Putting International
Experiences at the Core of
Engineering and Science
Education
Rick Vaz & Rick Sisson
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
About Worcester Polytechnic Institute



2800 undergraduates, 1000 graduate
students, 220 FTE faculty
Engineering (60%), science (30%),
management (10%)
All undergraduates complete three
projects
– 3 – 9 Credit Capstone in Humanities
– 9 Credit Society/Technology project
– 9 Credit Senior research/design project

WPI sends more engineering & science
students abroad than any other US
college or university
2
WPI Global Perspective Program




65 to 70% of students complete at
least one project at an off-campus
Project Center—most often the
society-technology (Junior) project
Over 50% do at least one project at an
overseas Project Center
Project Centers generally run for a
single 7 week term with 24 students
and 2 resident faculty advisors
Projects are sponsored by local
organizations: public, private, nonprofit, NGOs, and universities
3
WPI’s International Undergraduate Project Centers
Society/Technology Projects
 Melbourne, Australia
 San Jose, Costa Rica
 Copenhagen, Denmark
 Venice, Italy
 Windhoek, Namibia
 Hong Kong, PRC
 Cape Town, South Africa
 Bangkok, Thailand
 London, UK
Senior Design/Research
 Nancy, France
 Limerick, Ireland
 Venice, Italy
 Kyoto, Japan
 Wuhan, PRC – ME/MFE
 London, UK
Humanities and Arts Projects
 Ifrane, Morocco
 London, UK
4
Educational Motivations

Powerful learning environment
–
–
–
–

Technology in context
–
–
–
–

“diverse, competitive, and globally engaged U.S. workforce”
ABET EC 2000
–

Response to human needs
Addressing important problems
Design under constraints
Sustainable, appropriate solutions
NSF People Goal
–

Experiential, problem-based
Research-intensive
Critical thinking
Evidence-based writing
“understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context”
The Engineer of 2020
–
“wise, informed, and economical sustainable development”
5
Program Structure

Preparation in the US
–
–
–
–
–
–

2-4 months
History, culture. language
Project goal formulation
Research & methods
Team & project skills
Formal written proposal
Academic term abroad
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
2 months
Faculty advisors on site
Work fulltime on project
Deliverables
Weekly reviews
Formal project report
Oral presentations
6
Example: Bangkok Project Center



300 students on 95
projects since 1989
Nonprofit, government,
NGO, and educational
sponsors
Urban and rural settings
•Energy, environment,
agriculture
• Sustainability and
community development
7
Example: Increasing Awareness of Lahu Culture
through Solar Technology
Sponsor: Mirror Art Group, Ban Jalae, Chiang Rai
8
Project Objectives




Determine the needs of the sponsor
and the Lahu community
Evaluate the success of a similar PV
system at a different Lahu village
Design and install a sustainable solar
power supply
Educate the Ban Jalae residents
about the safety and maintenance of
the PV technology
9
Project Results
•Functioning 1.2 kW PV system
•Technical & safety training
•Information posters
•Recommendations for
assessment
10
Impacts of the Program

Student learning
– enhanced general education outcomes

Global preparedness
– cross-cultural skills, contextual
understanding

Student culture
– go abroad, make a difference

Faculty culture
– all departments involved

Community partners
– mutual benefit, sustainable
relationships
11
Other Benefits

ABET accreditation evidence
– “understand engineering in
global/social context”

Program appeal to women
– Higher rates of participation
than men

Faculty professional/personal
development
– Powerful experience, attractive
opportunity

Multidisciplinary collaboration
– Team teaching leads to other
partnerships

Faculty research opportunities
– Local and regional sustainability
12
Costs and Caveats





Students pay their own travel and living
costs and are eligible for some extra
financial aid
WPI sends two faculty advisors for 24
students
Sponsors at some sites pay a project fee
to subsidize program costs
Program requires administrative
support and faculty commitment from
across campus
Overall cost/credit to the university is
comparable to an on-campus technical
course
13
Lessons Learned: Building Programs



Embed global experiences (not
necessarily courses) into curriculum
Use global learning to enhance
learning outcomes
Consider experiential learning models
– Real problems that matter
– Transferable cross-cultural skills
– Contextual understanding

