Comparing Learning in Unit Operations Courses Across Three Modalities: Domestic, Four-Week Study Abroad, and Eight-Week Study Abroad

Authors

  • Andrea L. Schuman Virginia Tech
  • Alaa Abdalla TU Eindhoven University of Technology
  • Jennifer Case Virginia Tech
  • David B. Knight Virginia Tech

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18260/2-1-370.660-136131

Abstract

Study abroad attempts to prepare students to effectively work in a multi-national environment. This study compares students’ experiences in a unit operations laboratory course offered in multiple modalities: at students’ home university, and four- and eight-week study abroad. The results examine the impact of support on students’ learning and dictate that program leaders should anticipate and prepare students for potential areas of panic. They should also purposefully leave room for growth in prioritized learning outcomes.

Author Biographies

Andrea L. Schuman, Virginia Tech

Andrea Schuman is a PhD candidate in Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. She holds an MS degree in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech and a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma. She is a recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. Schuman’s research interests include global engineering and teaching in electrical and computer engineering.

Alaa Abdalla, TU Eindhoven University of Technology

Alaa Abdalla, PhD, works on empirically driven educational research. She finished her PhD in engineering education at Virginia Tech in 2023. During that time, she was an affiliate researcher at the Center for Global Higher Education (Oxford, England). Prior to that, she completed a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University Qatar, where she was awarded the Transformative Educational Experience Grant to start her research journey.

Jennifer Case, Virginia Tech

Jennifer Case, PhD, is a Professor and Head of the Department of Engineering Education in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech.  Prior to this appointment in 2017, she was a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, where she retains an honorary appointment. With more than two decades of undergraduate teaching and curriculum reform work, she is a prominent researcher in engineering education and higher education.

David B. Knight, Virginia Tech

David Knight, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech and affiliate faculty with the Higher Education Program, Center for Coastal Studies, Center for Human-Computer Interaction, and Human-Centered Design Program. Knight, who received his PhD in higher education from Penn State University and completed an engineering education postdoctoral fellowship with the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Queensland, is dedicated to improving and advancing engineering education.

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Published

2025-02-11

Issue

Ahead of Print (Articles ASAP)

Section

Manuscripts