Comparison of education models for increasing student exposure to engineering in developing countries

Abstract

The challenge of increasing the exposure of undergraduate engineers to the opportunities for, and constraints on, working in developing countries has resulted, at the University of Notre Dame, in the examination of three models for providing appropriate learning experiences. Experience with a multidisciplinary experiential seminar on water supply in Haiti (involving students from multiple colleges at the University of Notre Dame) is compared both with a cross-disciplinary elective course on water supply development (again, involving students from multiple colleges at the University of Notre Dame) and with an REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) site focused on water resources in developing countries (involving students from a number of universities and focused on research in Benin, Haiti, Honduras, and Chile). The Haiti seminar and the REU program both involve travel to, and interaction with, locals in the developing country. Impact of these three models on student learning is examined through application of surveys to students participating in each of these models, the pool of students applying to the research projects, a control group of senior engineering students, and representatives from industry. Both entrance and exit surveys were administered to the students in the elective course and students participating in the REU program. Among the similarities observed among students in all three groups was an increased perception (in particular, compared to the industry representatives) of need for education on international issues and the liberal arts. Differences among the groups were correlated to the primary learning objectives of the three models. Additionally, the Haiti and REU models attracted a disproportionately large percentage of women.