Impact of International Collaboration on the
Learning Environment
Amir W. Al-Khafaji
Krishnanand Y. Maillacheruvu
INTRODUCTION
• Vision of Dr. Amir Al-Khafaji• CEC Department recognized value of
internationalization as early as 1995, well before the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) established the eleven student outcomes
• Significance of the international experience on the growth and development of young engineers and construction professionals
• Importance of international experience in a rapidly changing multicultural world
MECHANISMS
• Global Explorer Program
• Semester Abroad Study
• Faculty Sabbatical
IMPACT ON PARTICIPANTS
• Students and Faculty learned to function in multicultural world
• Time management skills
• Strengthening of bond between students and professors
• Adjusting to local customs and getting appreciation of how people live
SCANDINAVIAN EXPERIENCE
LEARNING IN A DIFFERENT CULTURE
• Exposure to perspectives of other cultures
• Learning to understand established concepts in a new light
• Learning about new technologies and how to be efficient
• Learning about economic issues that impact professional decisions
SCANDINAVIAN EXPERIENCE
• Denmark
• Norway
• Sweden
• Collaborations with universities
• Balancing learning with a cultural immersion experience
SCANDINAVIAN EXPERIENCE
• Denmark
• Norway
• Sweden
• Collaborations with universities
• Balancing learning with a cultural immersion experience
EGYPT-JORDAN EXPERIENCE
• Cultural differences between countries in the Middle East
• Cost of living and economic conditions
• University connections
• Petra, Jerash, Dead Sea, other sites
• Great Pyramids, Nile, Luxor, Alexandria, Mediterranean Coast
EGYPT-JORDAN EXPERIENCE
INDIAN EXPERIENCE
INDIAN EXPERIENCE
INDIA EXPERIENCE
• Sabbatical at IIT Bombay
• Student attitudes towards learning
• Cultural differences and student culture in India vs. US
• Scholarship and research
• Travel
INDIA EXPERIENCE
• Conferences and Workshops
• Writing books and book chapters
• Engaging in research with students and faculty
• Long-term professional relationships with colleagues and how to keep them alive
• Academic exchanges since return
INDIA EXPERIENCE
• Interaction with high-level decision makers from Indian Government
• USDoE Workshop on Energy and the Environment
• Meeting with high-level Chinese Team in Mumbai on collaborative work
Glimpses of Study Abroad Experience
• http://www.bradley.edu/academic/departments/cec/studyabroad/jordan09/
• http://www.bradley.edu/academic/departments/cec/studyabroad/uk/
Glimpses of Study Abroad Experience
IMPACT IN CLASSROOM
• Faculty bring back learning from other cultures and share with students
• Students share experiences with other students
• Understanding of importance of internationalization and how to function in a global marketplace
IMPACT IN CLASSROOM
• Awakening of curiosity about learning about the world
• Students working for companies that do business overseas
• Alumni who have become significant players in the global civil engineering industry
IMPACT ON EDUCATION & RESEARCH
• Sustainable technologies
• Appropriate technologies
• Teaching styles
• Learning styles
• Cultural immersion
LESSONS LEARNED
• Changing educational landscape of higher education at US Universities
• Cultural sensitivity
• Undergraduates from other countries
• Educating world leaders of tomorrow
• Meeting student outcomes through the process
• Creating a new vision for the future
SUMMARY
• Impact of Internationalization on the Learning Environment
• Uniqueness of CEC Initiatives
• Challenges and Opportunities
• Bright future of the program
• Model for many to use