Advancing Global Capacity for Engineering Education Research (AGCEER): Relating Research to Practice, Policy, and Industry

B ackground We report on the results of a joint initiative between the European Journal of Engineering Education and Journal of Engineering Education titled Advancing Global Capacity for Engineering Education Research (AGCEER). More specifically, we present findings from a series of moderated interactive sessions held at international engineering education conferences between July 2007 and December 2008, where participants were asked to discuss the current state and future trajectory of engineering education research. P urpose (H ypothesis ) How did AGCEER session attendees describe: (1) the relationship between engineering education research and educational practice, policy considerations, and industry, and (2) important stakeholders, mechanisms/strategies, and challenges for relating research to practice, policy, and industry? D esign /M ethod Thematic analysis was used to categorize and understand the textual data of report back transcripts and note pages from ten AGCEER sessions involving 300 participants on six continents. An open coding procedure was used to capture issues raised in each of the sessions on the relation of research to practice, policy, and industry. R esults We observed frequent discussion and widespread consensus among AGCEER participants about the need to relate engineering education research to the practice of engineering teaching. Discussions about relating research to policy and industry remain formative, but appear to be gaining traction. C onclusions We propose a cyclic model to better conceptualize how engineering education research can be strategically related to practice, profession, and industry across diverse local and global contexts.