Evidence-Based Practice
Introduction
When you think of the idea of “evidence,” you might think about evidence used in a court case or to solve a crime. In a legal sense, evidence refers to the information that helps establish certain facts in a case. But, what do we mean when we refer to “evidence” in engineering research? In this module, we’ll introduce the concepts of scientific evidence and evidence-based practice and consider why they are important. Then, we’ll identify some of the different types of information sources you can use to find scientific evidence and inform your academic and professional work in engineering.
Modes of Learning
In this module, students will use the following modes of learning:
- Videos and short assessments
This module will take approximately 15 minutes to complete.
Intended Learning Outcomes
By the end of this module, students will be able to…
- Recognize the importance of using evidence to inform their work
- Identify some important sources of information for engineers
Key Terms & Concepts
- Scientific evidence
- Evidence-based practice
Topic 1: Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice
This video will introduce the term ‘evidence-based practice’ and explain how and why it is important in engineering contexts.
Watch Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice in full screen.
Quiz
Topic 2: Information Sources in Engineering
This next video explores information sources in engineering and the most common types of sources engineers use.
Watch Information Sources in Engineering in full screen.
Quiz
Summary
In this module, you discovered how evidence-based practice can be applied to inform your decisions, and you learned about some of the information sources that you might use as an engineering student and in your professionalcareer.
References
[1] G. Guyatt et al., “Evidence-Based Medicine: A New Approach to Teaching the Practice of Medicine,” JAMA, vol. 268, no. 17, pp. 2420–2425, Nov. 1992, doi: 10.1001/jama.1992.03490170092032.
[2] B.A. Kitchenham, D. Budgen, and P. Brereton,Evidence-Based Software Engineering and Systematic Reviews. Boca Raton, FL, USA: CRC Press, 2016.[Online]. Available: https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/evidence-based-software-engineering/9781482228663/
[3] J. Kaufman, C. Tenopir, and L. Christian, “Does workplace matter? How engineers use and access information resources in academic and non-academic settings,” Science & Technology Libraries, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 288-308, Jul. 2019, doi: 10.1080/0194262X.2019.1637806.
