Moving beyond the “international” label: A call for the inclusion of the (in)visible international engineering students

Abstract

Engineering programs worldwide have seen a rise in the number of international students enrolling since the last century (Gürüz & Zimpher, 2011). As of 2020, the percentage of international students pursuing engineering degrees in Germany, Russia, and the United States has reached 27%, 22%, and 21%, respectively (IIE, 2020). In the United States, for instance, which is the top host destination for international engineering students (IESs), 11.2% of bachelor's degrees, 53.2% of master's degrees, and 58.8% of doctorate degrees in engineering were awarded to international students (ASEE, 2021). IESs contribute to the intellectual engagement of university research laboratories, industry R&D departments, and other key areas that drive global technological advancement, in addition to making a significant contribution to the host country's economy (Chellaraj et al., 2008; NAFSA, n.d.;Conlon et al., 2019).Furthermore, IESs bring unique values, attitudes, and knowledge to enrich the pool of information, skills, and heuristics when collaborating to solve engineering problems (Harrison & Klein, 2007). Wulf (2002) suggested that engineering teams with diverse life experiences have a better chance of developing creative and optimal engineering solutions while meeting various constraints. Only by recognizing and leveraging the strengths of IESs can engineering teams take advantage of such complementary and diverse assets (Page, 2019;Van Knippenberg et al., 2004). However, despite the significant contribution and high numbers of IESs, the engineering education community pays inadequate attention to their experiences, and there is a dearth of literature about IESs. Faced with many similar difficulties as other marginalized populations, IESs are rarely included in the discussion of advocacy efforts.As former and current IESs, we are deeply concerned that the engineering workforce and engineering education community undervalue this population. Therefore, in this article, we aim to shed light on the challenges that marginalized IESs face and propose potential actions that the engineering community can take to promote inclusion and support for this group.