This work-in-progress research paper contributes new insights into the qualitative differences in conceptualization and problem-solving approaches between engineering and humanities students in a scenario-based complex problem. We interviewed 14 undergraduate students at Purdue University, comparing their levels of complexity in conceptualization and problem-solving approaches. The first round of coding suggested that students' academic disciplines had some impact on the complexity of their problem-solving approaches. We are currently conducting a second round of indepth analysis to understand what types of educational experiences encourage systems thinking. The results can inform the development of engineering courses that aim to develop systems thinking.

This Research Full Paper aims to understand student experiences on global virtual teams in depth by exploring the challenges that students face, how they approach them, and how they assess their response to overcoming these challenges. During the COVID-19 pandemic, intercultural learning opportunities such as study abroad were limited, and many universities implemented global virtual team projects as an alternative approach to developing intercultural skills. Prior research of these programs has focused on identifying best practices, challenges, and learning outcomes, but has provided few insights into students’ experiences in these projects. To explore these experiences, we collected written reflections from 65 students participating in global virtual team projects in the middle and at the end of the semester. We analyzed these data using a thematic analysis approach. We identified three main types of challenges that students experienced: group cohesion, communication, and project management. Students approached these challenges by making changes at the personal and the team level. Most notably, students tended to take a positive view of their approaches to addressing the challenges by suggesting that they found a solution, had a positive learning experience, or identified skills they wanted to improve in future projects. The results of this study can inform the design of global virtual project courses and encourage conversations about team conflict and how to address it while working in virtual cross-cultural environments.

International research programs for students offer an important opportunity to support students in developing skills in both research and intercultural competence. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these programs made the shift to operating virtually, with likely impacts on program outcomes. The purpose of this study was to identify the approaches that program leaders used in adapting international research programs to the virtual environment and explore how these innovations could inform the design of these programs going forward. We conducted eight focus groups with over 40 U.S.-based faculty who had experience running these programs to understand the benefits, challenges, and future potential of incorporating virtual elements into international research programs for students. This paper reports the results of these focus groups and provides suggestions for future program design based on best practices and innovations identified through the development of virtual programs.

In this Work-in-Progress Research paper we introduce longitudinal video reflection as a useful data collection approach for understanding students’ real-time experiences of educational environments. We use data collected across three study abroad programs in engineering, comparing longitudinal video reflection data to written journals and post-program interviews, to understand the benefits and challenges of using each of these data collection approaches. Based on this, we make recommendations for when longitudinal video reflection could be used for data collection in future studies within engineering education.

The Rising Sophomore Abroad Program (RSAP) is a program for first-year engineering students that combines a spring semester global engineering course with a two-week international module in May immediately following the semester. RSAP has been running for 10 years, and a variety of assessments have demonstrated benefits for students participating in the program. However, the goals of RSAP extend beyond the immediate learning outcomes of the experience. The program seeks to influence students' interests and participation in global activities throughout their college experience and into their engineering careers. This study assessed these mid-term goals by administering a survey of open-ended questions to RSAP alumni during their senior year to learn how RSAP influenced their time in college. Students reported an increased interest in travel and global topics, and all had traveled abroad since completing RSAP. They also described attitudes, knowledge, and skills that they learned from the program and have since been able to apply. Looking toward graduation, many reported a sustained interest in pursuing a career where they could work abroad. These results represent a unique contribution to the literature on global engineering programs in their exploration of the mid-term impacts of a short-term engineering study abroad program.

This paper addresses the question of how undergraduate engineering students view the concept of innovation and their own innovative abilities. The study took a mixed methods approach that included both a survey and focus groups to explore this question. The survey revealed significant differences in how fourth year and first year students rated their innovative thinking skills, where the fourth year students believed themselves to be more innovative. To understand why these differences exist, the research team conducted separate focus groups with upperclassmen and first year students. The two age groups defined innovation similarly, but the first year students associated innovative thinking more closely with engineering design. The upperclassmen mostly viewed their innovative thinking skills through their experiences in extracurricular activities. These differences suggest a need to incorporate innovative thinking more intentionally into engineering classrooms.

Introductory level courses in many Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines require students to acquire an enormous new discipline-specific vocabulary in preparation for future courses. Students are often not prepared for the amount of self-directed studying they must do to be successful in these types of courses, particularly in their first year of college. To assist students in more accurately gauging their readiness for an exam, online low-stakes quizzes were implemented in a freshman level course, giving students an opportunity to practice their new language with minimal grade-related consequences. This quizzing strategy provides students an opportunity to self-assess their current level of knowledge. The quizzes also provide feedback, helping students determine how to adjust their behavior to ensure that acquisition of the missing knowledge is successful. This paper presents preliminary results of the research effort and illustrates the effects of this low-stakes quizzing. Specifically, this paper evaluates (1) whether the quizzing helps students to better prepare for medium and high stakes exams; (2) whether the quizzing increases the mean exam scores compared to previous semesters with no quizzing; and (3) whether the quizzing must be required (low-stakes) to be effective, or whether it can be optional (no-stakes) and still benefit students.