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Contribution: This work provides evidence of various approaches to studying longitudinal student unit record data in undergraduate education in the USA and the outcomes that can be realized using a large multi-institutional longitudinal dataset, Multiple-Institution Database for Investigating Longitudinal Development (MIDFIELD). Background: Cross-sectional studies introduce a variety of sources of error in estimating student pathways and outcomes. Longitudinal outcomes that ignore pathways also miss important information, and some populations are systematically excluded (such as transfer students). Intended Outcomes: By providing examples of how longitudinal student unit-record data can be analyzed and the results that can be expected, this work aims to deepen the research toolbox in engineering education. Findings: MIDFIELD is being used to support studies of demographic and financial trends among universities in the southeastern USA, required math and science course grades and disciplinary cultures, time to find graduation major, educational data mining, and applications of selected advanced models.

The concept of electric current is fundamental in the study of electrical engineering (EE). Students are often exposed to this concept in their daily lives and early in middle school education. Lower-division university courses are usually limited to the study of passive electronic devices and simple electric circuits. Semiconductor physics is an upper-division course that presents the physics behind semiconductor devices in depth and exposes the students to microscale explanations of different types of current, such as drift and diffusion currents. This paper investigates how third-year college students majoring in EE link microscale and macroscale concepts of current, and what misconceptions they reveal after one quarter of advanced instruction in semiconductor physics. The interviewees were posed a problem, based on a distracting device structure that exposed student difficulties in defining current, charges and doping, and the plotting of current-voltage (I-V) characteristics. For example, some students had the naïve idea that current is the flow of a particular type of charge (i.e., only electrons or only holes) or that there is a "spectrum of doping." Almost all students drew a one-quadrant coordinate system for the I-V curves, which might imply that students think only about positive voltages. These findings can inform further studies to identify and address misconceptions in the important area of semiconductor device physics.

Electrical Engineering (EE) and Computer Engineering (CpE) programs have similar curricula, but different demographics and student outcomes. This paper extends earlier longitudinal studies to a larger and more diverse dataset with 90,000 first-time-in-college and 26,000 transfer students who majored in engineering at USA institutions, including students who started in first-year engineering programs, those switching majors, and those transferring from other institutions. Black men and women and Asian men in engineering are strongly attracted to EE when they start in college. Black students and Asian and Hispanic men are attracted to CpE more than other engineering disciplines, but at lower rates than EE. Asian students have the highest graduation rates in EE. EE students are much more likely to graduate than CpE students. Compared to other engineering disciplines, CpE graduation rates are low for women of all races/ethnicities and Black men. Both EE and CpE lose many of those starting the programs, but switchers and transfers compensate for some of the loss. Considering Asian students and White men, switching to EE accounts for the high attrition rate from CpE, but attrition in other populations cannot be explained so easily. Trajectories of student enrollment differ by race/ethnicity. The approach used here could serve as a model for other fields studying their own demographic distributions.

This paper describes a set of experiments in optoelectronics for first-year engineering students. This laboratory experience is comprised of five inexpensive and transportable modules that provide a hands-on introduction to optoelectronics, these modules include different types of emitters, light-emitting diode (LED) colors, optical voice link, total internal reflection, and waveguiding. Designed by a senior electrical engineering student, these modules appeal to students with various learning styles. Two hundred eight-five first-year engineering students at Bucknell University and the University of San Diego have performed these experiments. Student response to the laboratories has been enthusiastic with 80% of the students rating the lab as very good or excellent overall. Further assessment of the experiments by the instructor and the students is also discussed. Index Terms--Freshmen, laboratory, learning styles, optoelectronics.

The article announces the awards given to engineering educators including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) Education Society Achievement Award to James A. Roberts, Frontiers in Education (FIE) Conference Ronald J. Schmitz Award to Ted E. Batchman, and American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Educational Research Methods (ERM) Division Distinguished Service Award to Teri Reed-Rhoads.

The article announces awards given in the 2007 IEEE Education Society Awards and Frontiers in Education Conference Awards including the 2007 IEEE Education Society Achievement Award to Sarah A. Rajala and Marwan A. Simaan, and the 2007 IEEE Education Society Best Transactions Paper Award to Jason A. Day.

A correction to the article "2008 IEEE Education Society Awards and Frontiers in Education Conference Awards" that was published in the May 2009 issue is presented.