ABSTRACT
Engineering faculty play a critical role in the student experience inside and outside the classroom and, as such, are central to efforts of educational change. However, there is little research into who these engineering faculty members are, what impacts their sense of belonging and identity development within academia, or how they learn to make decisions that will positively impact the student experience. Overall, engineering faculty are largely overlooked within the engineering education literature. There is a need to critically examine the limited research on engineering faculty and their roles in students’ educational experiences in engineering. Specifically, this chapter explores existing research about the ways in which faculty influence engineering education (e.g., what they do in the classroom, who they are as educators, how they approach research advising and mentorship, how they approach administrative positions), who engineering faculty are (e.g., diversity of roles and responsibilities, academic and social identities), and how we can better support and develop them within their roles (e.g., educator and researcher development). By incorporating faculty voices and narratives, as well as faculty development research, the engineering education research (EER) community can further its efforts towards creating an inclusive, student-centered, and equitable educational system.
