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Enhancement of the Global Perspective for Engineering Students by Providing an International Experience
April 6-11, 2003 - Tomar, Portugal
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Carl McHargue, University of Tennessee, USA
Eleanor Baum, Cooper Union, USA |
The articles for these proceedings are not peer-reviewed.
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Preparation of US Engineering Students for International Practice
Russel C. Jones, World Expertise LLC
ABSTRACT:
There are many driving forces for the preparation of engineering students for
international practice. Engineers must design and develop products for
multinational markets. Materials and components must be sought worldwide to be
competitive. Engineers may practice directly in foreign countries for part of a
career. Multinational company engineers must work with international teams.
Several basic elements are needed to prepare engineers for international practice:
foreign language proficiency, cultural background development, international
business knowledge, and international technical knowledge. Further detailed
descriptions of what is needed are provided by the Institute for International
Education and the US Foreign Service Officer Program.
Some engineering schools currently employ one or more of the following
mechanisms to prepare their students for international practice:
• Traditional study abroad programs
• Study abroad plus language
• Electronic trans-national teams
• Group term abroad
• Double degree approach
• Engineering cultures study
• Engineers without borders
• Technical internships abroad
Currently only a very small percentage of US engineering students participate in
any of these mechanisms for international experience. Only 4139 engineering
students studied abroad in 1999-2000, for example. Electronic experiences, which
can be scaled up more easily than study or work abroad, may provide one way to
increase this low percentage. One major situation that needs improvement is the
expansion of international experiences for engineering faculty members.
Russel C. Jones, "Preparation of US Engineering Students for International Practice" in "Enhancement of the Global Perspective for Engineering Students by Providing an International Experience", Carl McHargue and Eleanor Baum Eds, ECI
Symposium Series, Volume P3 (2003). http://services.bepress.com/eci/enhancement/3
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