Kristine Lalley, D.Ed.

The authors describe a short-term study abroad program for business and engineering students at the end of their freshman year, and then present the results of a later survey of the participants as upperclassmen that was conducted to determine whether the program met its objectives. The primary objectives of this first-year program were to influence participants to pursue additional study abroad opportunities later in their college career, inspire them to further study foreign language and… Show more

The authors describe a short-term study abroad program for business and engineering students at the end of their freshman year, and then present the results of a later survey of the participants as upperclassmen that was conducted to determine whether the program met its objectives. The primary objectives of this first-year program were to influence participants to pursue additional study abroad opportunities later in their college career, inspire them to further study foreign language and culture, and encourage them to become involved in additional international activities. Improvement in teamwork and cross-cultural skills were also goals. Show less

This paper presents findings from a study of engineering and business students at a large public research university, who during their first year of studies had participated in a short term study abroad program in 2005 or 2006. The intent of the study is twofold: 1) to determine if the program is meeting its goals of
influencing participants to pursue additional study abroad opportunities later in their college career, inspiring students to further study foreign language and culture, and… Show more

This paper presents findings from a study of engineering and business students at a large public research university, who during their first year of studies had participated in a short term study abroad program in 2005 or 2006. The intent of the study is twofold: 1) to determine if the program is meeting its goals of
influencing participants to pursue additional study abroad opportunities later in their college career, inspiring students to further study foreign language and culture, and encouraging students to become involved in additional international activities; and 2) to assess learning outcomes of the participants two to three years after the time of participation in the short term education abroad program. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected in the study, and are presented in this paper. The researchers provide an analysis of both the quantitative and qualitative data, and discuss implications of the results. Show less

A pilot survey was carried out in the Spring Semester 2002 of 94 first-year engineering students to assess their foreign language competencies. We found proficiency levels in that survey high enough to suggest that global engineering education policies may be based on the abilities of 40-50% of Penn State engineering students to function well in foreign language environments, while recognizing that the provision of a preparatory intermediate level course or intensive language training may… Show more

A pilot survey was carried out in the Spring Semester 2002 of 94 first-year engineering students to assess their foreign language competencies. We found proficiency levels in that survey high enough to suggest that global engineering education policies may be based on the abilities of 40-50% of Penn State engineering students to function well in foreign language environments, while recognizing that the provision of a preparatory intermediate level course or intensive language training may often be helpful. The survey was repeated for 221 first-year engineering students in the fall of 2002 to confirm the preliminary results, which they did. These local data are presented as a research note to address several policy issues that are not often formally addressed. We conclude that if these preliminary data are confirmed, student foreign language abilities should be viewed as a resource rather than as an impediment for globalizing the engineering education curriculum. Show less