Courses for Engineering Education PhD

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Engineering Education (ENED) Courses

This course is designed to prepare students for future courses and careers in engineering education. Explores the history, philosophy ,and foundations of engineering education within social, political, and economic contexts. Introduces the field of engineering education research (EER) and the conduct of EER. Restricted to Graduate Students.
Continued exploration of Engineering Education Research (EER). Examines theories from education, psychology, and other disciplines that are relevant to EER with a focus on how the theories apply to EER, how they can guide research, and how they advance knowledge and practice. Restrictions: Graduate Students.
Doctoral-level examination of teaching engineering design to a variety of audiences including secondary schools, project teams, and other communities. Students examine the process of teaching hands-on design including scoping, stages of team evolution, and iteration. Students also explore different design methods, the development of engineering identity, and the interface between engineering and society. Students practice integrating design thinking into local schools and companies, develop ready-to-use tool sand resources, and explore the design education literature. Restrictions: Graduate students.
Supervised study of special topics of interest. Credit hours and subject matter to be arranged.
This course brings contemporary issues in Engineering Education Research (EER) into the classroom via analysis of journal papers and guest speakers from academia, industry, and the corporate world. Examples of topics include research methods, learning theories, learning outcomes evaluation, policy issues, recruitment for diversity, student and faculty retention, and technology integration. Students will learn to critique engineering education research and will demonstrate knowledge of contemporary issues in engineering education research.
An independent study may be established between a doctoral student and a tenure track faculty member if both parties are amenable. Topics, readings and assignments will vary based upon mutually agreed upon goals. The student will be responsible for obtaining and submitting all necessary paperwork. This is a variable credit course that ranges from 1 to 3 credits. The number of credits will be determined by the professor based on the workload. Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term. Departmental Category: Engineering Education

Courses from the School of Education

Courses highly recommended by the School of Education for Engineering Education PhD Students: 

Introduces students to qualitative research in education. Examines the foundations, design, methods and analysis of qualitative research methods. Readings include texts about the foundations and purposes of qualitative inquiry, and methodological readings about the application of research techniques. Students will complete a variety of small, hands-on projects that introduce major dimensions of qualitative research including observation, interviewing, and document analysis.
Examines major issues in higher education focusing on the sociopolitical contexts in which US universities operate as gatekeepers to opportunities. Topics include the purposes and history of higher education in the United States, college teaching and learning, finance and governance, issues of access and equity related to race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, immigration status and class, and student life.

Other Courses available through the School of Education: 

  • Advanced Social Foundations of Education (EDUC 5005)
  • Race and Equity in Higher Education (EDUC 5010)
  • Assessment in Mathematics and Science Education (EDUC 5706)
  • Basic Statistical Methods (EDUC 5716)
  • Introduction to Disciplined Inquiry (EDUC 5726)
  • Student Affairs in Higher Education (EDUC 6110)
  • Ethics in Education (EDUC 6230)
  • Psychological Foundations of Education (EDUC 6318)
  • Anthropology of Education (EDUC 6325)
  • College Student Development and Counseling Theories (EDUC 6405)
  • Issues and Methods in Cognitive Science (EDUC 6504)
  • Leadership in Higher Education (EDUC 6705)
  • Intermediate Statistical Methods (EDUC 7316)
    • EDUC 7316 has a pre-requisite course of Basic Statistical Methods (EDUC 5716)
  • Quasi-Experimental design in causal inference in social sciences (EDUC 7326)
  • Methods of survey research and assessments (EDUC 7336)
    • EDUC 7336 has two pre-requisite courses: Introduction to Disciplined Inquiry (EDUC 5726) and Intermediate Statistical Methods (EDUC 7316) 
  • Educational Evaluation (EDUC 7386)
  • Advanced Qualitative Data Analysis (EDUC 8730)
  • Mixed Methods in Educational Research (EDUC 8735)

Courses that may be available to Engineering Education PhD Students, but are generally restricted to PhD students in the school of Education: 

  • Critical inquiry into becoming a teacher educator (EDUC 7115)

Courses from across the university

Learn how people understand key concepts in physics. Through examination of physics content, pedagogy and problems, through teaching, and through research in physics education, students will explore the meaning and means of teaching physics. Students will gain a deeper understanding of how education research is done and how people learn. Useful for all students, especially for those interested in physics, teaching, and education research. Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: PHYS 4460 and EDUC 4460 and EDUC 5460
Explores how the creative integration of empathy and compassion with design and technology can benefit society. Reviews foundational neuroscience and evolution of empathy. Through readings, discussion, and reflection students will develop personal practices for fostering empathy and critically investigate: empathy as a finite resource, tribalism/polarization, the weaponization of empathy, and principles for designing social systems that promote well-being. Previously offered as a special topics course. Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ATLS 4244.
Examines the connections between the production and social uptake of neuroscientific knowledge, and explores how transformations in neuroscience shape understandings of human nature. Focusing on anthropological, philosophical, and popular literature, this course addresses the following themes through a cultural and anthropological lens: subjectivity and neuroimaging, "disability" and "neurodiversity, " child development, gender, "risk" and neoliberal governance, and the production of scientific expertise. Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ANTH 4605
Explores the cultural work of science and technology in contemporary societies. The course will focus on anthropological studies of technoscientific works ranging from high-energy particle physics and marine biology to hackathons and space exploration. Discussion topics include the relationship between science, technology and political power; scientific controversies; paradigm shifts and scientific revolutions; and ideas of objectivity, representation and abstraction. Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ANTH 4745
Introduction to cognitive neuroscience (how the brain gives rise to thought) using computer simulations based on the neural networks of the brain. Covers a full range of cognitive phenomena including perception and attention, learning and memory, language, and higher-level cognition based on both large-scale cortical neuroanatomy and detailed properties of cortical neural networks. One lab per week. Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: PSYC 4175 Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only. Additional Information:Departmental Category: Experimental
Introduces the science of learning and research-based instructional strategies. Open to students in any STEM discipline considering a career that involves college-level teaching. Students apply research on learning and teaching to the development of instructional materials for a target course they envision teaching at the college level in the future. Recommended: Prerequisite at least one semester teaching/TAing undergraduate courses (waived with instructor approval).
Covers statistical reasoning and analysis in support of business and engineering decision making. Topics include: engineering and applied research, descriptive and inferential statistics to include estimation and hypothesis testing using both traditional parametric as well as nonparametric procedures for research situations involving one or two groups of treatment conditions. The R statistical analysis and programming system is used. Requisites: Restricted to College of Engineering graduate students or Graduate Certificate Engineering (CRTGE) students only.
Interdisciplinary introduction to cognitive science, examining ideas from cognitive psychology, philosophy, education, and linguistics via computational modeling and psychological experimentation. Includes philosophy of mind; learning; categorization; vision and mental imagery; consciousness; problem solving; decision making, and game-theory; language processing; connectionism. No background in Computer Science will be presumed. Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: EDUC 6504 and LING 6200 and PHIL 6310 and PSYC 6200 and SLHS 6402

Flexible courses for Engineering Education PhD 

The Engineering Education PhD program is very open to technical and education courses the PhD candidate believe are necessary for their academic success. Some suggested courses are:

  • Leading Oneself (EMEN 5050)
  • Leading Others (EMEN 5052)
  • Neuroscience of Leadership (EMEN 5054)
  • Leading for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Engineering (EMEN 5055)