identity and conceptions of engineering, and perspectives on the needs of diverse student populations. Institute activities will continue through summer of 2007 and the team is planning for concluding presentations of results at FIE 2007. A description of the 2006-07 Institute is available on the CAEE website at isee-2006-07.html.

CAEE Papers at 2006 ASEE Annual Conference, June 18-21

Sixteen CAEE team members attended this year’s ASEE meeting in Chicago, IL June 18-21, 2006. A total of 8 papers, 1 poster and 1 workshop were presented that included research results from all three CAEE research elements. Sheri Sheppard was one of eight panelists who represented academia, industry, National Science Foundation, and National Academy of Engineering at the Main Plenary session. The Plenary had the theme "Advancing Scholarship in Engineering Education: Launching a Year of Dialogue." Sheri also presented the Educational Research and Methods (ERM) Distinguished Lecture: "Taking Stock -- A Look at Engineering Education at the end of the Twentieth Century and Beyond."

CAEE Papers at AERA Annual Meeting (March 2006)

The research team presented two papers on CAEE research at the 2006 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting April 7-11 in San Francisco.

• Identity in the Making: Engineering Students’ Pathways to Their Professions presented results from the four CAEE institutions involved in the Academic Pathways Study of engineering undergraduates. Members of the campus teams from Colorado School of Mines, Howard University, Stanford University and University of Washington were available at a Paper Discussion session led by discussant Michael Eraut. (Saturday, April 8, 9:05 – 9:45 am, Moscone Center West/Third Floor, Room 3009.)
• The Development of a Professional Knowledge Base: The Persistence of Substance-Based Schemas in Engineering Students, by Ruth A. Streveler, Monica R. Geist, Candace Ammerman, Ravel Ammerman, Ronald L. Miller, and Barbara M. Olds, describes results of the Difficult Concepts study portion of CAEE. (Tuesday, April 11, 8:15 – 9:45 am, Moscone Center North/Exhibit Level, Room 110.)

ISEE 2006-07 Announces National Application Call (February 2006)

The 2006-07 Institute for Scholarship on Engineering Education has begun a national recruiting call for 15 ISEE Scholars with a March 6, 2006 application deadline. The Institute will formally begin by bringing all of the Scholars together for a Summer Summit kickoff meeting at host Howard University in Washington, D.C. on July 9-15. ISEE 2006-07 is focused on the theme of diversity and is titled Advancing Engineering Education Research to Meet the Needs of the 21st Century.

Academic Pathways Study Receives Additional Funding (January 2006)

The APS team gained additional support for enhanced data collection and analysis through an award of $950,000 in supplemental funds from NSF in fall 2005. The funds are being used to support five additional postdoctoral research associate positions, continue the involvement of two former Research Associates who are now in tenure track faculty positions at other universities, expand the involvement of CAEE co-PI Karl Smith, and provide support for additional technical writing and database administration staff. The supplemental funding covers one year of support with the option to apply for a second year.

2005

Institute for Scholarship on Engineering Education (October 2005)

The UW Institute concluded its year in October by sponsoring an interactive poster session at the 2005 Frontiers in Education Conference. The Special Session (titled Communities of Practice in Engineering Education: What Are We Learning?) featured posters that described Scholars’ research projects during the Institute year. The session also provided a forum for Scholars, members of the Institute team, and session attendees to share stories of their work as engineering educators and as engineering education researchers. PDF copies of the six posters can be viewed here.

CAEE Team and Institute Scholars at FIE 2005 (October 2005)

CAEE will present a range of papers and special sessions at the 2005 Frontiers in Education Conference, October 19-22. Special Session T2A: Communities of Practice in Engineering Education: What Are We Learning? (Thursday, Oct. 20, 10:00-11:45 am) showcases the work in progress of the Scholars of the 2005 Institute for Scholarship on Engineering Education. The additional individual presentations of Socha and Walter, Yasuhara, and Lee and Wilson provide more detail on their work as 2005 Institute Scholars. In addition CAEE team members Streveler, Miller and Olds present an interactive session on students' mental models and Huang-Cottrille, Yellin and Turns present results from a pilot offering of the Engineering Teaching Portfolio Program at the University of Washington.

