This talk will cover findings from a series of research studies conducted in the Engineering Learning Observatory (ELO) at Purdue University since its inception in 2009. The main purpose of ELO is to study student learning in engineering through two common uses of the observatory: a room for collecting data and a portal for analysing and synthesizing information. ELO projects range from studies of engineering students’ perceptions of innovation to the assessment of information literacy, all with a focus on studying learning in engineering design environments and research questions such as: what are engineering students’ strengths/challenges in design, and do engineering students see themselves as the innovators we expect them to be? The seminar will include discussion on the teaching implications of these studies and engage attendees in a discussion on what research on student learning should look like in the next ten years.

Senay Purzer is an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. She is a NAE/CASEE New Faculty Fellow and the recipient of a 2012 NSF CAREER award. Her research laboratory, Engineering Learning Observatory, houses projects on video and discourse analysis methods to examine engineering students’ approaches to innovation, design thinking, and collaborative decision-making processes. She currently teaches courses on educational research methods and introduction to engineering. Senay is a governing board member of the international Research in Engineering Education Network (REEN) representing North America zone in ASEE Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM) and an editorial board member of Science Education and the Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education (JPEER). She received a B.S.E with distinction in Engineering at Arizona State University in 2009 as well as a B.S. degree in Physics Education in 1999. Her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees are in Science Education from Arizona State University. http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~spurzer/

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