Internationalization and Civil Engineering Program Innovation

In the early 1990’s, the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction (CEC) at Bradley University developed strategic objectives to introduce internationalization to our students and curriculum. Initially, four objectives for the CEC Global Explorer Program were outlined: 1) to send students abroad for study either for a short mini-semester or full semester; 2) persuade international students to come to Bradley; 3) embark on a faculty exchange; and 4) to foster international research exchange between the CEC department and institutions abroad. In 1996, the Bradley University’s International Program was limited to the summer months. The involvement of engineering students and faculty was extremely limited for at least two reasons. First, many course offerings were for language studies or general education. A more important reason was that most engineering students preferred or were obligated to work during the summer months. Summer employment was important to gain experience and for financial reasons as Bradley is a private institution. Yet faculty and students could benefit greatly from international exposure. More importantly, the internationalization program inspired the faculty to modify the curriculum to better reflect the changing realities of our engineering profession. The new CEC curriculum permit students to seek emphasis in international program, sustainability, or infrastructure. The CEC had the vision and foresight to realize the paramount importance of international education to the future of the civil engineering and construction professions. The mindset was that future employers would be seeking engineers with some international experience and exposure to the various cultures. Furthermore, ABET promoted internalization by one of its outcomes: “broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context.” Therefore, the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction conceived of an idea to hold an international study abroad during its January interim, a mini-semester of 2-3 weeks long (depending on destination) during which students and faculty pursue one course full time. The study abroad program is one of the most successful in the country as described by one recent accrediting team visiting team. Despite some detractors who thought engineering courses could not be taught abroad because of the brevity of the January interim and the complexity of the program, the department persevered in planning by sending faculty abroad to England and Denmark to investigate possibilities of bringing a group of CEC students. Since 1996, the CEC Global Explorer Program has expanded to Sweden, Denmark, Norway, England, France, Jordan, Egypt, and Malta. Also, CEC leads Bradley University in the number of students and faculty participating in study abroad. In fact, the Bradley Summer program has shifted to a more robust January interim program. After describing the early developments of the CEC Global Explorer Program, this paper will also explore how the emphases on internationalization and sustainable development were integrated into the CEC curriculum. Internationalization and Civil Engineering Program Innovation