A Narrative Review of Design-Based Research in Engineering Education: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

Background: Active engagement across a range of methodological frameworks is one hallmark of thriving scholarly disciplines. Design-based research is one newer approach to education research that holds promise for developing effective interventions that are iteratively theorized, designed, and tested within local engineering education contexts. Purpose: To promote engagement with diverse research frameworks, the purpose of this narrative literature review was to identify, describe, and critically examine emerging use of design-based research in engineering education. We addressed research questions focused on characterizing the use of design-based research in engineering education in terms of the a) problems studied, b) interventions designed, c) participant populations and learning contexts, d) research methods employed, e) form(s) of the research findings, and f) limitations of the literature. Furthermore, this work identified current opportunities and challenges of design-based research for the field of engineering education through analysis of review findings in light of the authors' experiences conducting design-based research in engineering education. Scope/Method: Using established review procedures that included specified database search terms and inclusion criteria, we identified 24 empirical design-based research studies in engineering education. We used qualitative content analysis to code study characteristics including nationality, participant population, research methods, and learning context. We then synthesized and critiqued findings across studies. Conclusions: In synthesizing key aspects of empirical design-based research studies in engineering education, this review provides insights into the ways design-based research is being implemented to advance engineering education imperatives and provides a foundation for expanding and strengthening use of design-based research in future work in engineering education. Opportunities of design-based research for engineering education include developing local improvements to the field's most persistent and vexing issues (i.e., "wicked" problems) and realizing the full potential of technology for 21st century engineering education. Challenges include developing interdisciplinary teams, the need for expertise across multiple research approaches and methods, funding emergent DBR projects, and disseminating DBR results across the project lifespan.

Combining hands‐on and virtual experiments for enhancing fluid mechanics teaching: A design‐based research study

“…Very few universities have developed their own online experiment simulators. Most of them used freely accessible interactive experiments from the internet, such as the virtual FM platform developed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development of India [74], which provides material for five experiments, namely: calibration of V‐notch, calibration of a rectangular notch, impact of jet, friction in pipes, and Venturi meter. Most of these experiments deliver theoretical and procedural information and allow for student self‐evaluation.…”

Geotechnical engineering educational modules demonstrating measurement and regulation of soil moisture

“…The current study adopts a more simplified and direct approach in the design of education modules without any multiple iterations. In the future, educational modules need to be designed using design-based research approach, that considers multiple iterations of analysis, design, development, and implementation in a collaborative environment [29,30]. Multi-disciplinary aspects (soil mechanics, plant botany, and environment) need to be included and integrated into an educational module in a more holistic way.…”

Aligning classroom assessment with engineering practice: A design‐based research study of a two‐stage exam with authentic assessment

“…In DBR, innovative educational systems are deployed in naturalistic settings while, simultaneously, experiments studying the innovative systems are systematically conducted (A. L. Brown, 1992;Collins, 1992;Sandoval, 2014). Through iteration, instructional designs are improved and theoretic conjectures are refined, that is, design of instruction and research on learning intermingle (Bakker, 2018;Minichiello & Caldwell, 2021). Like engineering design, itself, DBR uses a systems approach to create useful innovations within real constraints (Hjalmarson & Lesh, 2008; for examples of DBR studies in engineering, see Dasgupta, 2019;Newstetter, 2005).…”

“…Second, we apply the methodological approach of DBR to a learning system in engineering education. DBR is particularly appropriate for instructional innovations pointed toward professional formation of engineers (Dasgupta, 2019;Diefes-Dux et al, 2010;Gomez & Svihla, 2019;Minichiello & Caldwell, 2021;Newstetter, 2005;Weber et al, 2014) and where learning engineering is mediated by technology tools (Friedrichsen et al, 2017;Minichiello & Caldwell, 2021). Following Sandoval (2014), we used conjecture mapping to explore simultaneously design conjectures and theoretical conjectures through two design iterations.…”