Journeys in Engineering Education Development and Innovations (JEEDI)

Our research group works to narrow the gaps in learning between Pre-K-12 engineering education, traditional undergraduate settings, informal environments, and nonformal structured noncredit courses offered within the engineering workplace as individuals journey through life. We consider best practices in pedagogy for children as well as best practices in andragogy for adult learners of engineering skills and technical content. In terms of human development, undergraduates are often in the middle, no longer children but not yet fully adults, and therefore both pedagogy and andragogy are appropriate at different stages of their college careers. Some of the research questions we are asking include:

  • How do traditional and non-traditional students develop engineering professional skills and global competencies across various formal learning environments?
  • How can informal settings such as makerspaces, humanitarian service trips, summer camps, and science museums, be leveraged to help learners develop engineering professional skills and global competencies?
  • How can engineers continue to develop their professional skills via nonformal technically challenging online courses delivered to their workplace?