Short-Term Study Abroad: Enhancing Engineering Students’ Motivation for Global Experience

Abstract

Engineers are required to work in a culturally diverse environment. Many institutions have begun including a global perspective as a part of their education and introduced various types of study abroad programs to improve student's competencies. The authors conducted a multifaceted evaluation of learning outcomes of short-term courses. These discussions indicated that students who have studied abroad multiple times show higher performance in global competence. It was suggested the evaluation of the programs should also consider the impact on students' motivation for another study abroad as a process in the educational cycle. This paper presents a case study of a survey that explored how students conceive of a short-term study abroad program and motivate themselves to gain further global experience. The data are based on a quantitative and qualitative questionnaire survey with a sample of 79 participants. The analysis is based on a comparison of students who had previous experience of study abroad with those who participated for the first time. Findings show that short-term programs can enhance student motivation for further global experience, in particular for those who participate as the first step in studying abroad. Participants who have frequently studied abroad tend to be able to acclimatize to a cross-cultural environment and engage deeply with the content of the program.