Invest in people
– Student preparation
– Faculty development

Build sustainable partnerships
– Sponsors and communities
– Other local partners
14
Lessons Learned: Building Support

Campus culture matters
– Students
– Faculty
– Administration

Leverage external forces
– Accreditation and professions
– Employers and policymakers
– Grant and foundation support

Assessment and evaluation
– Evaluate learning
– Enhance programs
– Win over skeptics
15
For More Information
http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/Depts/IGSD/
vaz@wpi.edu
16
MQP/Senior Project in China
- doing projects and beyond
Professor Kevin Rong
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, MA, USA
A technical and cultural experience
Travel
Work in teams of American and
Chinese students
Projects are sponsored by industry
NSF support
18
MQP in China 2005

Beijing
Tsinghua University
Hubei Province and Wuhan City
HUST Campus
Wudang Mountain
Transportation in China

2006





– Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Wuxi, Xi’an, Luoyang
– Hua Mountain, Tai Mountain, Song Mountain
– Three Gorges
19
Beijing was the first place we
stopped in China. We arrived
around 11:00 pm local time
and had a late dinner.
Beijing is the capital of China
Our first authentic Chinese meal in
Beijing near Tsinghua University at
around 10pm after our long plane
excursion. The price of all of this
food? Around 10 USD for all 6 of
us.
21
Meeting with the president of HUST
22
Hubei Province and
Wuhan City
Food in China differs a great deal depending on the
agriculture of the area. Most of it is unique,
although it is very easy to find something more
western than most things when you get tired of the
traditional Chinese food.
This shop is selling various
forms of duck and the Chinese
students we were with ordered
us some duck neck which is
considered a treat.
24
MQP in China 2006: Pictures
Beijing City
 Wuhan City
 HUST Campus
 Shanghai
 Tai Mountain
 Three Gorges Trip

