Integrating a portfolio of short with long-term international programs in the engineering curriculum

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Date of Original Version

6-14-2015

Abstract

The paper discusses development of a portfolio of various international programs, how they can be effectively integrated into the engineering program, and in what way they prepare students in an ever more intensive and instrumental way for their “capstone year” abroad. J-term faculty-led travel courses geared towards familiarizing younger engineering students with the history, culture and technology of various countries are important for retaining students in a challenging major and making them enthusiastic about studying, doing research and/or interning abroad for a longer term at a more advanced stage of their studies. We will present J-term courses to Chile, France and Germany and the outcomes of the Sojourn Readiness Assessment tool we used to measure if students made any gains in their preparedness to go abroad. Summer faculty-led service learning programs are effective modules to keep students’ interest in things international while getting practical experience in applying their technical and language skills and have them engage with a new culture and engineering environment in a protected but intensive way. A summer service learning project in Guatemala will be showcased. The two short-term modules described above lead up to a year-long study/internship capstone year abroad where students “go it alone” – they can meet the challenge having been prepared technically and linguistically for a long-term stay abroad, first in a group of peers (studying at a partner university), then ultimately taking off on their own to various internship sites in Chile, France, Germany, Mexico, and Spain.

Publication Title, e.g., Journal

2015 ASEE International Forum

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS