OSU Board of Trustees Approves New Department of Engineering Education

In October 2013, the Leadership Team of the Engineering Education Innovation Center (EEIC) decided to embark upon the journey of transforming the EEIC into the Department of Engineering Education (EED).  This began with an ABET-style Self Study Review of the Center, led by Dr. Bob Gustafson, then Director of the Center.  Throughout the fall and winter, members of the Leadership Team drafted sections of the report and contributed content, which Dr. Gustafson crafted into the EEIC Self Study Report accessible at https://eed.osu.edu/eed-self-study-documents.

In March 2014, a team of OSU Faculty from the College of Engineering and external reviewers from both academic and industry institutions visited the EEIC and conducted the review.  The results of this review are described in the EEIC Final Report available at https://eed.osu.edu/eed-final-report. 

Upon Dr. Gustafson’s retirement from the University in June 2014, Dr. Ann Christy was named Interim Director of the EEIC.  Dr. Christy picked up the challenge of transforming the EEIC into the Department of Engineering Education by calling a series of meetings with the Leadership Team through Autumn 2014 to outline a Proposal to Transform into the EED.

At key points in the process, each member of the Leadership Team took responsibility for the process or the document in order that progress in its creation could continue. 

Starting in March 2015, the EEIC Leadership Team visited the Chairs of the College of Engineering departments to discuss the Proposal, offered a week-long EEIC Open House to invite visitors to meet the faculty and observe sample classes, and created and distributed a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) in response to questions and comments received.  The transparency of the process, led by Dr. Christy, allowed the College faculty and staff to understand the Proposal and to provide their feedback through an efficient and timely process.

The College of Engineering faculty voted in May 2015 to accept the EEIC's proposal and to move it forward through the appropriate university committees and councils for further review.

With the establishment of the new Department of Engineering Education, the college is better positioned to support undergraduate education as well as graduate-level research in engineering education as a growing discipline. The new department also will enable faculty to assume broader roles of leadership with its benchmark institutions, both nationally and internationally.

College of Engineering Dean David B. Williams said the new department's creation ensures that all Ohio State engineering students will continue to receive the best possible instruction.

"The faculty in the department will be at the cutting edge of the latest developments in educational technology, pedagogy, and practice," he added. "We join an elite group of engineering colleges across the nation who believe the education of future engineers is highly complex and its study is worthy of the awarding of higher degrees. All our faculty will benefit from interacting with our very best teachers."

The American Society of Engineering Education will hold its annual conference in Columbus in June 2017.