IEEE Education Society History

Introduction

IEEE Education Society Logo

The IEEE Education Society or IEEE EdSoc is one of the technical societies within IEEE. This organizational unit is international in scope and its constitution identifies the following field of interest.

"The field of interest of the Society shall be the theory and practice of education and educational technology involved in the effective delivery of domain knowledge of all fields within the scope of interest of IEEE."

IEEE EdSoc promotes, advances, and disseminates state-of-the- art information and resources related to the Society’s field of interest and provides development opportunities for academic, industry and government professionals.

Brief Society Timeline

IEEE EdSoc began as a professional group of the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) and transitioned into a technical group of the IEEE. The principal founder and first chairman was John D. Ryder (President of IRE in 1955 and Dean of Engineering at Michigan State University). At the 1963 formation of IEEE from IRE and AIEE, the society had 1075 members. The development of the society is reflected in the following brief timeline.

• June 14, 1957 - First Meeting of the IRE Professional Group on Education (IRE-PGE).

• October 10, 1957 - First society constitution approved.

• March 1958 - First Issue of the IRE Transactions on Education.

• March 25, 1963 - Name changed to IEEE Professional Technical Group on Education.

• September 1963 - Journal renamed as IEEE Transactions on Education for Vol. 6.

• March 24, 1965 - Name changed to IEEE Professional Group on Education.

• October 1966 - Name changed to IEEE Education Group.

• April 1971 - First Frontiers in Education (FIE) Conference held in Atlanta, Georgia.

• 1973 - First FIE Best Paper Award presented to Walter D. Story.

• October 22, 1978 - Name changed to IEEE Education Society.

• 1978 - First EdSoc Meritorious Service Award presented to Warren B. Boast.

• 1979 - First EdSoc Achievements in Education Award presented to Lawrence P. Grayson.

• 1997 - EdSoc becomes increasingly global with a majority of members residing outside of U.S.

• March 21, 2019 - Sponsored its first standard, IEEE Standard for Networked Smart Learning Objects for Online Laboratories, IEEE Std. 1876-2019.

• September 20, 2019 - Society logo approved.

Related Links

IEEE Education Society Official Website: http://ieee-edusociety.org

Frontiers in Education (FIE) Clearinghouse: http://fie-conference.org

Overview of Activities

Society Awards

IEEE EdSoc presents annual awards the following categories.

• William E. Sayle II Award for Achievement in Education
• Edwin C. Jones, Jr. Meritorious Service Award
• Distinguished Member Award
• Student Leadership Award
• Mac Van Valkenburg Early Career Teaching Award
• Harriett B. Rigas Award (for Faculty Women)
• Distinguished Chapter Leadership Award
• Chapter Achievement Award
• IEEE Transactions on Education Theodore E. Batchman Best Paper Award

Annual awards are also given related to the Frontiers in Engineering (FIE) Conference.

• Benjamin Dasher Best Paper Award
• Helen Plants Award (For Best Non-Traditional Session)
• Ronald J. Schmitz Award (For Service to the FIE Conference)

The society and conference awards are typically presented as part of the Frontiers in Education (FIE) Conference and are published in the IEEE Transactions on Education.

Publications and Standards

IEEE EdSoc sponsors or co-sponsors the following publications.

• IEEE Transactions on Education (ToE)
• IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies (TLT)
• IEEE-RITA (Latin-American Learning Technologies Journal)

IEEE EdSoc was the sponsoring society for the following IEEE Standard.

• IEEE Standard for Networked Smart Learning Objects for Online Laboratories, IEEE Std. 1876-2019.

Conferences

The Frontiers in Education (FIE) Conference was founded by the IEEE EdSoc and first hosted by Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia during April 1971. This 1971 FIE Conference had 100 participants, 34 papers, and six sessions. While the FIE Conferences are international gatherings, the host locations have primarily been in the U.S. As of 2013, the FIE Steering Committee adopted a policy for the conference venues to be in the continental U.S. except for international venues every five years.

