Why research-informed teaching in engineering education? A review of the evidence

ABSTRACT

Challenges of today's engineering education (EE) are emergent, necessitating calls for its reformation to empower future engineers function optimally as innovative leaders, in both local and international contexts. These challenges: keeping pace with technological dynamism; high attrition; and most importantly, quality teaching/learning require multifaceted approaches. But how can EE respond to the growing demand for relevant teaching? What can we do for engineering faculties to leverage on quality teaching? How do we embed quality teaching in EE? Scholarship of teaching and learning is advocated as one viable approach. It uses evidence-based teaching (EBT) strategies, and research-informed evidence to guide educational decisions regarding teaching and learning. We review the theories underpinning EBT, the scientific evidence on which it is based, and innovative instructional strategies that enhance active learning. Some of these issues have been discussed already, largely through developing countries lens. Nevertheless, linkages to equivalent global perspectives are presented here.

KEYWORDS:

• Engineering education
• scholarship of teaching and learning
• active learning
• evidence-based practice
• evidence-based teaching
• scientific teaching
• learning communities

Acknowledgements

The original version of this article was first accepted for presentation at the International Joint Conference on the Learner in Engineering Education, San Sebastian: Spain, 6–9 July 2015. However, it was withdrawn for inability of the authors to raise funds for the registration and participation at the conference. We would like to acknowledge those anonymous authors who did a thorough review and gave us valuable suggestions on this current version. We also acknowledge those who reviewed the very first version.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Gordon Monday Bubou is a member of many professional bodies, including Nigeria Society of Engineers, IEEE (Engineering Education Society; Technology and Engineering Management Society), African Engineering Education Association; Entrepreneurship Research Society (Founding Scholar); and United States Association for Small Business and Enterprise (USASBE). He is currently a doctoral candidate of technology management of the Institute of Engineering, Technology and Innovation Management (METI), University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria; he has earned MSc and BSc (Hons) degrees in technology management from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and another BTech (Hons) degree from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. His research interests are scholarship of teaching and learning in engineering/technology management and engineering education; science, technology and innovation policy/studies; entrepreneurship development; and energy policy, ICT4D. He currently works as Principal Research Officer with the National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM), an agency of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Nigeria. He is the Head, Science Policy and Innovation Studies Department of the South-South Office of NACETEM.

Dr Ibebietei Temple Offor (PhD) is currently a Lecturer I in the Department of Educational Foundations, Niger Delta University. She is a psychometrics practitioner with a PhD in Measurement and Evaluation from the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. She is member of the Nigerian Association of Educational Researchers and Evaluators. A professional teacher, she lectures measurement and evaluation; and research methodology at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Her research interests include measurement and evaluation; and quality assurance in education. She has published widely in both local and international journals, as well as conference proceedings.

Abubakar Saddiq Bappah (PhD) is currently an Associate Professor of Technical and Engineering Education at the School of Technology Education, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi, Nigeria. He holds Bachelor Degree in Technical Education (Electrical-Electronics) from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaira, Nigeria (1994); M.Eng (Electrical) from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi, Nigeria (2000); and PhD in Electrical Engineering (Control and Systems) from Bayero University Kano, Nigeria. He is a member of the American Society of Engineering Education (2012); Institute of Electrical Electronics Engineers (2010); International Federation of Automatic Control (2009); and Nigerian Association of Teachers of Technology (1991) where he serves as its national vice president (North-East). His research interests include innovation strategies; system modelling and simulation; and technical teacher education and training. Dr Bappah is happily married with two children.

ORCID

Gordon Monday Bubou http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5079-6455