Conference Session

Faculty Involvement in International Engineering Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jongwon Kim, Seoul National University; Dong Mok Kim, Seoul National University; Stefano Consiglio, Technical University of Berlin; Semih Severengiz, Technical University of Berlin; Guenther Seliger, Technical University of Berlin; Lalit Patil, University of Michigan; Debasish Dutta, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

International

fulfilling these extensive requirements.The faculty collaborates to determine and agree upon the course objectives, philosophy andformat. In GPD, the teaching staff has been careful and deliberate in their efforts to let multipleperspectives co-exist. For example, the TUB staff view the main objective of the course is forthe students to gain personal, methodological and soft skills for working on technical tasks inmultinational teams. The UM and SNU staff view GPD as an environment for students tounderstand the global dimension of product development (global products and globallydistributed development) and the challenges and benefits of cross-cultural team work. Anotherdifference in perspective comes from TUB’s view of GPD as a unique course where

Conference Session

Engineering Without Borders Programs Involving Students

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Eric Johnson, Valparaiso University; Sarah DeMaris, Valparaiso University; Doug Tougaw, Valparaiso University

Tagged Divisions

International

diverse and interconnected world.” The international engineeringexperience named the Valparaiso International Engineering Program (VIEP) described in thispaper responds to that directional theme by integrating the “hard skills” of an engineeringeducation with the “soft skills” of cultural and linguistic fluency that will allow these engineersto work in an interconnected marketplace. It also provides exciting industrial and culturalexperiences that will be attractive to engineering students and is cost-effective because amajority of the program’s components are already in place at the university.This paper will discuss the development of the VIEP from conception to its current form. It willalso include perspectives of students in the program who

Conference Session

Collaborative & New Efforts in Engineering Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Samuel Scheibler, Milwaukee School of Engineering; Stephen Williams, Milwaukee School of Engineering; Joerg Mossbrucker, Milwaukee School of Engineering; Glenn Wrate, Milwaukee School of Engineering; Owe Petersen, Milwaukee School of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

International

critical thinking,13 and cultural awareness.14 In other words,expanding the apex of the funnel.15While this pedagogical modification is consummately reasonable in theory, the reality in mostengineering programs is counterintuitive to such changes. 16 The equilibrium of most curricula ismaintained on an 80/20 balance between the “hard skills” of technical expertise and associatedemphases and the “soft skills” of communication and social science.17,18 Furthermore, programchairpersons and faculty curriculum committees face the dual pressures of maintaining the 80/20balance while facing the imperative to reduce rather than expand credit requirements from thecompetitive reality of the academic marketplace.19The changes being wrought by globalization at

Conference Session

International Exchange/Joint Programs in Engineering

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Masakatsu Matsuishi, Kanazawa Institute of Technology; Wayne Sanders, Rose Hulman Institute Of Technology; Kazuya Takamata, Kanazawa Institute of Technology; Tetsuro Furukawa, Kanazawa Institute of Technology; Loo Ching Nong, Singapore Polytechnic

Tagged Divisions

International

. The objectives were to design facilities, services and systemsrelated to bus transportation/urban transportation which would provide safe,comfortable, convenient, and efficient transportation systems for passengers. Progressreports and final achievements were exchanged among the three institutions. Studentsbenefited from seeing how other teams used different approaches to the design process.While working on the international joint project, students also found that they needmore training in soft skills such as cooperation, communication, and teamwork toachieve a more effective collaboration. In addition, they not only need to acquaintthemselves with foreign languages, but also to explore overseas business opportunitiesand appreciate the