Cultural orientation and global competency: A comparative assessment of engineering students

Abstract

Global educational experiences can help engineering students attain intercultural skills and understand how cultural differences impact engineering practice. Effective global programs make appropriate links and project meaningful pathways for students from the advancement of cultural orientation to the development of global competency. This study examines the extent of current engineering students' awareness and potential acceptance of cultural similarities and differences. We conducted survey assessment using the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale short form (MGUDS-S) to measure and compare orientation toward diversity among four groups of engineering student populations, including those entering three different types of global engineering programs and a baseline population of first-year engineering students. We proposed and tested a set of research hypotheses for multiple group comparisons of MGUDS-S results, including across three subscales, and concluded with a series of significant results. In particular, significantly higher levels of universal-diverse orientation (UDO) among students opting into global programs suggest that these individuals are predisposed to participate in global experiences due to their more advanced cultural outlook. Further, significant differences in UDO among student populations participating in different types of international program suggest a self-selection factor at work among the participants when choosing the type, duration and orientation of global engineering programs. These results are useful for instructors and administrators as they recruit students into global programs and then tailor orientation and program activities based on different levels of cultural awareness and appreciation among participants. These results also point to new opportunities for further research. Particularly, this study represents a significant step towards developing and testing an integrated assessment model for global engineering programs that brings together measures of readiness assessment, orientation toward diversity, and global engineering competency. © 2011 American Society for Engineering Education.