2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This research paper examines the differences in faculty perceptions on the roles and responsibilities of Engineering Education (EEd) departments, specifically looking at differences in EEd faculty versus faculty in other engineering departments. There are currently about 25 institutions offering a type of graduate degree in engineering education in the United States and dozens more that offer related STEM education graduate degrees or affiliated credentials. In addition to formal education programs, many universities have centers for teaching and learning that support to STEM educators to understand and implement pedagogical innovations. In the United States, Engineering Education departments are being formed that vary significantly in terms of their structures, roles, resources, and challenges. As the emergence of EEd departments continues to increase, it becomes critical to understand the differences in structures, and to examine if it impacts the perceived roles and responsibilities of the EEd group.

The potential for Engineering Education departments to serve as critical advocates and facilitators for pedagogical types of changes within university engineering education prompted the investigation on the role of EEd departments as perceived by its members (faculty and chairs), and the engineering community at their institutions (faculty, chairs, and deans). This study includes a survey, with optional interview to explore the perceived roles and positioning of Engineering Education departments or centers for Engineering Education within their university ecosystems.

We surveyed over 30 faculty, research center directors, and department heads from institutions with different styles of Engineering Education departments or centers for engineering education. Questions ranged from selecting all that applied about current roles, responsibilities, and administrative jurisdictions of the EEd group at their institution, what they believed the roles and responsibilities of the EEd group should be, and if the support and positioning of the EEd group matches the outcome expectations for the group. This paper discusses the results from the survey and proposes future steps.

Several participants opted into an additional interview for qualitative explanations about departmental structure, responsibilities, and support from their administration. We will analyze perceptions from faculty both internally and externally to EEd departments before comparing them for each style of department or center. We also identify underlying themes that speak to the perceived role and scope of responsibilities of EEd departments in general.

Engineering Education departments’ contributions to the broader university learning ecosystem, and other branches of the colleges of engineering they partner with are not described in detail. This paper will serve as a first step towards understanding how Engineering Education departments are perceived within a university, the scope of their responsibilities, and how they could grow to help dissemination of evidence-based pedagogical practice. We believe that further inquiry along these lines will serve as a basis for the creation of more Engineering Education departments in a style that best suits their home institutions’ needs, as well as the broadening of influence of existing EEd departments.