Thursday, Oct. 20

Robin Adams, Cheryl Allendoerfer, Philip Bell, Lorraine Fleming and Larry Leifer
Special Session – Communities of Practice in Engineering Education: What Are We Learning?; Session T2A

David Socha and Skip Walter
Special Session – User Observation and Sketching as Core Stages in the Software Design Process; Session T3A



Yi-Min Huang-Cottrille, Jessica M.H. Yellin and Jennifer Turns
Future Engineering Faculty: How Do They Think About Teaching?; Session T3F

Friday, Oct. 21

Ken Yasuhara
Work in Progress – Gender and Preconceptions of Undergraduate Computer Science; Session F2G

Saturday, Oct. 22

Ruth A. Streveler, Ronald L. Miller and Barbara Olds
Special Session - Cognitive Legos: Helping Your Students Construct Scientifically Accurate Mental Models; Session S2A

Linda Lee and Denise Wilson
Empowering the Engineering Undergraduate in an Era of Economic Globalization; Session S3E

APS Data Workshop and CAEE Team Meeting Upcoming (August 2005)

Most of the CAEE team will gather at the University of Washington in September for a combined all-team and Academic Pathways Study meeting. The team will meet on Wednesday, Sept. 14, and the APS researchers will continue data analysis work on Thursday and Friday.

Second Round of Portfolio Sessions Begins at UW (July 2005)

The Engineering Teaching Portfolio Team is leading a second series of portfolio sessions during the summer quarter at UW. There are four sessions being offered with a total of thirty graduate students from engineering and science disciplines. As part of ongoing research and the continuing refinement of ETPP, the team is conducting interviews with participants and video- and audio-taping some sessions for future analysis.

Stanford Institute Launched (June 2005)

The Stanford Institute for Scholarship on Engineering Education launched with the Summer Summit held the week of June 19-24. Thirteen Scholars will undertake research projects during the academic year 2005-06. There are eight participants from Stanford, four from the University of Washington and one from the University of Minnesota.

Papers and Workshop Presented at 2005 ASEE Conference (June 2005)

The CAEE team presented five papers and one workshop at the 2005 ASEE Conference and Exposition in Portland, OR in June. In addition, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Florida, Raluca Rosca, presented a paper describing implementation of the ETPP at UF. The papers are posted on the ASEE website.

Atman, Cynthia J., Jennifer Turns and Lorraine Fleming
Looking at Learning: An Application of Research from the Learning Sciences to Engineering Classrooms
Workshop presented at the 2005 ASEE Conference

Eris, Özgür, Helen Chen, Tori Bailey, Kimarie Engerman, Heidi Loshbaugh, Ashley Griffin, Gary Lichtenstein, and Angela Cole
Development of the Persistence in Engineering (PIE) Survey Instrument
To download this paper, please search for it on the ASEE proceedings web site.

Fleming, Lorraine, Kimarie Engerman, and Ashley Griffin
Persistence in Engineering Education: Experiences of First Year Students at a Historically Black University
To download this paper, please search for it on the ASEE proceedings web site.

Loshbaugh, Heidi G., Ruth A. Streveler, and Kimberley R. Breaux
Research Design Becomes Research Reality: Colorado School of Mines Implements Research Methodology for the Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education
To download this paper, please search for it on the ASEE proceedings web site.

Rosca, Raluca I. and Diane P. Hickey
How a Successful Idea Traveled: Implementing the Engineering Teaching Portfolio Program at University of Florida
To download this paper, please search for it on the ASEE proceedings web site.

Stevens, Reed, Kevin O'Connor and Lari Garrison
Engineering Student Identities in the Navigation of the Undergraduate Curriculum
To download this paper, please search for it on the ASEE proceedings web site.

Yellin, Jessica M., Jennifer Turns and Beza Getahun
How Early is too Early to Start Teaching? Teaching Portfolios as a Training Tool for Undergraduate Instructors
To download this paper, please search for it on the ASEE proceedings web site.

Two CAEE Presentations at AERA Conference (April 2005)

Two papers based on CAEE research were presented at the 2005 American Educational Research Association Conference in Montréal. 1) Engineering Identities: The Cultural Production of Disciplined Persons, by Reed Stevens, Kevin O'Connor and Lari H. Garrison, describes ethnographic results from the Academic Pathways Study at the University of Washington. 2) From Practice to Research: Using Professional Expertise to Inform Research about Engineering Students' Conceptual Understanding, by Mary A. Nelson, Monica R. Geist, Ruth A. Streveler, Ronald L. Miller, Barbara M. Olds, Ravel Ammerman, and Candace Ammerman, describes results of the Difficult Concepts study portion of CAEE.

