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Engagement in Practice: Evaluating and Enhancing the Global Capstone Course

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Conference

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Location

Virtual Conference

Publication Date

July 26, 2021

Start Date

July 26, 2021

End Date

July 19, 2022

Conference Session

Community Engagement Division Technical Session 6

Tagged Division

Community Engagement Division

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

7

DOI

10.18260/1-2--37038

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/37038

Download Count

307

Paper Authors

biography

Patrick Sours Ohio State University

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Patrick Sours is a senior lecturer at The Ohio State University. He earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering with a minor in Humanitarian Engineering and the Global Option Distinction. He continued at OSU and earned a M.S. from the Department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering. . His research efforts are focused on Sustainable Development Engineering, specifically working with rural communities on water access. Patrick has worked on projects in Tanzania, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, and Central Ohio. Patrick is also involved in curriculum development efforts to offer courses in Sustainable Development Engineering. He was named a 2020 Engineering for Change Fellow.

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Michael J. Hagenberger Ohio State University

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Abstract

The Global Capstone course situated within the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering offers engineering students an opportunity to work collaboratively on real-world engineering problems with partnering international institutions and communities. The overarching aim of the course is to prepare students for the multidisciplinary and multicultural environment they will experience when entering the engineering workforce. As the workforce continues to become more diverse and the economy becomes more globalized, engineering students will need the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to work effectively and collaboratively across cultural and societal differences. To ensure that engineering students are equipped with the necessary skills and mindset to be effective in an increasingly diverse and global context, an assessment and reexamination of the capstone course learning outcomes is required. The Global Capstone Evaluation will explore the engineering student experiences working with and in diverse teams and stakeholders. Students engage with partners across the University as well as with partnering communities, organizations, and universities. This paper outlines the design of a baseline and post-course survey that assesses student experiences in engineering capstone courses and will be administered annually with the goal of uncovering the effectiveness of existing learning outcomes. By understanding the nuanced nature of working in a multidisciplinary and multicultural context in the engineering capstone courses, enhanced student learning outcomes and assessments can be developed to support the preparation of professional engineers entering the workforce. This paper will outline the process by which the Global Capstone Program was developed, reflect on the challenges associated with managing a complex program with real-world projects, and the plan for continuous improvement.

Sours, P., & Hagenberger, M. J. (2021, July), Engagement in Practice: Evaluating and Enhancing the Global Capstone Course Paper presented at 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference. 10.18260/1-2--37038

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