Work in progress — Using participatory action research to investigate student learning in engineers without borders

Abstract

This paper provides preliminary information about the use of participatory action research (PAR) in an investigation of what and how students learn in Engineers Without Borders (EWB). PAR is a methodology based on participants' roles in setting the agenda, involvement in data collection and analysis/interpretation, and control over the use of outcomes. Key features of PAR include collaboration between researchers and participants to study and transform an organization, incorporation of participants' local knowledge of the organization, and social action based on research findings. Engaging students in PAR to better understand their own learning and practices in international engineering service projects-in an effort to improve those practices and the broader curriculum-is an innovative approach to engineering education. This paper describes this methodology and discusses its implementation in an early phase of the project: collecting data about EWB students' experiences on-site in Guatemala and in Cameroon.