2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Research in the Formation of Engineers (RFE) project titled “NSF Engineering Research Centers Unite: Developing and Testing a Suite of Instruments to Enhance Overall Education Program Evaluation” aims to address the need for comprehensive evaluation tools designed specifically for NSF Engineering Research Centers (ERCs). The primary goals of the project include the creation of a Multi-ERC Instrument Inventory (MERCII), a suite of both quantitative and qualitative instruments that ERCs can use to evaluate their educational efforts. The main survey, which is modular in nature, has been converted into an operational platform/website to streamline implementation.

The MERCII Platform has gone through several iterations internally, with a concentration this past year on addressing bugs and unanticipated errors. The quantitative survey on the platform currently includes 10 sections: research center affiliation, understanding of the research center, impact on skills, culture of inclusion, mentorship experience, industry engagement, innovation and entrepreneurship, STEM-related future plans, program satisfaction, and demographic information. Pilot data from participating ERCs and other large STEM-focused centers has been used to demonstrate initial validity and trustworthiness associated with the tools, which provide a foundation for expanded use. Modifications have been made to some of the qualitative instruments, which were updated and used to evaluate programs this year. To guide newly funded centers and enhance evaluation within and across ERCs, new content has been drafted for the NSF Engineering Research Centers’ Best Practices Manual. The next steps for the project are to address the sustainability of the MERCII. Now that NSF funding is coming to an end, a permanent home for the MERCII Platform needs to be established, as is a model for ongoing technical support.