Providing Engineers Cross-Cultural Experiences: Is it truly needed?

About Providing Engineers Cross-Cultural Experiences: Is it truly needed?

Abstract

This paper looks at research data measuring engineering student cultural sensitivity along a continuum defined by the Developmental Model for Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS). This model measures intercultural sensitivity from the strong ethno-centric position of denial through the culturally normative position of minimization to a fully integrated, ethno-relative sensitivity position. Data has been gathered from students as incoming freshman, outgoing seniors and pre- and post-testing from short term study abroad activities. The freshman data show engineering students that are predominantly below societal norms in intercultural sensitivity development. Graduating engineering students have shown a tendency to move in a direction of cultural reversal. The pre- and post- study abroad data was performed on students from various degree majors and does not indicate that current course content is truly changing our students. The quantitative data has been supplemented with qualitative focus groups to try to understand what helps or inhibits development. Along with the research data, the author will share course ideas to incorporate global issues across a four-year curriculum with the intent of raising awareness and intercultural skills of our students without creating a negative impact to core engineering course requirements. He has successfully integrated many ideas into a freshman concepts course and is currently developing a course on international problem solving. He will also share on-going course activities to expand undergraduate research beyond meeting the technical need of a third world community to truly understanding the needs of that community and the redemptive nature of what can be done as we practice our profession. If our students should receive a call to “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” (Acts 16:9, NASU), they must be prepared to respond as Christ would have us. If we continue to graduate students per the current data pattern, we can expect them to be ethno-centric and ill prepared to interface with and meet the needs of other cultures. Our students need to understand how to accept cultural differences, adapt while not compromising Biblical teachings, and model God’s love and truth to others. The ethno-centric engineer will tend to be guilty of “Americanizing” others. A Christian, ethno-relative engineer can work in other cultures without offending and develop relationships that permit the sharing of God’s truth.