A holistic assessment of the responsibilities and areas of support of engineering faculty

ABSTRACT

Many factors influence the effectiveness of educational programs and initiatives for engineering faculty, including job responsibilities, departmental and college culture, experience, and more. In the current study, we examine the results and implications of a survey assessing faculty priorities and needs for educational and instructional responsibilities, as well as for research and service responsibilities. The results from this study found variance between what faculty reported as their most important job responsibilities and the job responsibilities where they would like to receive more support. These variations were seen across teaching, research, and service responsibilities. Implications for academic developers are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Development
• engineering education
• job responsibilities

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Stephanie Cutler

Dr. Stephanie Cutler has degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, and a PhD in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech. She is an Assistant Research Professor/Assessment and Instructional Support Specialist in the Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education at Penn State as well as a co-founder of Zappe and Cutler Educational Consulting, LLC. Her primary research interests include faculty development, the peer review process, the doctoral experience, and the adoption of evidence-based teaching strategies.

Alexa Kottmeyer

Ms. Alexa Kottmeyer has degrees in mathematics, mathematics education, and educational psychology from Mount Holyoke College and Penn State University. She is currently a math teacher and the integrated math curriculum coordinator at The Pingree School in Massachusetts. Her work centers around teaching students about the connections between logic, algebra, geometry, and statistics as well as helping students find connections between high school math and authentic contexts and tasks.

Rachel Heinen

Rachel Heinen grew up in Lake Summerset, Illinois, and obtained a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Business Administration from Creighton University in Omaha, NE. She is a PhD candidate in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at Penn State. From 2018 to 2019, she worked as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education. Rachel's primary interests center on creativity, with a focus on creative climate and the creative process.

Yu Xia

Yu Xia has degrees in Applied Linguistics and Instructional Technologies, and now is a doctoral candidate in Learning, Design, and Technology program in College of Education and research assistant in Leonhard Center for Enhancement of Engineering Education in College of Engineering at Penn State. Her research interests lie in collaborative learning in various learning contexts, teaching and learning in higher education, and technology-rich teaching and learning environments.

Sarah Zappe

Dr. Sarah Zappe is Research Professor and Director of Assessment and Instructional Support in the Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education at Penn State as well as a co-founder of Zappe and Cutler Educational Consulting, LLC. She holds a doctoral degree in educational psychology emphasizing applied measurement and testing. Her research interests primarily involve creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship education.

Tom Litzinger

Tom Litzinger is Director of the Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education and a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Penn State. His work in engineering education involves curricular reform, teaching and learning innovations, assessment, and faculty development. He holds a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from Penn State, an M.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from RPI, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton.