Encouraging STEM Majors
to Engage in
Education Abroad
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
Houston, TX May 31, 2012
Panelists
Joseph Brockington
Kalamazoo College
Associate Provost for International Programs
Eckhard A. Groll
Purdue University
Director of Global Professional Practice, College of
Engineering
Professor, School of Mechanical Engineering
Interim Assoc. Dean of Research, College of
Engineering
Panelists (cont.)
Yating Haller
Purdue University
Assistant Director of Global Professional Practice,
College of Engineering
Jody Olsen
University of Maryland
Visiting Professor in the School of Social Work
Margaret Wiedenhoeft
Kalamazoo College
Associate Director, Center for International
Programs
Plan for Today
Introductions
Background to topic
Challenges
Solutions
Questions/ Discussion
Resources
Topic Background
Total UG Degrees 2009 1,601,368
Total STEM Degrees 361,836
% STEM of Total UG Degrees 23%
STEM Study Abroad 2009-10 47,626
16% Percent of total STEM graduates
Study Abroad (Blumenthal and Laughlin 2009)
What’s the Difference?
Is it Study Abroad?
or
Is it Education Abroad?
STEM and Study Abroad
Is it education abroad for STEM majors or
STEM majors’ education abroad?
Does education abroad for STEM students
have to be STEM related or can it be an
academic, intercultural experience?
STEM and Open Doors
Field of Study
Social Sciences
Business & Management
Humanities
Fine or Applied Arts
Physical or Life Sciences
Foreign Languages
Health Professions
Education
Engineering
Math or Computer Science
Agriculture
Undeclared
Other
2009/10
22.3
20.8
12.1
8.3
7.5
5.8
4.7
4.1
3.9
1.5
1.3
4.5
3.2
10 Year Average 2009/10 Participation
21.63
18.57
13.33
8.04
7.22
* increase from average
7.27
3.77
* increase from average
4.11
3.05
* increase from average
1.77
* Decrease from average
1.3
3.64
6.34
Common Challenges facing STEM Students
Wanting to Study Abroad
The “tightness” of the STEM curriculum with
many prerequisite courses required for the
various majors,
Issues with identification and certification of
STEM courses overseas,
Lack of foreign language ability often limits
STEM students to English language programs,
No dedicated “space” in the STEM curriculum for
study abroad, leaving only summer or term
breaks as available times,
Challenges—2
Financial challenges (transferability of
institutional financial aid to financial aid,
English language STEM courses/programs tend
to be expensive,
Summer programs limit STEM students ability to
earn money), and faculty challenges (“Nobody
teaches STEM courses better than we do.”)
Misunderstanding the health and safety issues
facing STEM education abroad?
How to get STEM Faculty buy-in
Centralization vs. Decentralization
Service and Guidelines
“Art of War” ~ Know thy enemy
Centralization vs. Decentralization
What to centralize

Information
• Liability
• Health insurance

Coordination – “To speak in one voice”
What to decentralize?



Initiatives
Ideas
Effort
Services and Guidelines
Faculty orientation
Student orientation
Logistical / travel support for
international programs
MOU / Exchange agreements
Visibility in the international arena
“Know Thy Enemy”
Engineering Leadership: From “an
outsider” perspective
 Linear cognitive patterns
 Coloring outside the line
 Always trying something new
 Focus too much on details
 Not communicative
 Socially inept
 “Geeks!”
“Know Thy Enemy”
Engineering Leadership: From “their”
perspective
 Driven by data
 Logical
 “Doers” - not “talkers”
 Risk takers
 Quick to respond
 Innovative
 Outcome-orientated
 Practical
 Entrepreneurial
Difference in Philosophy
Internationalization vs. Globalization
Personal Growth vs. Economic Gain
Collaboration vs. Competitiveness
Study
Abroad Office
Global Engineering
Program
So what makes us tick?
Higher Education:
• Personal growth vs. Professional needs
Evolving Profession:
• Collaborative vs.
• Competitive
advantage
Faculty Motivation
Research, Research, Research
Value added?
Advance of Scientific Research
Research funding
9 month appointment/ Faculty
Promotion
Things to Consider
Centralization vs. Decentralization
Faculty Function vs. Student Services
Faculty Rewards & Motivation
Raising the Support
BE RELEVANT
Participation in Engineering Education related
projects and proposals
• Collaboration with School of Engineering Education
faculty members in research activities
• Tying student services to faculty activities. i.e.,
Teaching/ Research
Development of new programs to address
changing student population and student
interests
• GEARE, GPAL and MS-level Co-Op
Graduate programs are
recognizing value to STEM
student international
experiences
From a U. Maryland medical student in Malawi
In Malawi, as our health team found
together, in the setting of unpaved roads,
hilly terrain, extreme heat, tremendous
poverty, minimal transportation, the
inability to miss a day of work, and children
taking care of even smaller children, the
concept of going to the hospital took on a
whole new meaning.
From a U. Maryland dental student in Malawi
… the role of a dentist began to change from
focusing on why a tooth hurts to exploring the
factors that block systemic health. In Malawi,
this includes cultural norms about diet and
nutrition: the steady availability and access to
Coca-Cola products, the frequency of sugar
cane use and the attitudes that it “makes your
teeth stronger,” and the overall lack of
education and access to a proper diet,
Examples of asset of international experience:
Added competitiveness for professional schools:
medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, “Need understanding
of a diversifying American population” Dentistry
Professor, UMaryland Dental School
Added competitiveness for some graduate schools;
agriculture, “need to understand today’s farm
workers” Dean, UNC Dept of Agriculture
International health research and service delivery
grants are now one third of UMaryland’s grant
budget (medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing).
International Experience Need Recognized
National science reports (NAS, CED,
NBER) “also voice growing concerns that
current American graduates of STEM
programs lack the cross-cultural skills and
international experience required in the
global academic community…. And the
competition for globally mobile talent is
becoming tighter and less predictable.”
(Blumenthal, IIE)
State Legislators Recognize Need
22 states (NAFSA: 2008) have passed legislation
“stressing importance of international
education.”
NV example:
Develop courses
Expand foreign language
Provide opportunity for study abroad (all students)
Develop innovative public educational forums for
discussions of global issues
Accrediting agencies recognize need
“…accrediting agencies have expanded their
assessment criteria to incorporate “global
competence” into outcomes required.”
(Blumenthal, IIE)
ABET (engineering) has added:
- Ability to function in multidisciplinary teams
- Understand impact of engineering solutions in global
and societal context
- Knowledge of contemporary issues
Volunteer Opportunities for International
Experiences
Peace Corps
- Two year positions in Health & HIV/AIDS,
Communication Technology, Agriculture,
Environment (50% of Volunteers)
- 60% go on to graduate school, often sought
after (Assn of Grad School Deans)
- Masters International / PC Fellows programs
offer assistance from participating
universities.
- Job opportunities: Mich. Tech Examples
Engineers Without Borders (EWB)
12,000 Members / over 250 chapters, 180
campuses
Both professionals and students in, for
example, engineering, public health,
anthropology, business
350 projects in 45 developing countries
Deliver small scale infrastructure projects
in community program framework thru
local NGOs.
Internships
Summer internships with international
national organizations and federal
agencies.
- Ex: USAID both in DC and overseas
- Ex: Natl. Academy of Science program
in Global Health and Education
Foundations’ access to clean water
project.
Service Learning International Programs in the
Sciences
Short-term programs (one to two month)
sponsored by universities and NGOs
Ex: Agriculture programs in Ecuador (Ga.
College of Agriculture) computer programs in
Africa, (Univ of Toronto)
See: STEM National Service Learning
Clearinghouse www.servicelearning.org/stemscience-technology-engineering-matheducation-and-service-learning
Questions & Discussion
https://reason.kzoo.edu/cip/joe/
Resources
Promoting Study Abroad in Science and Technology Fields. (2009). Peggy
Blumenthal and Shepherd Laughlin, eds. IIE, NY: http://www.iie.org/en/Researchand-Publications/Publications-and-Reports/IIEBookstore/~/media/Files/Corporate/Membership/StudyAbroad_WhitePaper5.ashx
Karen Legget, (2011) Encouraging STEM Students to Study Abroad. International
Educator http://www.nafsa.org/_/File/_/ie_julaug11_edabroad.pdf
Project Kaleidoscope and STEM http://www.pkal.org/collections/About.cfm
Program Resources from IIE Promoting Study Abroad in Science and
Technology Fields (2009)
IIE-Administered Programs in STEM Fields
GLOBAL ENGINEERING EDUCATION EXCHANGE: www.globale3.org
WINSTON CHURCHILL FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS:
www.winstonchurchillfoundation.org
WHITAKER INTERNATIONAL FELLOWS AND SCHOLARS PROGRAM:
www.whitaker.org
CENTRAL EUROPE SUMMER RESEARCH INSTITUTE (CESRI): www.iie.org/cesri
Resources
IIE-Administered Programs in Any Field of Study
FULBRIGHT PROGRAMS FOR U.S. STUDENTS: http://us.fulbrightonline.org
BENJAMIN A. GILMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM:
www.iie.org/gilman
BOREN SCHOLARSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS: www.borenawards.org
THE LANGUAGE FLAGSHIP FELLOWSHIPS: http://www.thelanguageflagship.org/
DAAD Programs
RISE – RESEARCH INTERNSHIPS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING:
www.daad.de/rise
UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP: www.daad.org/?p=undergrad
STUDY SCHOLARSHIP: www.daad.org/?p=gradstudy;
www.daad.org/?p=gradstudy_arts
Taken from Blumenthal and Laughlin (2009)
Resources
Elizabeth E. Lyons, Ph.D.
Senior Advisor
Science, Technology, Space and Health Directorate
US Department of State
LyonsEE@state.gov
Jody Olsen
University of Maryland
Visiting Professor in the School of Social Work
jolsen@ssw.umaryland.edu
Eckhard A. Groll
Purdue University
Director of Global Professional Practice, College of
Engineering; Professor, School of Mechanical
Engineering; Interim Assoc. Dean of Research,
College of Engineering
groll@purdue.edu
Margaret Wiedenhoeft
Associate Director of Center for International
Programs
Kalamazoo College
margaret.wiedenhoeft@kzoo.edu
Yating Haller
Purdue University
Assistant Director of Global Professional
Practice, College of Engineering
yatinghaller@purdue.edu
Joseph Brockington
Associate Provost for International
Programs
Kalamazoo College
brocking@kzoo.edu