Define Learning Engineering with the TRAP Framework

Abstract

The Emergence of "Learning Engineering"While Herbert A. Simon used the term "learning engineering" initially in 1967 [1]; it is just becoming more salient recently through various venues. For example, the AI Institute for Adult Learning and Online Education, a USA National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project, uses "learning engineering" to refer to the iterative design approach that brings engineering to education [2]. At the Northwestern University in the USA learning engineers are hired to "foster deep partnerships with faculty, engage not only in transforming on-ground classes to online ones, but also in consulting on broader program design and evaluation, long-term technology initiatives, and faculty development" [3]. Similarly, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has learning engineers on the open learning initiative team. Recently, Carnegie Mellon University has also posted an opening for a learning engineer in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute to assist faculty with technology integration in online or blended courses to achieve improved learning outcomes through continuous data analysis [4].While learning engineers seem to emerge as a new job title, as indicated above, there is barely a universal understanding of what learning engineering is or what learning engineers do in the professional world. Thus, we explore a range of resources, including scholarly publications and discussions, websites of selected professional organizations, learning engineering degree programs, and recent job posts, to find relevant rhetoric, descriptions, curricula, taskforces, and other resources on learning engineering. Based on a critical synthesis of the abovementioned materials, we argue that learning engineering is an emerging interdisciplinary field, which is timely needed and is yet to be defined. Scholarly RhetoricScholars have discussed learning engineering from different perspectives. For example, Baker and Yacef [5] emphasize the methods, including learning analytics and educational data mining, together with design-based research to optimize learning. While Dede and colleagues [6] stress the use of evidence-based strategies to iteratively design and re-design learner experiences. The Learning Agency highlights the important applications of