A Case Study for Integration of Teaching and Research in an Engineering Technology Program

In recent years, some engineering technology programs are expecting their faculty members to conduct more research. The challenge for these faculty to strike a balance between teaching and research is unique since they tend to have much higher teaching loads than faculty members in traditional engineering programs. One of the solutions to this challenge is to integrate research and teaching. This paper discusses a case study where a research project, a capstone project, and a course project were seamlessly integrated in an engineering technology program. The positive impacts on faculty members' teaching and research and students' learning were reflected in a student survey, an external assessment, the success of a capstone project, and relevant publications. The effort of integrating teaching and research made faculty members' research more productive and students more engaged in their learning.