Experiences of Engineering Education Research Faculty Members in Canada: A Collaborative Autoethnography

Abstract

As Engineering Education Research (EER) capacity has grown in Canada, tensions have emerged including negotiating legitimacy and the struggle to find space in institutions. In Canada, these tensions have been examined through the perspectives of graduate students studying EER, however, the experiences of new faculty members in EER-specific roles in our region are under-researched. In this paper, we examine our experiences as pre-tenure faculty members in EER-specific roles using collaborative authoethnography. Through a series of reflective prompts and iterative discussions, we address the question of how early-career EER faculty negotiate building an academic “home.” Our findings highlight how our senses of belonging in our academic unit, our engineering faculty, and the wider EER national community are mediated by our abilities to take on engineering identities. This research can help other individuals and faculties understand what supports can help us survive and thrive in Canadian academic contexts.