2008 Summit on the Globalization of Engineering Education, November 4-6, 2008

University Of Rhode Island, Kingston RI

Investigators

Abstract

The University of Rhode Island International Engineering Program proposes to organize and oversee a 1.5-day, invitation-only summit meeting on the globalization of engineering education, with approximately 20 carefully selected invitees in attendance. The goals of the summit are to convene practitioners and academicians with the best expertise and experience in providing international experiences for their engineering students to: 1.) Clarify the rationale and need for such programs. 2.) Identify the barriers and challenges which must be addressed as faculty attempt to build such programs. 3.) Identify best practices as well as those faculty most able to help other institutions wanting to move in this direction. 4.) To provide feedback to the National Science Foundation regarding the best use of its resources in supporting the globalization of engineering education. 5.) To prepare to disseminate the material and information assembled at this meeting to educational leaders across the country and through venues such as national conferences. Intellectual merit This project will begin to systematically identify the best practices and methods to prepare the nation?s engineering students to be global scientists and engineers. This will include providing information on exemplary international educational experiences for U.S. students and faculty to prepare them to work effectively in global teams. It will also provide the impetus to develop new replicable models for international collaborative research and education. Broader impacts The broader impacts of this project involve enhancing the potential for students and faculty to adapt to an increasingly global economy. This project will open up lines of communication regarding international collaborations and will encourage development of new international curricula at all levels of the education and scientific research enterprise. The results of this summit will be broadly disseminated among engineering educators, international educators, and higher education leaders in general. This summit will serve to raise the profile and increase awareness of the importance of international collaborative research and education within the U.S. research and education community.