Engineering education program builds on 20 years of impact
With cutting-edge research at the doctoral level and experiential learning for undergraduates, Virginia Tech’s Department of Engineering Education prepares students to solve the world’s most complex problems.
From artificial organs and robotic surgeries to 3D printing and improved semiconductor technologies, our society has a growing need for engineers. To attract the best and brightest students, engineering programs must evaluate and adapt curriculum to align with the needs of today’s digital, diverse, global, and rapidly changing society.
This year, Virginia Tech’s Department of Engineering Education celebrates 20 years of leading the quest to do just that – apply the critical lens of problem-solving to hone educational practices that will best prepare students to enter the engineering workforce.
“To build on the success of the last 20 years, we need to continue to innovate in our research and teaching,” said professor and department head Jennifer Case. “Our faculty are studying cutting edge issues that students will face in the workforce, like diversity and inclusion, advances in generative AI, and the role of ethics in solving complex problems with new technologies. We need more engineers, and to successfully educate the next generation we need to take a critical look at our values and priorities.”
By the numbers
- Established in 2004
- Welcomes 2,500-plus first-year students in the general engineering program each year
- Ph.D. program commenced in 2008
- 87 Ph.D. alumni with 28 holding tenure-track positions at institutions across the nation
- 12 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) awards
- In 2023, research expenditures surpassed $3 million and are rising
Robust scholarship paves a path forward
As an R1 institution and land-grant university, Virginia Tech aims to be a leader in designing programs and implementing solutions that will give all students access to an engineering education. Faculty and Ph.D. research in engineering education contributes to, and even creates, such initiatives, while often setting the bar for other engineering programs.
Professor David Knight, founder of the Data Enlightened Educational Practices lab and special assistant to the dean for strategic plan implementation, describes the department’s areas of research in four “buckets.”
- Teaching and learning: Focuses on pedagogical issues and associated psychological processes in both curricular and co-curricular settings
- Organizations and systems: Refers to interpersonal interactions and organizational issues that occur within and across systems in both academia and industry
- Ethics and social responsibility: Investigates the decision-making of engineers, factors influencing those decisions, and the consequences of those decisions throughout engineering and engineering education
Equity and culture: Analyzes policies, practices, and the experiences of specific subpopulations within and across educational and workplace environments.
“Across many of our projects, we want to understand how we can best prepare students so they can thrive in a variety of career paths,” Knight said. “What can we do to ensure all students have access to resources, support, and experiences to develop their potential?”
The breadth of faculty research, supported by agencies such as the National Science Foundation, impact a variety of populations and demographics. Nationwide, the department’s initiatives also pave new paths forward for other universities seeking to elevate and expand upon engineering education programming. Recently funded endeavors include promoting collective agency among Black discipline-based education researchers, exploring integrity and ethical impact when growing a culture of responsible research, and developing instructional models to intentionally and holistically engage with student needs.
There is also work happening outside of Virginia Tech, which includes partnering with other colleges and universities to learn how to best design, develop, and implement partnerships that support underserved students within and across institutions. Knight, for example, is involved with higher level college initiatives including the PROTEGE collective, which focuses on improving graduate education in the college of engineering. Led by principal investigator Julie Ross, the Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Dean of Engineering, the project seeks to evaluate all of the college’s graduate education systems, from recruitment to admissions to assistantship funding to career preparation, so that they work better for all students.
Some of the faculty’s impactful research collaborations:
- Developing a stackable artificial intelligence (AI) credential at a major national community college, funded by the National Science Foundation
- Bringing rural young people into closer contact with engineering careers through VT PEERS, engaging nearly 2,000 Appalachian middle-schoolers in hands-on activities designed by local industry partners
- Partnering with 20 institutions to improve the experiences of students currently enrolled in graduate programs and supporting over 130 historically marginalized late-stage students through the Dissertation Institute.
- Linking institutions across Virginia through the Virginia Tech Network For Engineering Transfer Students (VT-NETS), which puts practical measures in place to support over 120 transfer students
“We really try to understand the institutional partnerships required for transfer students and engineering students with financial need to thrive,” Knight said of the Virginia Tech-led S-STEM Research Hub and VT-NETS. “We work with constituents like the financial aid office and the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity to provide better resources on campus.”
Hands-on, interdisciplinary learning
Each year, the department sees more than 2,500 first-year students in the general engineering program and provides interactive spaces for student project work. The Frith First Year Maker Space features 3D printing, laser cutters, metalworking and more and encourages students to find and share inspiration, make cool things, and develop their technical skills.
The department also leads in offering interdisciplinary opportunities for undergraduates, with projects spanning innovations in hydroponics to optimizing industrial bacon presses to designing a synthetic robotic hand for a student’s family member. The Interdisciplinary Projects course includes sophomores and juniors across the university, encouraging collaboration among colleges. Seniors in engineering also have the opportunity to participate in the Interdisciplinary Design Capstone project, where they find tangible solutions to a breadth of complex problems.
Ben Chambers, collegiate assistant professor and director of the Frith Lab from 2021-24, touted the importance of bringing in multiple perspectives, different ideas, and existing skills for a dynamic educational experience.
“I love seeing our students realize just how valuable creativity can be in engineering, and then embrace it in their education. That's a big part of why Virginia Tech is such a vibrant and innovative community,” Chambers said.
As an example, in 2021, Chambers led the creation of the Minecraft Museum of Engineering, a student-built digital platform to allow first-year students to learn about the various engineering majors at Virginia Tech. Currently, a team of about half a dozen undergraduates is building version 2.0, the Minecraft City of Engineering and working on ways to translate real-world engineering systems into active learning spaces within the game.
“We do a lot to encourage experimentation. You need to have a safe place to try things and mess up,” Chambers said.
Looking ahead
It’s been a pioneering 20 years, but what’s next for the Department of Engineering Education?
Case, head of the department, hopes to see its reputation grow globally through national and international research collaborations, and increased alumni influence in the areas of academia, government, and industry.
“Our department’s success is best demonstrated through the impactful work that our Ph.D. alumni do,” Case said. “Most of them are in faculty positions at universities across the U.S. and are centrally involved in curricular and institutional change. I’m enjoying watching how they use their degrees to spark change in various sectors and make a real impact globally.”
Of almost 90 Ph.D. alumni to date, many already hold leadership positions in engineering education, including program directors, department chairs, and associate deans.
Knight also touted the “incredible things” Ph.D. graduates do, saying, “One of our alumna, for example, was responsible for supporting strategic planning for the United States Military Academy West Point. Others have organizational influences in academic and industry or work in policy at the federal level. Having our graduates spread out in various sectors is another way we’re influencing engineering education across the board.”
Much has changed since the Department of Engineering Education officially opened its doors in 2004.
“It’s incredible to be part of a program of this caliber – to be able to go to a conference and mention faculty I’ve studied with and have scholars from all over the world recognize and respect the work they’re doing in the field – it’s a point of pride,” Ph.D. candidate Malini Josiam said.
