Mapping Computer Engineering Education Research: A Topic Analysis

This paper reflects on a number of different ways by which comparative research in technology education has been undertaken across countries. The history of comparative research in technology education demonstrates that it is possible to identify three major periods in the process of its development. When technology education was established a comparison had been made at the level of curriculum documents, syllabi and State Orders. People involved in the development of technology education were looking around the world for ideas. During this first stage, approaches to the analysis were not very systematic. The second stage in the development of comparative research in technology education could be characterised by a great number of published or presented papers that describe the situation in a particular country. Even though comparison, as such, was not used in this research the underlying assumption was that it should inform the research community about different approaches towards technology education and that it would be beneficial for the field. The third stage involved comparison between two or more countries about one or more specific aspects of technology education. These include for example, the meaning of the major concepts, teaching methods, comparison of goals, comparison of the balance between the global trends and local specificities. In this paper it is argued that it is essential to move towards the next stage - a comparison on the basis of two ideological beliefs about the purposes of general education. These beliefs are: whether education is designed to broaden minds and develop all students in the creation of a better society or is it really about training students to live and work in a market-oriented state, to be 'productive' in seizing the opportunities of the market. These two beliefs and the approaches derived from them have been chosen because they summarize an important issue that divides different social theories in their views on the role of education in society. They can provide a useful framework for analysing historical influences, curriculum theories, documents, and school practices in technology education in different countries.

The traditional research backgrounds of engineering academics do not adequately prepare them to conduct quality education research. Nevertheless, there is institutional pressure on these academics to take a scholarly approach to teaching and conduct education research. What is required is an effective strategy to systematically help engineering academics to innovate, evaluate and publish education research and scholarship. This paper explores one model for structuring activities to help engineering and science academics develop their practices of education research. It is argued that the proposed Model for Action and Learning in Engineering Education Research (MALEER) presented is an effective strategy to prepare engineering academics to conduct quality education research. An initial model was developed, situated in various bodies of literature including communities of practice, professional identity development and becoming a professional, adult learning and reflection in and on action. It was then trialled with an engineering and science education research group set-up to help academics develop their education research practice. Evidence of the success of MALEER was drawn from the reflections of the coordinators of the group and the groups’ developed practices and outcomes.

The traditional research backgrounds of engineering academics do not adequately prepare them to conduct quality education research. Nevertheless, there is institutional pressure on these academics to take a scholarly approach to teaching and conduct education research. What is required is an effective strategy to systematically help engineering academics to innovate, evaluate and publish education research and scholarship. This paper explores one model for structuring activities to help engineering and science academics develop their practices of education research. It is argued that the proposed Model for Action and Learning in Engineering Education Research (MALEER) presented is an effective strategy to prepare engineering academics to conduct quality education research. An initial model was developed, situated in various bodies of literature including communities of practice, professional identity development and becoming a professional, adult learning and reflection in and on action. It was then trialled with an engineering and science education research group set-up to help academics develop their education research practice. Evidence of the success of MALEER was drawn from the reflections of the coordinators of the group and the groups' developed practices and outcomes.

Qualitative Research Methods in Education and Educational Technology was written for students and scholars interested in exploring the many qualitative methods developed over the last 50 years in the social sciences. The book does not stop, however, at the boundaries of the social sciences. Social scientists now consume and use research methods from many fields. The rich resources of research methods and theories from both the humanities and philosophy are also covered in this book. It explains why postpositivist quantitative research should not be "the only game in town" and provides solid theoretical foundations, beginning with the positions of Plato and Aristotle, for broadening our horizons about what warrants our attention. Using Aristotle's concept of phronesis the author shows why methods such as narrative research and storytelling, hermeneutic inquiry, literary theory, philosophical inquiry, and much more have important applications in education and educational technology. On those foundations, the author also builds a framework for doing many types of research ȓ from participatory action research to content analysis, to postmodern case studies, to empowerment research and philosophical inquiry. He accomplishes this through a combination of original text, summaries of exemplary research in education and educational technology, and suggested readings that are annotated and introduced at the end of each chapter. Many of these readings are available online and they extend the discussion of research methods or serve as exemplars of a particular type of educational technology research. There are open ended and conceptual questions for each reading, and developing your own answers to them is one way you can extend your depth of understanding about qualitative research methods in education and educational technology.

As educational technology practitioners and researchers engage in research in the field, a wide array of research methodologies are available to them. One such methodology is the Delphi Technique. Use of the Delphi Technique offers many benefits, including the ability to obtain expert opinion, build consensus, determine the suitability of the application of instructional interventions, forecast trends, and interact with research subjects without being limited by time and space. While the origin and early use of the Delphi Technique was in the business setting, it has been used in other environments over the years, including educational settings. The various intrinsic qualities of the methodology could be beneficial to the field of educational technology. This article examines the Delphi Technique, its benefits, and how it could benefit educational technology researchers.

