Recommended Practices for Managing Large, Multi-Site Engineering Education Research Data Collection Projects

Abstract

Lisa Lattuca, Professor of Higher Education at the University of Michigan, studies curriculum, teaching, and learning in college and university settings. She examines processes of curriculum development and revision at the course, program, and institutional levels, including how faculty attitudes, beliefs, and cultures influence curricular and instructional practices and how these in affect student learning. In recent years, she has been studying these topics in undergraduate engineering programs with funding from the National Science Foundation. Recommended Practices for Managing Large, Multi-Site Engineering Education Research Data Collection Projects AbstractThis is an evidence-based practice paper, intended to share a range of experiences managing data collection across multiple sites and offer recommendations for success. To address some of the broadest and most critical research questions, engineering education researchers are proposing more and more studies of engineering students, faculty, and/or administrators at multiple higher education institutions. Although some information about how to solicit participation from these institutions is shared through papers and presentations disseminating the activities, most of the best practices and accumulated wisdom about how to manage data collection across multiple sites is not widely shared. To remedy this, the authors synthesize their many years' experience coordinating data collection for engineering education research projects and address site selection, local contacts, recruiting, collaboration agreements, and IRB coordination.