2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

International experiences, including collaborative online international learning (COIL) experiences that naturally increase accessibility, are of interest to many undergraduate students. These experiences provide educators a unique opportunity to develop a student's entrepreneurial mindset (EM). Additionally, hands-on experiences aligned with the National Academy of Engineering’s (NAE) grand challenge themes (Sustainability, Security, Health, and Joy of Living) support connections between the experience, disciplinary knowledge, multicultural awareness, and EM. Through this Work-in-Progress (WiP) study, we seek to answer: 1) How do international experiences influence undergraduate science and engineering students’ EM, and 2) How does the international experience modality (i.e., study abroad or COIL) impact development of EM? To understand the impact of these international experiences, we are designing a qualitative, parallel study across five U.S. institutions representing a mix of in-person and COIL international experiences for undergraduate students at different academic levels within science and engineering disciplines. We aim to connect transformative learning theory, focused on multiculturalism and connectedness, with international experiences using EM as the theoretical framework. While surveys will support understanding of multiculturalism gains and overall view of the experience, concept maps and reflections will be used to assess student’s growth in EM connectedness. A description of each institution’s partnership development and implementation is presented in this paper. We anticipate key results will include: 1) students’ positive perception through engaged learning, 2) student growth in EM connectedness, 3) students’ increased appreciation of multiculturalism, 4) all modalities support growth in student’s EM and multiculturalism competencies, and 5) in-person international travel components demonstrate a larger increase in multiculturalism competencies due to cultural immersion. The team is finalizing plans for these experiences in fall 2023 and will implement the experiences and collect data in spring 2024.