Engineering education research exists in the interface where technological disciplines and the social and human sciences meet. It works to improve the quality of engineering knowledge and skills through using the research methods of the social and human sciences to understand the goals, methods, and effects of engineering education.
The work is also embedded in the international engineering research community through networks such as the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI) , the SEFI Engineering Ethics Special Interest Group , and the Emotions in Engineering Education Community.
The Engineering education research agenda is closely linked to the EPFL strategy for quality improvement in education 2021-2024, and the major themes that are addressed are those identified in the school’s strategic plan for education, namely:
- Improving the development of professional engineering skills
- Improving the student experience in engineering foundational studies
- Evidence-informed development of the teaching community
Underpinning these themes are crosscutting concerns for emotion, digitalization, gender, and educational evaluation.
Contact:
- Engineering education research in the College of Humanities is led by Roland Tormey.
Since the goal is to ensure meaningful changes to how teachers teach and students learn, much of the research on engineering education in EPFL is done in collaboration with other EPFL professors, teachers, and students, and with teams from the Teaching Support Centre (CAPE), the Centre for Digital Education (CEDE), the CHILI Lab, the MAKE initiative, and the Centre for Learning Sciences (LEARN).