The Global Engineering College: Lessons Learned In Exploring A New Model For International Engineering Education

Abstract

The increasing globalization of corporate economies has changed the face of engineering practice. In addition to core engineering skills, modern engineers must possess cross-cultural communication skills, team management skills, and the ability to perform on geographicallydistributed teams. In a 2003 ASEE paper 5 , we described a novel curricular paradigm called the Global Engineering College (GEC), based on the idea of seamlessly combining the curricula and educational opportunities of several internationally-distributed engineering institutions to create a virtual engineering college spanning multiple countries and cultures. In this paper, we report on our experiences piloting the key elements of this model under an NSF planning grant, focusing on the obstacles encountered, and solutions developed to address them.

The Need for International Human Factors Engineering Education Programs: Barriers, Benefits and an Evaluation Methodology

“…At some point during their careers, engineers graduating today will probably work in an international team with members who speak different languages and come from different cultural backgrounds (K. Doerry, Klempous, Nikodem, & Paetzold, 2004;E. Doerry, K. Doerry, & Bero, 2003;E. Doerry, K. Doerry, & Bero, 2004;Gerhardt, 2001).…”

Thinking Globally, Acting Locally: Strategies For Improving International Experience And Employability Skills Of Undergraduate Students Of Vehicle Engineering

“…However, not all undergraduates can be encouraged to study abroad, less so still, engineering undergraduates 4 .If this study abroad is optional, as in our case, it can even be problem to meet target numbers (currently 10 outgoing students per year). Thus, like many other institutions offering engineering programs, we realized that sending students abroad alone is not enough.…”

“…As the degree program progressed through its early years, the academic staff in the Department of Vehicle Technology began to look at ways of further enhancing the development of the much sought-after 'employability skills' and increasing international exposure for all undergraduates participating in the program 4 . We identified a number of key areas to be improved and the strategies and/or measures needed to do this:…”

Globalization Of Engineering Curricula In The United States And Abroad

“…For a motivated student, an essential part of the Global Engineering College model is to gain the experiential knowledge in an international workplace and streamlined access to a global internship experience. 6 Engineering-Specific Language Instruction -Doerry, et. al.…”

“…al. 6 have developed a model for accelerated, engineering-specific language instruction providing engineering students with linguistic competence sufficient to attend engineering courses and/or to serve an engineering internship in the target language within a single year of study. The international engineering exposure is "built-in" the course curriculum, providing a core level of international exposure for all engineering undergraduates.…”