2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Comparison of student global perspectives pre- and post-COVID for a study abroad program

Presented at International Division (INTL) Technical Session #3: Student Perspectives

In our increasingly globalized world, it is important for engineers to develop global competencies and skills needed to work in a diverse environment. One way of integrating global competency learning into the engineering curriculum is through study abroad programs and courses that examine the importance of culture and context in engineering practice. The Rising Sophomore Abroad Program (RSAP) at Virginia Tech introduces first-year engineering students to global engineering with the combination of a semester-long course - focused on global engineering and international practices - and a 2-week international experience. This travel abroad, however, was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this period of uncertainty, restricted travel, quarantine, and increased connectivity with remote-work, it is possible that some students’ perceptions of globalization and culture may have been impacted. The purpose of this study is to characterize the extent that COVID-19 may have had an effect on the development of student global competencies upon arrival into a study abroad program. Student global perspectives are assessed using the Global Perspectives Inventory (GPI) and compared pre-COVID (2020) and post-COVID (2022) for a study abroad program. Thus, the study seeks to answer the following research question: How do students’ global perspectives vary between pre-COVID and post-COVID? Data was quantitatively analyzed using Mann-Whitney non-parametric t-tests to compare groups from 2020 and 2022. Results showed a decrease in the Knowledge and Identity dimensions of the GPI data with statistical significance, but limited practical significance with a small effect size. Overall, this study provides a better understanding of students' perceptions of global perspectives pre-and-post COVID-19. Implications for practice and research are provided, as well as directions for future research.

Authors

Lisa Schibelius http://orcid.org/https://0000-0003-2678-7780 Virginia Tech Department of Engineering Education [biography]

Lisa Schibelius (rhymes with rebellious) is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech (VT). She holds both B.S. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering with an aerospace concentration from the University of South Alabama. Prior to beginning her studies at VT, she worked as an engineer for 4 years at Airbus in the retrofit of aircraft cabins with experience in project management, automation, airworthiness, and additive manufacturing. Her research interests leverage her experiences from industry and are centered on culture, team dynamics, and conflict management, as well as global engineering and art & creativity in engineering.
Mr. Tahsin Mahmud Chowdhury Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University [biography]

Tahsin Chowdhury is an Engineering Education Doctoral candidate who focuses on engineering in the 21st century. He is passionate about enhancing professional competencies for engineering workforce development in academia and beyond. He is trained in Industrial and Systems Engineering and has a combined 6 years experience spanning both academia as well as lean manufacturing at Fortune 500 companies. Tahsin’s long term goal is to bridge the engineering competency gap between industry demand and academic fulfillment. A global engineer and researcher, Tahsin is an advocate and ally for better inclusion in STEM and beyond.
Andrea L. Schuman Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University [biography]

Andrea is a PhD candidate in Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. She holds an M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech and B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma. Her research interests include global engineering and teaching in ECE.
Dr. Homero Murzi http://orcid.org/https://0000-0003-3849-2947 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University [biography]

Dr. Homero Murzi (he/él/his) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. Homero is the leader of the Engineering Competencies, Learning, and Inclusive Practices for Success (ECLIPS) Lab where he leads a team focused on doing research on contemporary, culturally relevant, and inclusive pedagogical practices, emotions in engineering, competency development, and understanding the experiences of traditionally marginalized engineering students from an asset-based perspective. Homero’s goal is to develop engineering education practices that value the capital that traditionally marginalized students bring into the field, and to train graduate students and faculty members with the tool to promote effective and inclusive learning environments and mentorship practices. Homero has been recognized as a Diggs Teaching Scholar, a Graduate Academy for Teaching Excellence Fellow, a Global Perspectives Fellow, a Diversity Scholar, a Fulbright Scholar, a recipient of the NSF CAREER award, and was inducted into the Bouchet Honor Society. Homero serves as the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Chair for the Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (CDEI), the Program Chair for the ASEE Faculty Development Division, and the Vice Chair for the Research in Engineering Education Network (REEN).

Download paper (848 KB)

Are you a researcher? Would you like to cite this paper? Visit the ASEE document repository at peer.asee.org for more tools and easy citations.

» Download paper

« View session