Validity: Meaning and Relevancy in Assessment for Engineering Education Research

Ten years ago marked the beginning of a transformative time for engineering education. The January 2005 special issue of this Journal, “The Art and Science of Engineering Education Research,” was characterized as a “milestone event” in the “process of reinventing” engineering education as a discipline (Streveler & Smith, 2006, p. 103). The issue ignited a conversation regarding how the engineering education community would identify itself and make greater contributions as a research discipline, along with calls for increasing the rigor of fundamental research in engineering education (e.g., Gabriele, 2005; Haghighi, 2005; Kerns, 2005; Fortenberry, 2006; Radcliffe, 2006; Streveler & Smith, 2006; Wormley, 2006). During the 2005 and 2006 time period of high momentum, researchers identified the development of assessment strategies and high-quality engineering education assessment instruments as integral parts of the community’s transformation (Lohmann, 2005; Olds, Moskal, & Miller, 2005; Radcliffe, 2006; Streveler & Smith, 2006). Perhaps Olds et al. (2005) stated the importance most clearly: