Research in the Formation of Engineers

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Directorate has launched an initiative entitled Professional Formation of Engineers (PFE) to foster an innovative, inclusive, and versatile engineering profession suitable for the 21st century. PFE involves the formal and informal processes or value systems that shape individuals into engineers and stresses the ethical duty of engineers to continue evolving the profession, thereby improving quality of life for all. This formation applies to all aspects of engineering, including professional introductions, development of skills, knowledge, outlooks, perspectives, ways of thinking, and identity, all while adhering to professional norms.

The goal of the Research in the Formation of Engineers (RFE) program is to deepen the understanding of professional formation, including its underlying processes, mechanisms, and how it can be achieved. The RFE program also aims to revolutionize the system of creating engineers through the impact of proposed projects.

Principal Investigators (PIs) are required to detail the potential impact of their proposed research on engineering formation, regardless of whether the activities are mentioned in the proposal. The RFE program welcomes two types of proposals: Research Projects and Design and Development Projects.

Research Projects aim to address fundamental issues of professional formation while Design and Development Projects propose new methods to achieve professional formation. All projects should reflect the cycle in which research informs practice and the results of research are then translated into practice.

The RFE program invites all proposals, notably those that address lifelong learning by the engineering workforce, culture change in engineering education, engineering formation at two-year colleges, graduate education levels, engineering in P-12 settings, transitions between education levels, and ways new technologies are transforming engineering education.

Design and Development Projects, on the other hand, focus on creating and testing new approaches in graduate education, transitions between education levels, and K-12 education, especially those that encourage engineering thinking, or provide links between engineering, science, and mathematics.

Regardless of the project type, all should address specific audiences, use effective communication channels, develop innovative partnerships for effective propagation and scaling, and add to the engineering education literature to inform future work. Proposal titles should commence with either "Research:" or "Design and Development:" as suitable. The program will assess proposals based on impact and cost, with encouragement for small, exploratory, or speculative projects. However, large projects should have a correspondingly significant impact.