EWB-CSU student chapter members (that travel internationally) Ye s No No EWB-CSU student chapter members (that don’t travel) Engineering students studying abroad 4 weeks or more First year traditional design course
Short Term Study Abroad Programs for Engineering Students
First year global development engineering design course ‘EWB Challenge’ Yes Focus on Global Preparedness
Fa cu lt y Le d Le ar ni ng? First year traditional engineering |design course G L O B A L C O M P E T E N C Y P R O F E S S I O N A L C O M P E T E N C Y T E C H N I C A LC O M P E T E N C Y S O C I E T Y A N D N A T U R E P R O D U C T S A N D B E N E F IT S R E S O U R C E S A N D N E E D S S C I E N C E T E C H N O L O G Y E N G I N E E R I N G A l l e r t , B . I . , A t k i n s o n , D . L . , G r o l l , E . A . , & H i r l e m a n , E . D . ( 2 0 0 7 ) . M a k i n g t h e C a s e f o r G l o b a l E n g i n e e r i n g : B u i l d i n g F o r e i g n L a n g u a g e C o l l a b o r a t i o n s f o r D e s i g n i n g , I m p l e m e n t i n g , a n d A s s e s s i n g P r o g r a m s . O n l i n e J o u r n a l f o r G l o b a l E n g i n e e r i n g E d u c a t i o n , 2 ( 2 ) R a g u s a , G . ( 2 0 1 4 ) . E n g i n e e r i n g G l o b a l P r e p a r e d n e s s : P a r a l l e l P e d a g o g i e s , E x p e r i e n t i a l l y F o c u s e d I n s t r u c t i o n a l P r a c t i c e s . I n t e r n a t i o n a l J o u r n a l o f E n g i n e e r i n g E d u c a t i o n , 3 0 ( 2 ) , 4 0 0 - 4 1 1 U N E S C O ( 2 0 1 0 ) . E n g i n e e r i n g : I s s u e s , C h a l l e n g e s a n d O p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r D e v e l o p m e n t . P a r i s , U n i t e d N a t i o n s E d u c a t i o n a l , S c i e n t i f i c a n d C u l t u r a l O r g a n i z a t i o n F e r g u s o n , E . S . , T h e M i n d ' s E y e : N o n v e r b a l T h o u g h t i n T e c h n o l o g y S c i e n c e , 1 9 7 7 . 1 9 7 : p . 8 2 7 - 8 3 6 B o u r n , D . a n d I . N e a l , T h e G l o b a l E n g i n e e r . 2 0 0 8 , L o n d o n : I n s t i t u t e o f E d u c a t i o n .
“[There is a] Global need for engineers who understand the
problems of development and sustainability, can bring to
bear on them their engineering knowledge, are motivated by
a sense of the future, and are able to interact with other
disciplines, with communities and with political leaders to
design and implement solutions” [2]
“The real ‘problem’ of engineering education is the implicit
acceptance of the notion that high-status analytic courses
are superior to those that encourage the student to develop
an intuitive ‘feel’ for the incalculable complexity of
engineering practice in the real world” [3]
“[Engineering education needs to go] beyond just seeking
technical solutions to an understanding of the problems […]
to encourage a more critically reflective approach towards
addressing
problems
that
need
to
be
tackled,
understanding and valuing different perspectives and
recognizing that external factors, be they economic, political
or cultural, do play a role in influencing the decisions we
make [as engineers]” [4]
Our shared global future require engineers and
designers
who
are
defined
by
their
intersectionality, that is, engineers who are
technically competent in their field(s) of
engineering but also have global competency
and professional skills to practice engineering
design as professional global citizens
Understanding of the impact of context on
student global preparedness Students taking part in
Traditional design course EWB* Challenge design course Long Term Study Abroad Short Term Study Abroad EWB*-CSU Design Team (US) EWB*-CSU Design Team (Travel)
Comparison of value of different student experiences on global
preparedness
Global Preparedness Questionnaire (n = 400) 14 questions related to professional skills
14 questions related to students life and study habits 41 questions covering four constructs;
engineering global efficacy engineering global-centrism
engineering global ethics and humanity engineering community connectedness Students taking part in
Traditional design course EWB* Challenge design course
Structured literature review of current engineering education research related to professional skills and global competency
Understanding of the components of global
preparedness and current best teaching
practices
Processes Outcomes
Study Groups
Semi-Structured Interviews (n = 60)
Why did you choose to study abroad and pursue an international experience? How did these experience change the way you think about engineering?
How did these experiences affect your thinking about the cultural relevance of engineering?
How has your experience developed or changed (positively or negatively) your non-technical engineering skills, such as teamwork, communication, leadership, etc.?
How was your identity as an engineer formed before starting college and how has it changed and developed since?
Demographic Questionnaire for all students taking part in study (n = 460) Asks about; age, gender, racial/ethnic background, generational citizenship,
current engineering major as well as if they have lived, done community service, or studied abroad along with involvement with Engineers Without Borders USA or another international engineering service organization
PRE-TEST RETROSPECT. PRE-TEST POST-TEST
SUBSCALE WITHIN THE INSTRUMENT Mean Std. Deviation Mean Std. Deviation Mean Std. Deviation
Engineering Efficacy 4.08 .86 3.86 .98 4.02 0.97
Engineering Ethics 3.84 .94 3.59 1.06 3.71 1.08
Engineering Global-centrism 3.94 .92 3.72 1.01 3.87 1.03
Engineering Community Connectedness 4.02 0.93 3.84 1.02 4.00 1.01
Self identifying female students scored significantly higher across all four subscales
Younger students gained significantly across all four subscales, non-traditionally aged students didn’t.
Students with previous international travel or international development service experience scored
significantly higher across all four subscales.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What professional skills and global competencies for engineering
graduates are recognized as fundamental by key stakeholders in
global engineering practice and engineering education?
What are the current educational practices and models for weaving
professional skills and global competency through undergraduate
engineering core curriculum and optional or co-curricular learning
opportunities?
What is the effect of changing the context of engineering design
courses to include content from international development projects
on undergraduate student’s global preparedness and professional
skills?
To what extent can engineering students improve their global
preparedness through engineering learning opportunities based on
campus compared with learning opportunities that include
international travel?
What is the relative improvement on engineering undergraduate
student’s competency to work in global engineering context, through
different educational experiences such as curricular, co-curricular,
study abroad and volunteer models of engineering education?
Sub Construct [5] Description [5] Professional Skills
Global Engineering Ethics Depth of concern for people in all parts of the world, sees moral responsibility to improve
life conditions through engineering problem solving and to take such actions in diverse engineering settings
Cross-cultural skills, ethics, global awareness, sustainability, disciplinary knowledge
Global Engineering Efficacy The belief that one can make a difference through engineering problem solving; support
for one’s perceived ability to engage in personal involvement in local, national,
international engineering activities towards achieving greater good using engineering problem solving and technologies.
Critical thinking, civic responsibility,
creativity, strategy, problem-solving, global awareness, disciplinary knowledge,
Engineering Global-centrism Valuing what is good for the global community in engineering related efforts, not just
one’s own country or group, making judgments based on global needs for engineering and associated technologies, while not focusing on ethnocentric standards
Global awareness, sustainability,
communication, teamwork, environmental awareness, problem-solving
Engineering Community Connectedness
Awareness of humanity and appreciation of interrelatedness of hall people and nations and the role that engineering can play in improving humanity, solving human problems through engineering technologies, and meeting human needs across nations.
Communication, Cross-cultural skills, ethics, humanitarianism, innovation, teamwork