I argue that larger cultural concerns about human–technology interactions are seldom addressed in teacher education. This article seeks to trace cultural anxieties about technology by addressing the long-standing trope of human versus machine; examine how these concerns are manifested and addressed (or not) in popular culture, educational technology research, and teacher education; and propose how, in a counterintuitive turn, we might begin to use what has been called cyborg anthropology, feminist cyborg discourse, and feminist posthuman discourse to address those fears in a world where human–technology relationships are increasingly symbiotic.

This session is intended for engineering faculty and graduate students who are new to engineering education research. This workshop is based on the 2006 Frontiers in Education Special Session: “What IS Rigorous Research in Engineering Education?” winner of the Helen Plants award for best interactive session at FIE. A key objective of this workshop is to allow participants to compare and contrast educational research principles with the principles they are familiar with in their technical research area. Participants will work in small groups to co-construct and then compare criteria for quality technical and educational research in engineering. These criteria will be compared to those proposed in the NRC publication Scientific Research in Education. This activity allows participants to create their own list of criteria to judge “quality” educational research. This information can later be applied by participants to better understand engineering education research articles or proposals they read or are asked to review. This workshop is sponsored by the National Science foundation through Expanding and sustaining research capacity in engineering and technology education: Building on successful programs for faculty and graduate students (DUE — 0817461).

This study focuses on gender issues in terms of participation, achievement and duration of studies at the Tertiary level of education in Computer Science and Engineering (CS&E). For this reason, 1957 degrees earned by Computer Engineers were studied. These diplomas cover a 21 year period of graduation at the Computer Engineering and Informatics Department (CEID), University of Patras, Greece. The analysis of the data shows that: a) male graduate students outnumbered the female ones by three to one, b) in terms of achievement, no significant differences exist between male and female graduate computer engineers, and c) female students complete their studies earlier than their male counterparts.

This article describes the Blended Teaching and Learning methodologies and the pedagogical approaches that use Information and Communication Technologies in the field of Electrical and Computers Engineering (ECE) Education Programs. The paper also reflects the collaboration in the field of Online Engineering between the Technical University “Gh. Asachi” from Iasi, Romania and Menoufia University, Egypt, in the context of the Erasmus Plus Program of the European Union. In this paper, we have reviewed the recent documents of: European Society for Engineering Education, International Society for Engineering Education, Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, International Association of Online Engineering, and American Society for Engineering Education to identify the specific pedagogical characteristics used in the computerized training process. The integration of online laboratories in the engineering training process, the use of Virtual Learning Environments, the inclusion of Open Educational Resources are the strategies used in this project. The impact of using Massive Open Online Courses in Education Programs is also analyzed. The cooperation between our universities began in 2017 and have result in the publication of a number of articles in International Conferences Proceedings in 2018 and 2019: International Conference on Virtual Learning, eLearning and Software for Education, International Conference on Electromechanical and Energy Systems. Between August 1, 2020 and July 31, 2021, an exchange of teachers and students will take place within an Erasmus Plus Action.KeywordsBlended Teaching and LearningVirtual and remote laboratoriesOpen Educational ResourcesElectrical and computers engineering education programsVirtual Learning Environments

The focus of research in technology education has evolved throughout its history as the field changed from industrial arts to technology education (Spencer & Rogers, 2006).With the move to technology education, the field has begun to broaden its focus to better understand the teaching, learning, curriculum, and policy implications of preparing the next generation of technological thinkers.Although a complete "paradigm shift" may not have occurred completely within all technology-oriented programs (Sanders, 2001), the current emphasis on engineering within technology education indicates a need to examine and assess the status of technology education research over the past ten years to identify strengths and areas that need to be addressed in order to guide the field into the future. Issues of Quality in Educational ResearchScientific inquiry is a continual process of rigorous investigation to answer the critical questions of a discipline.Advances in scientific knowledge are achieved through long term scholarly efforts of the scientific community to create new understanding in the form of models or theories that can be empirically tested (Shavelson & Towne, 2002).Accumulation of scientific knowledge over time is non-linear and indirect and often involves highly contested or controversial results that undergo professional scrutiny, skepticism, and criticism.Through this process research results are questioned, studies are replicated, and results confirmed or rejected.In only the rare case does a single study produce an indisputable result; hence, multiple studies using multiple methods in varying contexts are needed to establish a verifiable base of understanding.In contrast to the sciences, research in education often does not follow these practices.The Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, a non-profit, non-____________________

This position paper contributes to the field of critical educational technology (Ed-Tech) research by providing empirical evidence for the qualities of the phenomenon known as Ed-Tech speak. The research question, how does Ed-Tech speak in research articles about Apple's iPad contribute to promoting and validating the importance and utility of the iPad for teaching and learning, is addressed by applying critical genre analysis to investigate empirical research articles discussing the use of iPads in institutional education. As a result, four categories were formed: the self-evident importance of iPads, overgeneralization of references, the use of strong reporting verbs (to boost weak references), and the use of boosting devices when discussing the findings. Possible explanations for the existence of Ed-Tech speak in research articles are offered.

