Developing global engineers: An integrated approach to international projects

Abstract

International service-learning projects offer students an opportunity to experience first hand the application of technology within the framework of cultural dynamics to benefit a community. International hands-on experiences play a key role in the development of future global engineers who can navigate the complexities of global market forces. These engineers have a better understanding of the global community and the role of engineers in improving the quality of life for the world's people. Integration of the local community in project design, development and implementation results in a more sustainable solution with the needs of the community at the forefront. Students benefit from this integration by gaining a better understanding of the community and its culture. Adapting technology to fit the culture is an excellent technical and personal development exercise for students. This work describes the preliminary stages of a multidisciplinary project involving the departments of Civil and Environmental, Chemical and Mechanical engineering at Rowan University. The project is part of an effort to design and install a potable water delivery system. It involved land and community surveys in El Amatón, a community in Santa Ana, El Salvador, and water quality analyses. The project involved two components, Engineers -Without-Borders and an Engineering Clinic. Rowan Engineering Clinics are required project-based courses, often externally funded, wherein students apply technical concepts to an industrially or socially relevant problem. There are two unique aspects to this project; the integration of service learning in the curriculum and the integration of the local community in all aspects of the project. Students and their faculty advisors lived in the community and worked directly with the community and the local Peace Corps volunteer to develop strategies for design and installation that the community could support and maintain. This community-based approach involved the local community from the beginning stages of the project. This work describes the development of the project, the integration of the community in the project team and the integration of service learning in the engineering curriculum. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2007.