2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This Evidence-Based Practice is a work that presents the result of a study conducted with Brazilian engineering schools, aiming to identify the best paths for implementing a graduate education structure in Engineering Education in the country. The research was carried out within the context of the “Faculty Development” Working Group, linked to the Brazilian Association for Engineering Education (ABENGE). It involved the organization of a Targeted Session (TS) at the Brazilian Congress of Engineering Education (COBENGE 2024), the publication of its results in a book chapter, and, finally, the hosting of a meeting (COBENGE 2025) to develop the strategies to be pursued.
Throughout these meetings, several successful experiences of graduate programs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education in Brazil were presented. There are only a few Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) that offer graduate programs specifically focused on this area, and these programs generally operate in isolation, without close collaboration among them.
On the other hand, the recent national curricular guidelines for engineering programs in Brazil highlight the need for faculty development and training for those teaching engineering courses. They also indicate the necessity of creating appropriate instruments for evaluating the work of these professors, which could form part of a faculty career advancement system.
During the Targeted Session held at the 52nd COBENGE (2024), researchers were invited to share their experiences in graduate-level training for engineering professors. The contributions were diverse, including accounts of teacher training courses, STEM graduate programs, regular graduate courses focused on Engineering Education, and studies mapping publications in this area, as well as reports on the outcomes achieved by students who participated in these various initiatives.
At the 53rd COBENGE (2025), representatives from the institutions that had taken part in the previous year’s session gathered to define strategic directions, which included:
• the creation of a certification process, within ABENGE, for existing graduate programs in Brazil that align with Engineering Education (EE);
• encouraging the inclusion of courses on engineering education within traditional engineering graduate programs; and
• ABENGE’s support for the establishment of research groups and career paths and academic departments in Engineering Education within engineering schools, modeled after the experience of some American universities.
As results, we present a precise overview of the current state of graduate programs in Engineering Education in Brazil and the prospects for strengthening a network of programs that could be part of a certification or accreditation system supported and managed by ABENGE. Such a system could promote interaction and reduce regional asymmetries in the development of effective graduate education programs in the field.
The outcomes of this work open possibilities for international research partnerships and collaboration in faculty development for engineering education programs.