25
The Forbidden City
Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest
26
Great Wall
27
28
Yellow Crane Tower
City Street
29
Tai Mountain
Hu Tian Pavilion
Eighteen Bends
Kong Zi statue
30
Three Gorges Trip
31
Background
Vision
–Global economics
–Manufacturing outsourcing
–R&D globalization and collaboration
–Engineers with multi-culture
backgrounds
Working at different locations
Working with people with different
cultural background
Working in a way to define and solve
problems in different conditions
32
Background (cont.)
Engineering education at WPI
– Project based education
– Project centers and junior projects: IQP
– Expansion to senior projects: MQP
Directly define/solve technical problems in
engineering disciplines
Potential hires by companies doing global
business
Leadership in global operation
– To compare/evaluate the difference of
higher education systems
33
Background (cont.)
Engineering education at Huazhong
University of Science and Technology
(HUST)
– Top engineering university in China
– Taking lead in education reform in ME
National committee director and general secretary
– Design creativity programs for selected students
– Plan to combine ME related majors into a more
general ME
– Strong intention to enhance the communication
with foreign universities at all levels, but
emphasized at the undergraduate level.
34
Background (cont.)
Mission
– To provide WPI and HUST students an
opportunity of experiencing global
economics, engineering, research, and
education, as well as different culture,
through
Working/living in multi-cultural environment
Teaming up with Chinese/USA colleagues
Working with companies doing global
business
Meaningful projects
Learn to respect and seek options
35
Background (cont.)
Implementation
– Planned three years ago
– Visits from/to HUST and WPI
– Agreement on exchange senior project
– Students exchange at their own cost
– Collaboration on project sponsoring and
advising
– Starting from manufacturing
engineering
– Delayed due to SARS and the WAR
36
Implementation in 2005
Started summer 2005
– 4 WPI students working with 5 HUST students in
2 groups for 7 weeks
– Students stayed on campus and immersed into
Chinese culture with activities beyond technical
projects
– Projects were designed by HUST professors
– 3 other groups with HUST students designed
their own projects
– Co-advised with HUST/WPI professors
– Plant tour to learn about Chinese industry
– Reports and finishing up after the 7 weeks
– WPI students learned a lot about China outside
the project (a lot of pictures)
– Excellent arrangement, logistically/economically
37
Learned by WPI students
Chinese culture
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Economic development
Working/living environment
HUST/Tsinghua campus/higher education
People and communication
Sight seeing (Beijing, Wuhan, Wudang Mountain)
Food
Team with HUST students/professors
Taste culture
Technical skill/learning style of HUST students
Confidence
38
WPI students said
Doing a project in China was an unbelievable learning
experience, not just on the school front, but also on the cultural
front. I learned a lot about the design process and how you need
to change things depending on what equipment you have to
manufacture the parts. …… Overall, it was a wonderful and eyeopening experience that I would recommend to anyone who gets
the opportunity to go. I only wish we had time to have seen
more of the country, but I can always go back.
The best part was working with students from another culture
and learning from them about their country. This was a once in a
lifetime opportunity to catch a glimpse of what China is really
like and to see how they view our own country. I gained an
entirely new perspective of Chinese life, culture, and ideas that I
never would have expected. My only regret about the trip was
that we couldn’t stay longer.
39
WPI students said (cont.)
It’s hard to say what was more impressive, whether it
was standing in the center of Tiananmen Square,
climbing the Great Wall, hiking the slopes of a Taoist
mountain, or looking across the lake at the emperor’s
Summer Palace, but one thing is for sure, these are
things I will remember for the rest of my life.
When I signed up for the MQP in China, I knew that it
was going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity. Not
very many students get to experience a different
culture through working with foreign students in a
foreign country on an undergraduate project. The time
I spent in China was amazing. We were also able to be
immersed in the Chinese culture, but because we were
with the Chinese student partners, there was no
culture shock. We were just able to enjoy the scenery
and culture without getting frustrated because of the
40
language barrier.
Learned by HUST students
Exploration of new ways of thinking
Team work and leadership role
The process to start and conduct a project
Design justification is as important as the
design itself.
The way to work with US students,
particularly the way of communication,
understanding, and coordination.
Develop a “Feel” about the life of US
students
41
HUST students said
My biggest gain in this project is to know a good
procedure of doing a project
– How to start, how to discuss with people, how to come
up with initial idea of a new design, and how to present
the idea/results of the project
Particularly, I learned how to represent myself
– My idea, the work we have done, the results and
conclusion of the project, and more importantly, the
person I am.
I am impressed by the WPI students on
–
–
–
–
Their intention to take the leadership;
Their confidence on what they are doing;
Their quick way to implement the ideas we may have;
Their curiosity on finding new things they do not know,
not necessary to be project related.
42
MQP in China, 2006
MQP in China was continued
New NSF funding support
– For travel and lodging expense of students and
professors, plus one planning trip
Projects have been well designed/selected
– 8 WPI senior and 1 BS/MS students were selected
– Working together with 12 HUST students
– Sponsors of five projects
HUST Tonji Hospital (2)
Saint Gobain Shanghai Operation
American Industrial Partners at Wuxi
Paper Clips Factory in Zhejiang
Implementation
– Well supported by HUST and WPI
43
WPI-HUST Project Center
WPI-HUST Senior Project Center of
Mechanical Engineering
–
–
–
–
Co-directors from WPI and HUST
Involvement of other professors
Industry support
Meaningful projects
from industry
In China and at Worcester
Education innovation
projects
– USA NSF
– China ??
44
WPI-HUST Center Operation
Exchange programs
– Ten WPI students to HUST
Currently in summer, E-term
Senior/graduating projects
Five real world projects
– Ten HUST students to WPI
Currently in March – May, D-term
Possible mix with WPI students
Industry projects
Co-advisor at HUST
45
2007- depart in two weeks
10 HUST students at WPI for 7 weeks (just went
home)
– Completed 4 projects with WPI students and faculty
– 2 lean manufacturing projects were in Mexico (visit for
2+weeks)
– Final presentations at WPI and the company sponsors
15 WPI students to China for 8 weeks
–
–
–
–
–
2 women
5 projects
Sponsored by US companies and local hospitals
Will be co-advised by WPI/HUST and sponsors
Will form teams with HUST students
46
Summary
A global experience for
undergraduates provides
opportunities for learning
47
Joint MS and Ph.D. Degrees with
WPI and HUST
Students will complete ½ of their
credits at each university and ½ of
their time
Looking for American students to
participate
48
Questions?
49