Integrating Chinese Students Into Undergraduate Engineering Technology Education

Chinese students have been entering graduate engineering programs in the United States for over 25 years. However, until recently, Chinese undergraduate students have not been included in this trend. Chinese undergraduate students are now transferring into Engineering Technology programs in the United States. This paper reports on the performance of the students in technical courses and the challenges they face during the transition from Asian schools to those in the US. The data collected consists of surveys, interviews, discussions, and observations in addition to previous research. During the course of this study, several classes were monitored, surveys were taken several times, and a form of Midterm evaluation was performed. There were 12 Chinese students surveyed (eight females and four males), in several courses including Senior Seminar, Advanced Digital, Automotive Technology, Networking, Instrumentation, and Project Management. The technical components in each class are different. The experiences are largely dependent upon the student’s academic skills. Previous research has been focused mainly on the Chinese student’s grammar and communication skills in addition to their cognitive learning ability. However, this study focuses on the instructor’s teaching style and gives suggestions on how to effectively engage Chinese students. Additional commentary on student-faculty interaction is also included. The paper ends with suggestions for instructors to successfully integrate Chinese students into their classrooms. Both authors have had extensive teaching experiences in China and also teaching Chinese students in the United States.