A systematic review of CDIO knowledge library publications (2010 – 2020): An Overview of trends and recommendations for future research

The Conceiving – Designing – Implementing – Operating (CDIO) Initiative identifies itself as a global educational framework for producing the next generation of engineers. The purpose of this systematic review is to provide an overview of trends and to consider how these may be optimised for the continued evolution of the initiative. This systematic review follows PRISMA guidelines and is preregistered on The Open Science Framework (OSF). The review includes all publications within the CDIO knowledge library between 2010 and 2020 (N = 898). Each of the publications was categorised as Advances in CDIO, CDIO Implementation and Engineering Educational Research. The initial screening identified the popularity of publishing articles discussing CDIO implementation and the notable decline in CDIO publications. A second screening took place that included all the publications in the Engineering Educational Research category. Some of the findings include: 1) 43% of publications have links with Nordic institutions. 2) Sweden is the most active country. 3) 81% of the publications are completed collaboratively; however, only 22% are cross institutional collaborations. The paper concludes with three main suggestions for future research: 1) Enhancing evidence-based practice 2) Support of blended learning research and 3) Further development of collaboration & replication efforts.