Page 100 - Educating the Engineer of 2020: Adapting Engineering Education to the New Century

Educating the Engineer of 2020: Adapting Engineering Education to the New Century
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11338.html

THE ENGINEERING EDUCATION COALITIONS PROGRAM 83

The most productive EEC projects led to the development of re-
sources that were intended to make it easier for others to explore inno-
vative approaches. For example, interactive workshops were focused on
modeling pedagogical innovations being tried and advocated in the
EECs, assessment instruments and methods were developed for assess-
ing student learning, websites provided widespread access to publica-
tions and other resources created as a result of EEC activities, and sum-
mary documents were produced synthesizing research and innovation
in engineering education both as part of the EECs and from other
sources.
However, faculty and institutions that had not been directly in-
volved in the EECs showed little interest in adopting these innovations,
even when assessment data demonstrated that they led to measurable
improvements in retention and/or student learning. Thus, it was clear
that catalyzing systemic reform would require more than model pro-
grams and approaches that could be adapted by faculty members any-
where. It would require “out-of-the-box” thinking and the active par-
ticipation of educators in conversations about learning, assessment, and
teaching before adoption could be expected.

INTRODUCTION
NSF developed the EEC Program to stimulate the development of
models of bold, innovative systemic reforms in undergraduate engineer-
ing education. Through the EEC Program, groups of universities and
colleges with different characteristics formed coalitions for the purpose
of becoming agents of change in the engineering education community.
Goals for systemic reform included increasing the retention of students,
especially students from underrepresented groups, such as white women
and minorities; and improving introductory experiences in engineering
through active, experiential learning, such as artifact dissection, and
multidisciplinary capstone design experiences. Reforms developed by
EECs have reinvigorated undergraduate engineering curricula at insti-
tutions throughout the coalitions and beyond and are turning out gradu-
ates who are better prepared to meet the challenges of a constantly
changing global workforce. At the same time, EEC participating schools
(listed in Table 1) have increased diversity, improved student retention,
and increased graduation rates.

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