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Session Description

Free ticketed event
This workshop is based on the presenters' previous research, “‘At the bottom of the food chain’: Constructing our academic identity in engineering education as international graduate students,” for the 2022 ASEE annual conference. Funds of identity serve as the theoretical framework to understanding international students’ identities from three kinds of resources: socially distributed, culturally developed, and historically accumulated experiences. The previous and current work provided insights on the struggles of international graduate students from these three aspects. Workshop participants will be invited to suggest additional struggles of international graduate students studying in the U.S. and come up with ways for faculty, staff, and other stakeholders to help international graduate students overcome these struggles. The workshop will also raise awareness about the lack of research on international graduate students’ well-being and advocate for all to engage in research and conversation about this topic.

The tentative timeline is:
Ice-breaking activity [10 mins]
Introduction
Objective of the workshop
Share the guiding framework [10 mins]: Funds of Identity (and structure of the handbook)
[15 mins] Share research findings in WIP to provide examples under 3 aspects of FoI in the handbook.
[5 mins] Reflect based on your current status and role on your experienced and/or perceived struggles and issues as a faculty/student/administrator.
[30 mins: 5 min forming groups + 25 min discussion] Group Discussion 1: Group participants based on aspect. Have them think about the resources and struggles international students may rely on or meet under their assigned aspect. For example, difficulty making friends (socially distributed). These resources/struggles may later become chapters or topics.
[20 mins] Session report out: Share discussion results. Seek for consensus of the handbook chapters (allow additional aspects or chapters to emerge through session discussion).
[25 mins] Group Discussion 2: Pair participants up by (prescribed) role (faculty, staff, administrators). Have them pick 2 topics we generated in part e&f as a class and think of concrete ways of helping international students in those areas.
[25 mins] Gather pair notes. Place together based on roles. Have participants walk around and leave feedback to the notes.
[10 mins] Session Discussion and closing: What to do next? How to continue with this work? Lack of research in international students’ well-being.

Moderated by

1. Mr. Siqing Wei

Speakers

1. Mr. Siqing Wei

   Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE)

   Siqing Wei received B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University. He is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Engineering Education program as a triple boiler. His research interests span on three major research topics, which are teamwork, cultural diversity, and international student experiences. As a research assistant, he investigates how the cultural diversity of team members impacts the team dynamics and outcomes, particularly for international students. He aims to help students improve intercultural competency and teamwork competency by interventions, counseling, pedagogy, and tool selection to promote DEI. In addition, he also works on many research-to-practice projects to enhance educational technology usage in engineering classrooms and educational research. Siqing also works as the technical development and support manager at the CATME research group.

2. Ms. Tiantian Li

   Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE)

   Tiantian Li (Olivia) is a Ph.D. student in Engineering Education at Purdue University. She graduated with a bachlor’s degree in Biological Engineering with a concentration of Pharmaceutical Processing Engineering. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering. Her research interests are in assessing complex engineering competencies such as systems thinking skills and understanding the experiences of international scholars in the U.S.

3. Mr. Cristian Eduardo Vargas-Ordonez P.E.

   Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE)

   Cristián Vargas-Ordóñez is a Colombian Ph.D. student in Engineering Education at Purdue University. His research is about integrating the arts and engineering to promote reflective critical thinking and compassion. Cristián is a Master in Education, Master in Science, Technology, and Society, and Chemical Engineer.

4. Mr. Siqing Wei

   Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE)