1 Engineering Globalization Workshop May 17, 2012 Infusing the Global Corporate Perspective into Engineering Education Martin W. Trethewey 1, Leland G. Engel 1, Edward C. DeMeter 2 1 Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering 2 Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Penn State University University Park, PA 16802

Penn State World Class Engineer 21 st Century Engineering Skills Aware of the World Solidly Grounded Technically Broad Innovative Effective in Teams Successful as Leaders 2

To facilitate the integration of professional aspects of engineering into the student’s education 3

Capstone Education Approach An industry sponsored team based activity Student operated consulting company Industry sponsored project Faculty coach Students report to Industry sponsor Faculty coach Student Team Faculty Coach Project Sponsor 4

5 8 Engineering Programs Up to 500 students/semester Up to 100 projects/semester Interdisciplinary teams Non engineering team members

Global Industry Project Capstone Vision – Create Global Student project teams – Industry sponsored project – Mimic operation of globally distributed corporate engineering teams Attributes – No student travel – Intercultural experience – Develops global teaming skills – High student capacity with low operational cost 6

Global Course Organization Student team members – From different international partner universities Existing capstone activities – Use as much of existing course structure as possible Flexibility required to integrate courses – Capstone course may not exist at non USA universities Project acquisition and sponsorship – Corporate partnership Ideally sponsors have operations in both countries Corporate-University relationships in both countries Local student team interaction 7

Pilot Programs Spring 2010 China – 2 project teams – 1 corporate sponsor Fall 2011 Singapore – 2 project teams – 2 corporate sponsors Korea – 2 project teams – 2 corporate sponsors

Season 2 Spring 2011 – 6 project teams – 4 corporate sponsors – Student participants Penn State – 20 SJTU – 12 Fall 2011 – 4 project teams – 4 corporate sponsors – Student participants Penn State – 12 Korea – 20 Singapore – 8 Yike Bike

Student Team Operation Global Corporate Engineering Team Procedures – Electronic communications – Video conferences – Integrated reports – Weekly tele/video conferences with sponsor

Technical Outcomes 11

Technical Outcomes Instructors’ evaluation of Global Projects ―Equivalent to higher performing co-located domestic teams ―Innovation resulted from having global perspective ―Tasking separated to use strengths and facilities at each university

Student Global Competency Communication Chinese student - “Americans can be so assertive, … you just need to be as assertive as them to cope with that” (translated from Chinese). American student - “I would make a statement and he would say ‘yes’. In the beginning you figured great and move on. Then a short time later he would say something else, as a reaction. I finally learned he meant, “yes, I understand, give me a second to clarify my thoughts”. …. so I learned you have to wait, be patient, make sure that they have time to speak, and encourage them to speak” Korean student – “the project gave me the confidence to work and speak in English”

Student Global Competency Global Teaming “the truly hard work internationally was to be dynamic and adapt quickly because you have the time difference” “The amount of s could be overwhelming. One afternoon, U.S. time, the Americans exchanged 13 s while the Chinese were sleeping. When the Chinese students got up in the morning, it was a little difficult to keep track of the discussion and they expressed they were a little overwhelmed.” – The Americans realized the problem called for a video conference to explain. – One Chinese student’s response “sorry we missed the hot debate” – The team limited to make sure people do not get overwhelmed.

Student Global Competency Corporate View "The students actually found ways to leverage the 13-hour time zone difference” "This was a 'follow the sun' global workflow at its best." "The interactions between these international student teams are the same that our engineers across Tyco deal with every day" – Naren Gursahaney, President ADT

Global Student Teaming Challenges Faculty More demanding – 25% to 50% more effort Intercultural awareness – Lead by example Flexible and adaptable

Formula for Success A Strong University Partnership – Committed to global cooperation – Likeminded faculty & administration – Champions Course-project delivery – Faculty familiarity and strong working relationship – Flexibility and adaptability – Careful project tasking – Careful project scheduling Multi-national Corporate Partners – Devoted personnel to interact with student team – Global teaming expertise – Source for projects – University & Industry partnerships critical 17

Penn State Growth Spring 2012 (Season 3) 2 Departments – Interdisciplinary teams 11 project teams – 8 corporate sponsors – 48 Penn State students – 22 SJTU students

Summary Global Student Engineering Teams Non-travel based activity Requires significant faculty commitment for development Strong industry support Expandable to reach large student contingent Cost effective Produces a meaningful international experience 19