Publication Date

6-25-2023

Conference/Sponsorship/Institution

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Description

This paper presents the results of a study conducted to assess the value of two iterations of an international virtual exchange (IVE) experience between universities in the US (Clemson University and Bucknell University) and Palestine (An-Najah National University) in 2021 and 2022. The focus of this study was a five-week collaborative project where civil engineering students enrolled in pavement design or environmental engineering courses at three universities were tasked to develop innovative solutions to a pavement related problem in one of five general areas.

Based on the course enrollments at each institution (i.e., 50 US and 19 Palestinian students in 2021 and 35 US and 51 Palestinian students in 2022), there were two treatment groups: IVE and non-IVE. In 2021 there were nine bi-national IVE teams and eight non-IVE teams composed only of students from Clemson University (US). In 2022, there were nine bi-national IVE teams, five US non-IVE teams from Clemson, and seven Palestinian non-IVE teams from An-Najah. The evaluation in this study focused on (1) global competencies, (2) value of the experience, and (3) team dynamics.

The influence of the experience on the global competencies of the students in IVE and non-IVE teams was assessed quantitatively and qualitatively using pre- and post-program surveys based on the Stevens Initiative and RTI International’s Common Survey Items as well as survey items developed for this IVE to measure whether the program promotes gender equity. The value of the project experience for all students (i.e., IVE and non-IVE) was evaluated using a mixed methods assessment based on the “value-creation framework” of Wenger-Trayner et al. Four cycles of the value-creation framework were included in this assessment: (1) immediate value, (2) potential value, (3) applied value, and (4) realized value. Finally, teamwork was evaluated using the Individual and Team Performance (ITP) Metrics Peer Feedback and Team Dynamics survey.

Results showed that modifications made between the first and second project iterations, specifically cross-cultural dialogue modules, had positive impacts on the overall outcomes. The IVE teams exhibited greater improvement in team dynamics measures over the project duration compared to the non-IVE teams. The students on IVE teams also showed greater gains in all aspects of the global competencies assessment than their non-IVE peers. Finally, all students expressed that they found value in the experience. However, there were no differences in perceived value between the IVE and non-IVE teams. The differences came from students from different countries as the Palestinian students perceived greater value in the experience than their US peers regardless of whether they were on an IVE team or not.

Type

Article

Department

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Publisher Statement

ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2023 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015

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