2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Assessment of an International Virtual Exchange Project with Civil Engineering Students from the US and Palestine: Global Competencies, Perceived Value, and Teamwork

Presented at International Division (INTL) Technical Session #2: Global Engagement

This paper presents the results of a study conducted to assess the value of two iterations of an international virtual exchange (IVE) experience between universities in the US (Clemson University and Bucknell University) and Palestine (An-Najah National University) in 2021 and 2022. The focus of this study was a five-week collaborative project where civil engineering students enrolled in pavement design or environmental engineering courses at three universities were tasked to develop innovative solutions to a pavement related problem in one of five general areas.

Based on the course enrollments at each institution (i.e., 50 US and 19 Palestinian students in 2021 and 35 US and 51 Palestinian students in 2022), there were two treatment groups: IVE and non-IVE. In 2021 there were nine bi-national IVE teams and eight non-IVE teams composed only of students from Clemson University (US). In 2022, there were nine bi-national IVE teams, five US non-IVE teams from Clemson, and seven Palestinian non-IVE teams from An-Najah. The evaluation in this study focused on (1) global competencies, (2) value of the experience, and (3) team dynamics.

The influence of the experience on the global competencies of the students in IVE and non-IVE teams was assessed quantitatively and qualitatively using pre- and post-program surveys based on the Stevens Initiative and RTI International’s Common Survey Items as well as survey items developed for this IVE to measure whether the program promotes gender equity. The value of the project experience for all students (i.e., IVE and non-IVE) was evaluated using a mixed methods assessment based on the “value-creation framework” of Wenger-Trayner et al. Four cycles of the value-creation framework were included in this assessment: (1) immediate value, (2) potential value, (3) applied value, and (4) realized value. Finally, teamwork was evaluated using the Individual and Team Performance (ITP) Metrics Peer Feedback and Team Dynamics survey.

Results showed that modifications made between the first and second project iterations, specifically cross-cultural dialogue modules, had positive impacts on the overall outcomes. The IVE teams exhibited greater improvement in team dynamics measures over the project duration compared to the non-IVE teams. The students on IVE teams also showed greater gains in all aspects of the global competencies assessment than their non-IVE peers. Finally, all students expressed that they found value in the experience. However, there were no differences in perceived value between the IVE and non-IVE teams. The differences came from students from different countries as the Palestinian students perceived greater value in the experience than their US peers regardless of whether they were on an IVE team or not.

Authors

Brad Putman http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0828-2255 Bucknell University [biography]

Brad Putman is the Richard E. Garman Dean of the College of Engineering at Bucknell University and a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His research and teaching have focused in the broad areas of construction materials and pavements. Dr. Putman has also been engaged in engineering education related research. Prior to Bucknell, Dr. Putman was at Clemson University where he was a Professor in the Glenn Department of Civil Engineering and the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies in the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences. He earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in civil engineering at Clemson University.
Prof. Khaled A. Al-Sahili An-Najah National University [biography]

Prof. Khaled Al-Sahili received his PhD degree in Civil Engineering in 1995 from Michigan State University, USA. He is currently a professor in the Civil and Architectural Engineering Department at An-Najah National University, Palestine.
Prof. Al-Sahili held the position of Dean of Engineering and the Director of Transportation and Construction Research Center at An-Najah National University.
His research and teaching interests cover transportation planning, traffic engineering and management, road safety, public transportation, pavement design, and engineering education. He has more than 35 years of professional and academic experiences.
Alia Gilbrecht An-Najah National University
Karen Bunch Franklin
Shilpa Girish Clemson University [biography]

Shilpa Girish is a current Graduate Research Assistant and a Ph.D. student at the Glenn Department of Civil Engineering at Clemson University. Her research primarily focuses on asphalt materials and Pavement Design. She holds a master’s degree in Structural Engineering from VIT University in India and has worked as a Senior project officer at ICSR, IIT Madras in India. Shilpa is passionate about contributing to the field of pavement engineering and aims to create innovative and environmentally friendly solutions for pavement construction through her research.
Fabricio Leiva
Abdelhaleem Khader An-Najah National University [biography]

Dr. Khader is the head of the civil and architectural department at ANNU. He is an associate professor in Environmental Engineering with 10-year experience in graduate and postgraduate education, mainly:
community-based learning, project-based learning, distant learning. and competency-based learning. He participated in many virtual exchange projects, including one between ANNU and two US based institutions (Clemson University and Bucknell University). Dr. Khader is a Fulbright Alumni and a IIE-Centennial Fellow working in projects related to capacity building for youth and women in Palestine. Dr. Khader is also managing the transfer of students withTVET degrees to engineering degrees.

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