This engineering education research project seeks to understand how learning experiences outside of formal learning environments contribute to engineers' education, and how such experiences can be meaningfully assessed and credentialed. The proposed study uses a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods that will investigate informal learning experiences at three universities.
The broader significance and importance of this project arises through the potential impact that learning how to credential such informal activities can have on opening up new avenues for the education of engineers and the STEM workforce. This project overlaps with NSF's strategic goals of transforming the frontiers through preparation of an engineering workforce with new capabilities and expertise. Additionally NSF's goal of innovating for society is enabled by creating results and research that are useful for society by informing educational policy and practices.
