What Is the Education Society?

The IEEE Education Society (EdSoc) is a technical society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers dedicated to promoting, advancing, and disseminating knowledge related to engineering and technology education. Established in 1957 as the Professional Group on Education (PGE) of the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE), it is one of the oldest societies within IEEE. Its first constitution was approved on October 10, 1957, with John D. Ryder, then President of IRE and Dean of Engineering at Michigan State University, serving as its founding chairman. Following the 1963 merger of IRE and the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) to form IEEE, the group transitioned into what became the IEEE Education Society.

The Society serves a worldwide community of educators, researchers, and practitioners committed to ensuring high-quality scientific and engineering education at all levels, from pre-university through advanced graduate study and continuing professional development.

Publications

The Education Society's primary scholarly publication is the IEEE Transactions on Education, a quarterly peer-reviewed journal that publishes research on educational methods, technologies, curricula, and policies specific to engineering and science. The journal traces its lineage to the IRE Transactions on Education, making it among the longest-running publications focused on engineering education. The Society also co-publishes IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, which addresses broader educational technology research, and RITA (Revista Iberoamericana de Tecnologías del Aprendizaje), serving the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking engineering education community.

Conferences

The Education Society sponsors a global portfolio of conferences designed to serve different regional engineering education communities. The Frontiers in Education (FIE) Conference, founded by the Society in 1971 at Georgia Tech, is its flagship North American gathering. EDUCON (IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference) serves Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. TALE (IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment, and Learning for Engineering) focuses on Asia-Pacific communities. EDUNINE (IEEE World Engineering Education Conference) serves Latin America, with first events in 2017. LWMOOCS (Learning with MOOCs), established in 2014, addresses the growing practice of massive open online course design and delivery. Information on these conferences is maintained through the IEEE Education Society website.

Awards and Professional Activities

The Society administers its own awards program recognizing outstanding contributions to engineering education, including recognition for long-term service and significant disciplinary contributions. It coordinates with the IEEE Educational Activities Board on matters of policy, program development, and pre-university outreach. Society volunteers include faculty members, educational researchers, and industry professionals who contribute to peer review, conference organization, and curriculum development initiatives. Membership in the Society provides access to its publications, conference proceedings, and a professional community focused on improving educational quality in engineering.

Applications

The IEEE Education Society has applications in a wide range of professional and institutional contexts, including:

• Publication and peer review of research in engineering education methods and technology
• Conference organization for the global engineering education research community
• Collaboration with accreditation bodies on engineering curriculum standards
• Development of resources for pre-university STEM outreach programs
• Support for continuing professional education and faculty development
• Advancement of learning technologies including MOOCs and remote laboratory instruction