Engineering Teaching Portfolio Program (March 2005)

The University of Florida postdoctoral researcher, Raluca Rosca, who led the portfolio sessions using UW ETPP materials last fall at Florida visited the UW in March for three days of discussions with the ETPP team. A Spring offering at Florida was supported by the local Society of Women Engineers (SWE) chapter.
Read more about the Florida ETPP »

The ETPP team presented a paper at the 2005 ASEE Conference describing a modified version of the ETPP that was developed for undergraduate Teaching Assistants and tutors. This version of the program was piloted by undergraduates involved in tutoring for the University of Washington Minority Science and Engineering Program (MSEP). The 4 session MSEP version has been given a UW course number and will be offered for MSEP'S student instructional staff in the Spring quarter.

Third External Advisory Board Meeting held in Seattle (March 2005)

The third CAEE External Advisory Board meeting was held at the University of Washington on March 3 and 4. The Advisory Board and two NSF representatives reviewed CAEE activities and initial observations from study results to date and offered comments and recommendations to the CAEE leadership team. UW Institute Scholars and UW graduate and undergraduate student members of the research team joined the group for the Thursday evening kickoff dinner.

Academic Pathways Study (APS) Team Meets for Mid-winter Data Workshop (February 2005)

The APS team held their second Data Workshop at Stanford University February 7-8 to compare notes on the data collected thus far on the four campuses and plan the work remaining for the 2004-05 academic year. The APS is in its second academic year of data collection. The team has had four papers accepted for the 2005 ASEE Conference (Portland Oregon, June 12-15). The papers describe 1) development of the survey instrument, 2) experiences of first year students at Howard, 3) implementation of the APS at CSM, and 4) two case studies of developing engineering student identity based on ethnographic observations at UW.

First Institute for Scholarship on Engineering Education Enters Second Half (February 2005)

The Institute Scholars (12 faculty and 5 graduate students) are proceeding with their research projects as the University of Washington Institute begins the second half of the academic year. Representative research topics of the Scholars include

• What basic design skills are best learned at an early age?
• Do students develop deeper understanding when presented concepts through contextually relevant narratives in the format of ten minute stories?
• What images of the life sciences do students encounter in and out of the classroom while in pre-engineering phase as they enter introductory bioengineering courses (and how does this affect the choice to pursue a bioengineering degree?)
• Do empowered students feel more satisfied and perform better in the classroom?
• What is the role of the professor in enhancing education, and in making members of a group more proficient with respect to the course?
• How (if at all) do male and female beginning undergraduates differ in their reasons for deciding for or against majoring in computer science?

As the concluding event of the Institute year, the Scholars will present results of their work in an interactive poster session at the 2005 FIE Annual Conference (Indianapolis, Indiana, October 19-22).

2004

Engineering Teaching Portfolio Program (ETPP) Expanding Activity (November 2004)

The UW ETPP team has been working this fall to expand engineering teaching portfolio use based on ETPP-developed materials. On the UW campus, the CAEE team is helping MSEP (Minority Science and Engineering Program, a College of Engineering recruitment and retention program) offer a series of 4 teaching portfolio sessions tailored for upper level undergraduates who teach problem solving workshops to beginning engineering students. At the University of Florida, activity grew out of a discussion at this year's ASEE Conference between UW CAEE team members and a Florida postdoctoral research associate in aerospace engineering. That discussion in June has blossomed this fall as the Florida researcher is overseeing teaching portfolio sessions for three groups of interested engineering graduate students using UW ETPP materials. The UW team is also continuing work with colleagues at CAEE partner Howard University who are involved in the Preparing Future Faculty teaching portfolio program. As part of this collaboration, the UW team will be interviewing portfolio participants at Howard over the next few months.
Read more about the Florida ETPP »

CAEE Researchers Attend CASEE Symposium and Frontiers in Education Conference (October 2004)

Several CAEE researchers will attend the first CASEE Symposium on October 20 in Savannah, GA. The Symposium is collocated with the 2004 Frontiers in Education Conference, which will take place October 20-23. Seven CAEE team members will be at FIE and there are three papers on the agenda authored by four CAEE team members: Robin Adams, Ron Miller, Barbara Olds, and Ruth Streveler.

Academic Pathways Study begins second year investigating the engineering undergraduate experience (September 2004)

The Academic Pathways Study has begun its second year of activity on the four CAEE campuses: Colorado School of Mines, Howard University, Stanford University and University of Washington. The APS will follow the same students who participated during the first year through their second year in engineering and pre-engineering. Data collected in the first year is being analyzed and the results will be used to refine the second year data instruments.

Institute for Scholarship on Engineering Education concludes first Summer Summit (July 2004)

The initial event of the 2004-05 Institute was held at the University of Washington on July 18-23. The Summer Summit brought together the first group of 17 Institute Scholars for an intensive, interactive week-long session. The 12 faculty (6 from UW, 2 from Howard, 2 from Stanford, and one each from NCA&T and Purdue) and 5 graduate students (4 from UW and one from Stanford) refined their research designs, worked on human subjects applications, and shared insights about each other's research plans. Over the course of the coming academic year, the Scholars will conduct a research project on their own campus while continuing to interact as a community.