To better serve the global community of engineering educators, IEEE EdSoc sponsors the following additional conferences.

• EDUCON, IEEE- Global Engineering Education Conference, held in Europe/Middle East/Africa locations dating to 2010
• TALE, IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment, and Learning for Engineering, held in Asia/Pacific locations dating to 2012
• EDUNINE, IEEE World Engineering Education Conference, held in Latin America locations dating to 2017
• LWMOOCS, Learning with MOOCS, dating to 2014.

Society Leadership

Presidents of the IEEE Education Society and its predecessor organizations are shown below. (The position title was changed from Chairman to President in 1972.) Past Presidents were given the title President Emeriti of the Board of Governors as of June 2017.

Presidents of the IEEE Education Society

Year	President
2022	Edmundo Tovar
2021	Edmundo Tovar
2020	Russ Meier
2019	Russ Meier
2018	Claudio da Rocha Brita
2017	Caludio da Rocha Brita
2016	James J. Sluss, Jr.
2015	James J. Sluss, Jr.
2014	Manuel Castro
2013	Manuel Castro
2012	Rob Reilly
2011	Rob Reilly
2010	Susan M. Lord
2009	Susan M. Lord
2008	Joseph L. A. Hughes
2007	Joseph L. A. Hughes
2006	Daniel M. Litynski
2005	Daniel M. Litynski
2004	David V. Kerns, Jr.
2003	David V. Kerns, Jr.
2002	Marion O. Hagler
2001	Marion O. Hagler
2000	Karan L. Watson
1999	Karan L. Watson
1998	Victor K. Schutz
1997	Victor K. Schutz
1996	Richard L. Sullivan
1995	Richard L. Sullivan
1994	Jerry R. Yeargan
1993	Jerry R. Yeargan
1992	Chalmer F. Sechrist
1991	Chalmer F. Sechrist
1990	J. David Irwin
1989	J. David Irwin
1988	Darrell Vines
1987	Darrell Vines
1986	Demetrius T. Paris
1985	Bruce Eisenstein
1984	Bruce Eisenstein
1983	James R. Rowland
1982	James R. Rowland
1981	Joseph Bordogna
1980	Joseph Bordogna
1979	Lyle D. Feisel
1978	Lyle D. Feisel
1977	John C. Lindenlaub
1976	Edwin C. Jones, Jr.
1975	Edwin C. Jones. Jr.
1974	Joseph E. Biedenbach
1973	Joseph E. Biedenbach
1972	Robert F. Cotellessa
1971	Warren B. Boast
1970	Warren B. Boast
1969	Luke H. Noggle
1968	Benjamin J. Dasher
1967	E. G. Walters
1966	E. G. Walters
1965	J. G. Brainerd
1964	J. G. Brainerd
1963	J. G. Brainerd
1962	G. E. Moore
1961	John G. Truxal
1960	John G. Truxal
1959	Ronald L. McFarlan
1958	Ronald L. McFarlan
1957	John D. Ryder

Editors-in Chief (EIC) of the IEEE Transactions on Education and the IRE Transactions on Education are shown below.

Editors-in-Chief for the ToE

Years	EIC
2019-Present	John E. Mitchell
2013-2018	Jeffrey E. Froyd
2007-2012	Charles B. Fleddermann
2001-2005	David A. Conner
1997-2000	Ted E. Batchman
1994-1996	M. Molen
1988-1993	Frank S. Barnes
1985-1987	C. Alexander
1982-1984	Edwin C. Jones, Jr.
1979-1981	Thomas K. Gaylord
1976-1978	Demetrius T. Paris
1973-1975	Gerald R. Peterson
1970-1972	Roy H. Mattson
1962-1969	Sidney S. Shamis
1959-1961	W. R. LePage
1958	Ted A. Hunter

Newsletters

• Education News, Vol 3, No 2, November 1990

Further Reading

Link to IEEE Education Society