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Impact of Sustainable Study Abroad Course on Students

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Conference

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Salt Lake City, Utah

Publication Date

June 23, 2018

Start Date

June 23, 2018

End Date

July 27, 2018

Conference Session

Humanitarian and Sustainability in a Global Engineering Context

Tagged Division

International

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

10

DOI

10.18260/1-2--30607

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/30607

Download Count

535

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Paper Authors

biography

Patricia Fox Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis

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Professor Patricia Fox is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Technology Leadership and Communication in the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Pat has been a member of the faculty for over 35 years. She has previously served as Associate Chair and Associate Dean in the School. Pat teaches leadership, ethics, sustainability, and study abroad courses. She has held a number of leadership roles in the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) including four terms on the ASEE Board as well as serving two times as the Chair of Engineering Technology Council. Pat is a Fellow of ASEE. Her research interests include sustainability and study abroad education.

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biography

Charles McIntyre Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis

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Charles McIntyre is a Professor and Program Director of the Construction Engineering Management Technology Program at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). He received a Ph.D. from Penn State in 1996. Prior to joining IUPUI, he was a faculty member and former chair in the Department of Construction Management and Engineering at North Dakota State University in Fargo.
Dr. McIntyre’s current research includes sustainable construction, green building, and industry-academic collaborations. He is an active member of the American Society for Engineering Education and the American Council for Construction Education. Dr. McIntyre has served on the ASEE Board of Directors and is an ASEE Fellow.

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Brandon Sorge Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis

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Brandon Sorge is an Assistant Professor of STEM Education Research in the Department of Technology Leadership and Communication at the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI. His research interests include all aspects of STEM education, especially the impacts of all levels of policy on the development of a STEM literate workforce. He also conducts research related to leadership and the role of corporate responsibility in employee recruitment and retention. Before coming to IUPUI, Brandon ran the day-to-day operations of the Indiana STEM Resource Network where he co-founded the Indiana Science Initiative which provides research based science materials and professional development to approximately 2200 teachers impacting over 50,000 students each year. .

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Abstract

Sustainability is an important interdisciplinary topic, knowledge in this area hopefully can combat global warming (Gore, 2006). Germany and like some other European countries has been working on sustainable issues in businesses, industries and within their municipalities for decades. The country’s results are impressive in sustainable urban structures and planning, renewable energy usage, sustainable transportation systems, and green policies all at the local, state and federal levels, which in turn has led to economic growth and innovation within the country (Buehler, Jungjohann, Keeley, & Mehing, 2011).

Since 2002, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) has offered GO GREEN, a study abroad course, which stands for Green Organizations: Global Responsibility for Environmental and Economic Necessity to all students. This course has been taught specifically to study sustainable practices in business and industry and German culture. This is a one-week study abroad course taught partially in Mannheim, Germany and IUPUI. While in Germany, students visit businesses, industries, and municipalities to see sustainable practices in a country, which leads in this area. In addition, German culture is also a focus, especially practices of sustainability found in within the culture. In the past 15 years, roughly 150 students from all majors have participated in this course. Last year, a survey was conducted to determine what these students had ascertained from their GO GREEN course and to see if any of these students were using the skills taught in this class in their work or daily lives. The results of the survey will be discussed in this paper/presentation. A series of twenty questions were posed to the group.

This presentation on Impact of Sustainable Study Abroad Course on Students is the results of the GO GREEN study abroad survey of students from 2002 through 2016. The survey, a series of roughly twenty questions looks at how students have used the interdisciplinary subject matter of sustainability in their lives and work after taking the course as well as other important questions about key elements of the course.

References Gore, A. (2006). An Inconvenient Truth: The Planet Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It. Rodale, New York, NY.

Buehler, R., Jungjohann, A., Keeley, M. & Mehing, M. (2011). How Germany Became Europe’s Green Leader: A Look at Four Decades of Sustainable Policymaking. Solutions. Vol 2, Issue 5.

Fox, P., & McIntyre, C., & Sorge, B. (2018, June), Impact of Sustainable Study Abroad Course on Students Paper presented at 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--30607

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