Since the research on user acceptance of information technology was introduced by Fred D. Davis in the 1980s, two critical constructs (perceived usefulness and ease of use) and the technology acceptance model (TAM) have generated significant impacts on information science and management information system literature. In the early 2000s, educational technology researchers began to adopt TAM-related concepts to explain teaching and learning contexts. For example, Selim (2003) conducted research on empirically examine students' acceptance of course websites and published on Computers & Education. Accordingly, this proposal paper extends the authors' previous works (Hsiao & Yang, 2011; Hsiao, Tang & Liu, 2015; Hsiao & Chen, 2019; Tang, Hsiao & Hwang, 2022) to trace the latest development of educational technology research using TAM-related framework. In this proposal, we have identified a total of 366 articles with 20,242 citations. For the data analysis, we proposed a series of analyses (e.g., bibliometrics, main path analysis, document co-citation analysis, and social network analysis) to examine the knowledge trajectory in this field. This study is the first attempt to propose a research framework with a series of analyses to systematically analyze and review the longitudinal development of research using a TAM-related framework in educational technology. With this attempt, some significant turning points (e.g., theoretical converging and diverging points) can be further explored in the network diagram to identify the critical constructs, models, and theories in educational technology research. Overall, established on a large number of citation data, the results of this study aim to provide a platform for academic discussion and to make a prediction for the future trend of educational technology research.

Engineering education remains a relatively new and rapidly developing research field. As a result, there are significant variations in the quantity and kinds of engineering education research being conducted and published in different engineering disciplines and local/national contexts. Responding to a lack of systematic attempts to study such dynamics, this paper describes our ongoing efforts to investigate the quantity and nature of engineering education scholarship in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and allied fields over the last ten years. More specifically, we report preliminary results of an in-depth quantitative and qualitative analysis of journal articles (n=664) published in IEEE Transactions on Education from 2002 to 2011, including co-authorship patterns, geographic distribution of authors, and research funding reported. To help contextualize the study, the authors also discuss other studies of publication trends in engineering education research.

In 2007, Borrego published her groundbreaking work “Conceptual difficulties experienced by trained engineers learning educational research methods”[1] that described five conceptual difficulties engineering faculty encountered as they began to learn about rigorous research in engineering education. Since Borrego's research was published the engineering education departments have been formed and a new generation of engineering education researchers has emerged. These researchers must tackle the same paradigm shift that faced the engineering faculty in Borrego's study. The research question that guided this study was: “What conceptual hurdles still exist for the new generation of engineering education researchers?” PhD students in Engineering Education were asked to reflect on their conceptual difficulties during the first semester of their PhD courses and write an end-of-semester reflective paper that summarizes their cognitive journey. The summative reflections were coded using Borrego's conceptual hurdles as a framework. The results of the present study can inform those entering the engineering education research community by highlighting areas that remain problematic and offer strategies that emerging scholars have used to make sense of educational theories and methods.

It is not uncommon to find that educational technology publications are undertheorized or uncritical of adopted frameworks. In many cases the literature is simply descriptive with only passing reference to an analytical or theoretical construct. This condition is particularly evident in the use of “community of practice” (CoP) in educational technology research. In these studies, CoP is often erroneously used to describe both an aspirational state of harmonious collaboration and an instrumentalist strategy to be enacted upon learners to achieve externally defined goals, such as the rapid adoption of technologies. The process of how CoPs form and function and the process of how CoPs achieve transformative change are usually underexamined. Therefore, there is a substantial body of literature and a corresponding tradition of research that ignores or treats as peripheral the complex relationships between technology, individuals, the collective, and a given sociocultural context over time. A less generous commentator might even claim that, at best, it reflects a dominant delusional ideology of education as a harmonious enterprise and, at worst, a disingenuous or willful ignorance of factors such as power relations, resistance, inequality, personal and socially negotiated histories and trajectories, and contested identities. This chapter explores the possible reasons for, implications of, and future strategies regarding the delusion, confusion, and instrumentalism of CoP in educational technology research.