Departmental Overview

Welcome to the Engineering Education Department (EED) at Utah State University. Our department launched a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Engineering Education program in 2009, one of the first three programs in the nation. The department launched a Master of Science (M.S.) in Engineering Education program in 2021, one of only a few programs offered in the nation. Currently, there are 10 faculty, 2 staff members, and nearly 20 Ph.D. and M.S. students in our department.

Our faculty teach the following college-wide, large-enrollment undergraduate engineering fundamentals and technical communication courses:

  • Statics
  • Dynamics
  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Fundamental Electronics for Engineers
  • Technical Communication for Engineers

Our faculty also teach the following graduate courses in our Engineering Education graduate programs:

  • Developing an Engineering Education Curriculum
  • Teaching, Learning, and Assessment in Engineering Education
  • The Role of Cognition in Engineering Education
  • Qualitative Methods in Engineering Education
  • Foundations of Engineering Education
  • Finance and Grant Writing
  • Research Seminar

Graduate and undergraduate students work closely with our faculty on a variety of research projects in the following broad areas:

  • Engineering Learning and Problem Solving
  • Technology Enhanced Learning
  • Online Engineering Education
  • K-12 STEM Education
  • Engineering Workplace and Training
  • Broadening Participation in Engineering

Many of our research projects have been funded by federal and state funding agencies, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Office of Naval Research, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the Utah Department of Transportation. Due to excellence in research and teaching, our faculty and graduate students have won numerous awards and honors at the department, college, university, regional, and national levels. Representative examples include two NSF CAREER awards (the most prestigious NSF award for junior faculty), two Robin’s awards (the highest-level award at Utah State University), and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (the most prestigious NSF award for graduate students).

Vision

To become a nationally and internationally recognized leader in contemporary engineering education and create a highly skilled, societally and environmentally conscious, and diverse engineering workforce able to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Mission

To achieve excellence in instruction, research, and professional service, the Engineering Education Department commits to:

  • Provide undergraduate and graduate students with relevant, meaningful, and authentic active learning experiences.
  • Develop graduate students with expertise in engineering education research and instructional practice.
  • Promote transformational scholarship in engineering education by conducting cutting-edge research that bridges research findings to instructional practice.
  • Foster and promote equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility as central in the pursuit of academic excellence, discovery, and community by engaging in diverse perspectives and conversations while cultivating mutual respect and compassion.

Goals

  • Mentor undergraduate students in developing foundational skills in engineering fundamentals, engineering design, analytical problem solving, computational tools, teamwork, and communication.
  • Prepare graduate students to implement evidence-based instructional approaches in student-centered engineering learning environments.
  • Lead engineering education research through innovation, creativity, and collaboration.
  • Be recognized as a leader through significant contributions of service to the profession of engineering education.