Work In Progress Research Opportunities For Educator Who Don’t Do Research

Many teaching and non-tenure track positions have no research component in the workload, with annual and promotional evaluations based solely on teaching and service. A natural question might be why one would want to conduct research without an obligation. This full paper explores the reasons why faculty without a research component in their assigned workload might want to conduct educational research. It also provides advice on how to become engaged in educational research. Based on a brief survey of engineering teaching faculty in a large, R1, land-grant institution in the mid-Atlantic region, this work will provide many reasons why these faculty started their educational research programs, the benefits they have experienced, and how they got started. There are several reasons why conducting educational research is valuable beyond the workload component. Conducting research on teaching effectiveness helps improve it. Travel expenses for highly valuable conferences are often tied to presenting at them. Funded research can supplement salaries for 9-month appointees. It enhances the CV in the event of a change of position is needed. Educational research opportunities can be found in many areas. A simple place is in one's own classroom by testing and evaluating teaching methods using surveys or grade comparisons. Funded technical research frequently has an educational component that the PI needs to fulfill. These can be found by collaborating with researchers and the college's research office. NSF and other organizations offer educational research funding that can apply to engineering education. Teaching track faculty can apply for such grants to further their own development and the profession as a whole. Many non-tenure track faculty find that engineering educational research is highly rewarding personally, professionally, and financially. This work offers guidance on getting started in conducting or participating in educational research and will help new researchers get started.