Title: There and Back Again: My Journey in the Virtuous Cycle of Engineering Education Research and Practice
Abstract: During this seminar, I will explore the virtuous cycle between engineering teaching and engineering education research through the lens of my own teaching and research experience. I will begin with a brief overview of my history with engineering education, from my first TA experience to my current faculty role. This will set the stage for a review of my teaching philosophy. My philosophy is exemplified by three commitments: commitment to empathy, commitment to innovation, and commitment to iteration.
I will follow with a discussion of three ongoing engineering education research projects. The first project focuses on (1) understanding how engineering faculty design courses and (2) developing ways to adapt design thinking to this process. The second project focuses on (1) understanding how engineering students develop empathy for users in their design projects and (2) developing an instrument to measure such empathic formation. The third project focuses on (1) understanding how engineering faculty experience engineering ethics in their research and (2) translating this understanding into actionable curricular and mentorship strategies. During this research discussion I will demonstrate connections to engineering teaching practice and craft an argument for the virtuous cycle between engineering teaching and engineering education research. I will close with key examples of the virtuous cycle within my own teaching and course design practices.
Speaker Bio: Nicholas D. Fila is a research assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Iowa State University. He earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Purdue University. He has taught undergraduate engineering courses ranging from first-year introductory courses to senior design to engineering ethics. His research focuses on empathy, design thinking, and ethics in engineering teaching, learning, and practice.