A student review of an international service learning program in Peru: Successes and lessons learned

Abstract

This paper presents an “in-their-own-words” student evaluation of the value of international service to engineering education with the purpose of reconciling faculty perspectives and student perspectives. Engineering educators speak in an institutionalized language of objectives and outcomes which relate the intent of educational activities with their impact on student knowledge and preparation for the profession. Most often, this specialized vernacular is not shared by students; and their perception of the importance of various activities may depart from the perception held by the educator. Also, the international landscape experienced by outward bound millennial (and post-millennial) students reflects a much different set of world affairs than their professors would have encountered if they embarked on similar programs during their own time in college. Students who have recently returned from an international service experience in Andean Peru report their perception of the value of the trip by responding to the following prompts: 1) what was the significance of service learning to your professional development?, 2) compare the value of international experiences with the value of similar domestic experiences, 3) was service learning effective at developing technical skills? and, 4) what motivated you to incorporate international service learning into the cramped engineering curriculum? For comparison, the two faculty organizers also responded to the same prompts. While not all student responses were the ones anticipated by the program organizers, the students' perceptions are useful to the planning and marketing of future international service programs. By applying the evaluation and critique of this round of program participants to promoting future trips, the organizers will be able to better encourage engineering students to engage in international experiences during their college career. Summary statements are presented regarding the perceptions of this batch of students. Finally, conclusions incorporate planning choices made based on student input.