Educational innovations in engineering education: sustainability of funded projects developed in portuguese higher education institutions

Abstract

The importance of promoting educational innovations in higher education has been highlighted by the research community (e.g. educational researchers) and also by the academic community (e.g. university teachers). Educational innovations could be educational resources and/or teaching, learning and assessment strategies for the purpose of improving teachers’ academic practices and/or students’ learning achievements. This paper presents a study focused on the sustainability of educational innovations developed in engineering courses, with a particular emphasis on the teachers’ role. These innovations were developed by educational researchers and/or engineering teachers of public Portuguese Higher Education Institutions (universities and institutes) in the scope of financed projects. A collective case study was carried out in order to characterize projects supported by national research funding agencies, between 2006 and 2013. Document analysis of the projects’ materials (e.g. scientific reports) was carried out and interviews with coordinators of selected projects were conducted. These aimed to determine the extent to which these projects have considered the impact and sustainability of educational innovations, since their conception. The sustainability involved at least part of its implementation, modification and/or expansion of the educational innovations in other contexts (e.g. other Engineering courses) by participants of the project (e.g. university teachers). Results showed that some of the developed educational innovations were sustained after the end of the funding, but that this issue should be analyzed further. Guidelines are proposed herein to enhance the sustainability of educational innovations developed in higher education following the conclusion of projects, in order to provide more information to educational policies, funding agencies and involved actors (e.g. teachers).