The Development Of Global Competency Among Science And Engineering Graduate Students

Author(s):

Allan Feldman(presenting / submitting)Vanessa Vernaza Hernandez

Conference:

ECER 2015

Network:

20. Research in Innovative Intercultural Learning Environments

Format:

Paper

Session Information

20 SES 04, Migrant Children Social Settings and Development of Global Competencies for Graduate Students and Intercultural Citizenship

Paper Session

Time:

2015-09-09

09:00-10:30

Room:

665.Oktatóterem [C]

Chair:

Raimonda Bruneviciute

Contribution

The context of this study is an international collaborative project funded by the US National Science Foundation to “initiate a cultural shift in our individual and university research and education programs toward developing international research competence and building capacity through global partnerships”. Its research focus is whether effective, geographically appropriate, and culturally relevant engineered systems can be established that utilize wastewater as a resource for recovery of energy, water, and nutrients. A significant part of the program is for graduate students to travel overseas to gain global competency by helping to develop collaborations with local institutions and communities. The purpose of our study is to uncover the effects of the participation in international experiences on the engineering students: What types of knowledge and skills do the students develop and how are they related to the development of global competency needed to function in international research partnerships? What affects do the experiences have on their conceptions of sustainability?

There is a call for the engineers to be educated so that they develop global competency (NAE, 2009; NRC, 2009). Global competency consists of having “(1) language and cultural skills, (2) teamwork and group dynamics skills, (3) knowledge of the business and engineering cultures of counterpart countries, and (4) knowledge of international variations in engineering education and practice” (NRC, 1993, p.63) needed to work effectively in a range of settings and work environments. Few studies have examined engineering students’ development of global competency; however, they support the importance of international experiences for the development of global competency (e.g., Shen, Jesiek, & Chang, 2011; Yu, 2012).

To Munro and Holdgate (1991) sustainable development is “improving the quality of life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems” (p. 10). The definition we use begins with this and adds the complexities in which the “three pillars” of sustainability -- economic, social and environmental factors – as well as political (Bentham, 2013) and technical (Mihelcic et al., 2003) factors need to be considered systemically.

The results of our study show that for the students their overseas experiences were significant and transformative. The students developed skills needed for global competency including awareness about the importance of developing collaborative partnerships; the host culture norms and language; how to work in different laboratories facilities that do not have many resources and materials; and how to work with different researchers, scientists, professors, students, and members of the community who define and solve problems in different ways. In addition, the international experiences resulted in their gaining a broader definition of sustainability and sustainable development.

Method

In year one of the project eleven engineering and marine science graduate students from different research groups participated in experiences in six host countries in Latin America and Europe. For two students from the Czech Republic and Vietnam their international experience was in the US. We obtained the permission from the IRB for this received consent from all the participants. We used a mixed-method approach (Onwuegbuzie & Collins, 2007). Qualitative data were analyzed using an interpretational analysis (Gall, Gall & Borg, 2007) and quantitative data using a descriptive statistical analysis with SAS. Data sources were a pre and post- travel interviews and surveys of the students. The interview protocol asked about the work conducted; knowledge and skills developed; global competency; and sustainability science and engineering. We used the Communication Styles Survey to find out about the students’ communication styles within their home culture and their beliefs about the communication styles of the culture of the people who hosted them; and the Motivations and Options and Intercultural Abilities Survey to understand the motivations and options of the students related to the host culture and their intercultural abilities, including their knowledge, attitude, skills, and awareness (Fantini & Tirmizi, 2006).

Expected Outcomes

The students improved their place-based scientific knowledge about coasts and the effects of sea level rise; wastewater treatment; and agricultural run-off. They also improved their skills in the laboratory and for urban planning, as well as how research cultures and resources differ in other countries. Students reported that they learned technical words, regional vocabulary, and the pronunciation of words in the other language. This effect was larger in the Latin American sites than the European ones because there was more use of English in the latter. Visitors to the US improved their knowledge of English. The experiences helped students expand their vision of the world and be able to understand and be open to different cultures. We found significant increases in students’ knowledge of their host culture; their attitudes toward the host country; the skills needed to adapt to the host culture, and students’ acknowledgement of the importance of being able to work and live with people from other cultures. The students confirmed, strengthened or changed their opinions or ideas about their home culture and the host culture, including social protocols, conflict situations, work, tasks, and foreign relationships. The international experiences helped the students to understand the importance of the context specific nature of sustainability. They came away with the belief that US citizens should have knowledge about and understand the realities of other countries and cultures, which would affect American’s conceptions of and roles in developing a sustainable world. They also felt that while there are contextual differences, many places share the same goal of developing sustainable technologies and solutions. Finally, they realized that urbanization has brought many environmental problems and challenges to different communities and, therefore, it is necessary for scientists and engineers to work together in order to create sustainable solutions.

References

Bentham, H., Sinnes, A., & Gjøtterud, S. (2014). Exploring the priorities of teacher education related policies: An education for sustainable development perspective. Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, 12(1), 321-360. Fantini, A., & Tirmizi, A. (2006). Exploring and assessing intercultural competence. World Learning Publications. http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/worldlearning_publications/1 Gall, M.D., Gall, J.P., & Borg, W.R. (2007). Educational research: An introduction (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Publications. Mihelcic, J R, Crittenden, J C, Small, M J, Shonnard, D R, Hokanson, D R, Zhang, Q, . . . Sutherland, J W. (2003). Sustainability science and engineering: the emergence of a new metadiscipline. Environmental Science & Technology, 37(23), 5314-5324. Munro, D. A., & Holdgate, M. W. (1991). Caring for the earth: A strategy for sustainable living. London: International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. NAE. (2004). The Engineer of 2020: Visions of Engineering in the New Century. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. NRC. (1999). Engineering Tasks for the New Century:Japanese and U.S. Perspectives: National Academies Press. Onwuegbuzie, A. J, & Collins, K. M. T. (2007). A typology of mixed methods sampling designs in social science research. The Qualitative Report, 12, 281-316. Shen, Y., Jesiek, B. K., & Chang, Y. (2011). Cultural orientation and global competency: A comparative assessment of engineering students. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the American Society for Engineering Education, Vancouver, Canada, June 26–29. Thompson, J., & Jesiek, B. (2010). Assessing the intercultural competence among sophomore mechanical engineering students: Baseline data and analysis. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the American Society for Engineering Education, Louisville,  KY, June 20–23. Yu, H. (2012). A Study of Engineering Students’ Intercultural Competence and Its Implications for Teaching. IEEE Transactions On Professional Communication, 55(2), 185-201.

Author Information

Allan Feldman (presenting / submitting)

University of South Florida, United States of America

Vanessa Vernaza Hernandez