2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Focus group analysis of engineering Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL+) compared to short-term study abroad programs

Presented at International Division (INTL) Technical Session: Assessment and Accreditation, Globalization without Travel

Introduction: In recent years, the emphasis on global experiences for undergraduates has increased. Institutions and educators have worked to create more opportunities for international collaboration for students including Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), a pedagogical method that allows for a deepened global engagement for students without the need for international travel. The COIL method connects students and faculty from different countries to explore a subject, theme, issue, or idea through a project-based learning experience. COIL presents many opportunities for virtual engagement as a solution for lack of student mobility, as emphasized throughout the pandemic. Our university has expanded on COIL by offering full-semester COIL courses with an optional post-course short term study abroad program. This type of experience is referred to as COIL+. Currently, little research is available that seeks to understand how these experiences impact students. Student learning outcomes are compared between students participating in a COIL+ and traditional short-term study abroad programs.

Objective: The objective of this study was to qualitatively analyze undergraduate students’ COIL+ experiences between traditional short-term programming to quantify and evaluate associated benefits, pitfalls, and opportunities.

Methods: We conducted in-depth focus groups with eight questions in groups ranging from 1-16 students to understand their experience in the program and at the University since completion of the program. These groups were guided by a student moderator and lasted in length without restriction as long as students provided feedback to questions. We analyzed the transcripts from the focus groups using an inductive approach to coding the data to uncover themes.

Preliminary Results: Preliminary results suggest that students discussed the following themes: future educational and career outlooks, class applications, cultural interaction and exchange, cultural intelligence, skill development, and advice to other students considering similar learning experiences. Our draft paper will discuss these results, comparing and contrasting with results from other studies.

Authors

Joshua E. Katz University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Joshua E. Katz is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, DELTA program, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where his research centers on collaborative learning in engineering education and other STEM disciplines. He obtained his B.S. in Technology and Engineering Education in 2019 and his M.S. in STEM Education and Leadership in 2021, both from Illinois State University. Additionally, he holds a professional educator license for secondary education in Technology and Engineering Education in Illinois.
Hannah Dougherty University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Hannah Dougherty is an Academic Advisor and Coordinator of International Programs for International Programs in Engineering in the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). She coordinates programming for virtual global experiences, faculty-led programs, student organizations and other non-traditional study abroad opportunities while also advising students. She also leads faculty-led programs over breaks and oversees the Global Engineering Ambassador (GEA) program. She holds a BS and a MS from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 2019, Hannah completed a Fulbright U.S. Graduate Award at the University of Waikato in New Zealand.
Dr. Molly H Goldstein http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2382-4745 University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Dr. Molly H. Goldstein is a Teaching Assistant Professor and Product Design Lab Director in Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering at the Grainger College at the University of Illinois. She is also courtesy faculty in Mechanical Science and Engineering, Curriculum & Instruction (College of Education) and Industrial Design (School of Fine and Applied Arts). Dr. Goldstein’s research focuses on student designers through the study of their design actions and thinking.
Dr. Ernest-John Ignacio http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9916-953X University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Dr. Ernest-John Ignacio is an Instructor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He earned a B.Eng. (2004) and M.Eng. (2005) in Civil Engineering from the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art; and a Ph.D (2024) in Civil Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Before joining the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois in 2018, he worked in the construction industry in New York for eleven years as a project manager.
Dr. Brian Woodard University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Dr. Woodard received his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2011. His Aerospace research interests currently focus on the effects of icing on the aerodynamics of swept-wing aircraft. In engineering education, he has an interest in the role of spatial visualization in preparing students to be engineers. Additionally, he has been working to expand faculty-led study abroad opportunities for students by supporting faculty and studying student learning outcomes associated with all types of global classrooms.

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