Institute Scholars attend first Summer Summit (July 2004)

The first year-long Institute was launched with the Summer Summit (July 18-23) on the University of Washington campus. The Summit brought together the first group of Institute Scholars consisting of twelve faculty members (6 from UW, 2 from Howard, 2 from Stanford, and one each from NCA&T and Purdue) and 5 graduate students (4 from UW and one from Stanford). During the intense, week-long Summit, the CAEE team led discussions as Scholars reviewed research methods, formulated a research proposal and initial human subjects application, and began their development as a community. Over the course of the following academic year, the Scholars will develop and conduct an original research project while participating in regular discussions to share progress and insights with the CAEE team and fellow Scholars.

Engineering Teaching Portfolio Program: pilot and next phase (July 2004)

Initial piloting and evaluation of the Engineering Teaching Portfolio Program (ETPP) have concluded and the team is using these results to develop a revision of the program. The next phase will extend the program to other students on the UW campus with a goal of making the program available to other CAEE campuses and nationally. Jessica Yellin, a recent UW Mechanical Engineering PhD graduate who helped design and participated in the pilot study, joined the team in June as a Research Scientist and will play a significant role in expanding the activity on ETPP.

Academic Pathways Study completes first year of data collection (June 2004)

The first year of the Academic Pathways Study (APS) has concluded, with interview, survey and ethnographic observation data collected on four CAEE campuses (Colorado School of Mines, Howard University, Stanford University, and University of Washington). APS team members have begun to analyze the data collected from 160 freshman engineering and pre-engineering students at the four schools. Team members and collaborators from other institutions and organizations will gather in Seattle in early August to continue this process: comparing notes and engaging in two days of intense data analysis and discussion. The second of three years of data collection will begin in the fall. The team made a presentation describing the design and first year of the APS at the 2004 ASEE Conference.

CAEE presents 4 papers at 2004 ASEE Conference (June 2004)

Fifteen CAEE team members from all five partner campuses attended the 2004 ASEE Conference & Exposition, June 20-23, in Salt Lake City. The team presented four papers on CAEE-related research activity. CAEE also shared booth #716 with CIRTL (Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning) during the two and a half days of the Exposition.

CAEE Researchers present workshop at CCLI meeting (April 2004)

Three members of the CAEE team, Cindy Atman and Jennifer Turns of the University of Washington, and Lorraine Fleming of Howard University, designed a workshop called Looking at Learning for the NSF-hosted CCLI meeting in April that brought together program PIs and principals. CCLI (Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement) is an NSF program that seeks to improve the quality of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education for all students. Cindy and Lorraine traveled to Washington, D.C. for the meeting and co-presented the workshop with Robert Mathieu of the University of Wisconsin who is also Director of the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning.

2003

Academic Pathways Study begins first year (September 2003)

CAEE began the first year of the Academic Pathways Study (APS), which is a three year longitudinal study to investigate undergraduate engineering and pre-engineering students on four of the CAEE campuses: Colorado School of Mines, Howard University, Stanford University and University of Washington. Data collection techniques include interviews, surveys, and ethnographic observations.

CAEE shares booth with CIRTL at 2003 ASEE Conference (June 2003)

CAEE shared a booth with CIRTL (Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning) at the 2003 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, in Nashville, TN, June 22-25, 2003. Twelve members of the CAEE team attended the Conference.

Cindy Atman (left), CAEE Director from the University of Washington, and Sandy Courter (right), from CIRTL and the University of Wisconsin, at the booth shared by the two Centers during the 2003 ASEE Exposition.

Engineering Teaching Portfolio Program pilot sessions (September 2003)

Scholarship on Teaching Engineering: The SoT research team has concluded two pilot sessions of the Engineering Teaching Portfolio Program (ETPP). Sixteen graduate students interested in teaching participated in two 8-week sessions. The results will be analyzed and used to inform improvements to the program before future sessions are offered to engineering graduate students on UW and partner campuses.

2002

NSF establishes new teaching Centers (October 2002)

NSF announced in a news release that it was establishing five new Centers for Learning and Teaching to develop teaching leadership in science and mathematics. Three of the Centers are targeted at K-12 audiences and two at higher education. One of these higher education centers is CAEE, the Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education, which is a partnership of five universities: Colorado School of Mines, Howard University, Stanford University, University of Minnesota, and University of Washington, the lead institution.

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