2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Engineering workplaces are becoming globalized because of the growth of the international economy and improvements in information technology. Students can get international/global experience in a variety of ways, such as study abroad programs and foreign internships. International exposure has been demonstrated to increase student graduation and retention rates in engineering schools. Higher education institutions around the world are now focusing on how to create engineers who not only have advanced knowledge but also comprehend how culture can influence the implementation of their engineering designs and plans. Engineering programs at three U.S. institutions have collaborated as part of the National Science Foundation's International Experience for Students (IRES) Site Track-1 project to develop a program to improve the global competencies of undergraduate engineering students through a 6-week summer international research training program in collaboration with Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP), Malaysia focusing on applications of data science and artificial intelligence to solve energy and related infrastructure problems. The technical focus of the program on data science and artificial intelligence is also a skill set useful to students in all engineering disciplines. More and more engineering employers are placing importance on data handling and management proficiency for new hires.
This paper presents a case study of a collaborative IRES program with a focus on implementation challenges stemming from the pandemic and university policies and practices. The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed/disrupted university and workplace activities. This program is no exception with the first cohort in 2021 having to opt for virtual training. The key challenge in 2021 was to come up with common schedules that were workable for all the participants due to the time differences. To evaluate how the IRES curriculum affected students' research skills, global cultural awareness, and readiness, a structured survey instrument was used. The survey results from 2021 revealed that following the training, the participants' average scores on research competency had increased significantly. All the student participants saw these benefits, independent of gender, diversity, academic rank, or the nature of their home institutions. In 2022, as the COVID-19 pandemic subsided, the program decided to go for in-person training at UTP as originally intended. Significantly different administrative policies and practices among the partner institutions led to students from two of the U.S. programs having to undergo virtual training for 2 weeks followed by truncated in-person training at UTP for 4 weeks while students from the other U.S. program had to settle for virtual training for the entire 6 weeks. These policies and practices include an application for a required specific type of visa, which is lengthy and delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and a policy by some of U.S. institutions that students must be accompanied by at least two faculty for the entire training period. The survey results for 2022 are being analyzed and will be presented and discussed in the final paper and presentation.