1
Introduction and Organization of the Proceedings
On January 26, 2017, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), held a workshop in Washington, DC, on the engagement of engineering societies in undergraduate engineering education.1 Since then, the NAE has held a series of follow-up regional workshops to investigate specific issues identified in the January 2017 workshop as deserving of further discussion and evaluation.2
The second in this series of supplemental workshops was held in Atlanta at the Georgia Institute of Technology on February 12, 2018. It brought together about 45 representatives of professional societies, academic institutions, and businesses to explore the role of engineering societies in enhancing understanding of faculty impact on the engineering profession as part of the reappointment, promotion, and tenure (RPT) process. The workshop agenda is in appendix A, and appendix B provides a list of workshop participants.
Sessions in the morning and early afternoon provided information and insights on the RPT process, setting the stage for the final session, on the role of engineering societies in this process. Presentations and discussions first reviewed how undergraduate engineering education has changed during the 20th and 21st centuries (chapter 2). Speakers then examined models for identifying and assessing impacts from other disciplines and nations (chapter 3) and from various educational institutions and industry (chapter 4). The last session turned to opportunities for engineering societies to help define faculty impact (chapter 5).
___________________
1 National Academy of Engineering. 2017. Engineering Societies and Undergraduate Engineering Education: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington: National Academies Press.
2 The first additional workshop, “The Engagement of Engineering Societies in Undergraduate Engineering Education,” took place January 26–27, 2017. Its proceedings is available online (https://www.nae.edu/178121.aspx).