I graduated, now what?: An overview of the academic engineering education research job field and search process
Conference
McCave, EJ, Bodnar, CA, Smith-Orr, CS et al. (2020). I graduated, now what?: An overview of the academic engineering education research job field and search process
. 2020-June
McCave, EJ, Bodnar, CA, Smith-Orr, CS et al. (2020). I graduated, now what?: An overview of the academic engineering education research job field and search process
. 2020-June
As the field continues to grow, more and more people are challenged with finding academic engineering education research (EER) positions that align with their broad abilities and interests. In the context of academia, EER positions most commonly exist in engineering education departments, traditional engineering departments (e.g., mechanical, civil), and non-degree granting programs (e.g., centers for teaching and learning, first-year engineering programs). These positions vary with regard to their emphasis on engineering education research, and provide access to different resources and mechanisms to impact engineering education. The purpose of this research was to better understand the academic EER job market as it relates to what applicants (i.e., graduates and post-docs) experience as they navigate the job-search and decision-making process. We reviewed the ASEE Educational and Research Methods (ERM) listserv for academic job postings over the past two and a half job search cycles (August 2017 to December 2019) to determine what academic job opportunities existed for early-career engineering education researchers. Concurrently, interviews were conducted with seven early-career EER faculty members to get a more detailed understanding of their academic job search and decision-making process. This paper captures the diversity of academic positions along with the types of institutions to provide a starting point for individuals on their job search process. It also provides an overview of the academic job search process timeline and professional and personal elements that can impact the decision-making process when selecting an academic job.
