JEE in the 21st century: A brief history of the journal and retrospective of three past editors

As we celebrate American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)'s 125th anniversary and the adoption of a new co-editor-in-chief model for the Journal of Engineering Education (JEE), we look back at the history of JEE and the experiences of its past three editors: Jack Lohmann, Michael Loui, and Lisa Benson. By revisiting our past, we can more aptly envision the possibilities for the future of JEE. In our conversations with the past editors, we discussed the challenges each identified when they took on the position, the changes noted during their tenure as editor-in-chief, and the developments that gave them the most satisfaction. This retrospective provides a brief history of JEE and the editors' perspectives and experiences at the helm of the journal. The beginnings of ASEE can be traced back to the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and Exposition. At the time, it was named the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education. In 1910, the society began a monthly periodical “devoted to technical education” called the Bulletin of the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education. The periodical changed names twice over the next 81 years, first to Journal of Engineering Education (1925–1969) and then to Engineering Education (1969–1992). During this time, the periodical served a dual mission for ASEE—the dissemination of society communications and the publication of ideas and innovations in engineering education. The name reverted to Journal of Engineering Education in January 1993. With each passing year, articles appearing in the journal reflected increasing sophistication in the use of scientific and pedagogical protocols and principles in educational innovations. In response to the rising expectations of its reviewers and the increasing scholarly quality of the articles submitted, the journal was repositioned again in January 2003, introducing a more focused mission: “to serve as an archival record of scholarly research in engineering education.” Since then, the JEE has rapidly advanced to become a premier education research journal in engineering. Now published in partnership with a growing community of international engineering education societies and associations, its readership has grown to nearly 200,000 readers per year in 80 countries. These advances were made possible by the stewardship of past editors and the authors and reviewers who have contributed to the journal.