International engineering presents an opportunity for students to develop a wide range of communication skills which is one of ABET’s eleven criteria for engineering programs. While abroad, students communicated across language barriers, between different cultures, and with people of varying levels of technical knowledge. In the research study, this communication was conducted in unfamiliar environments, with limited resources, and at times with less than ideal working conditions. Students presented at community meetings with over a hundred attendants, met with small groups of influential community members to make decisions regarding the project, and entered homes to conduct interviews. Through these experiences students reported an increased confidence in their communication skills.
This growth appeared to be the product of observation and practice. While traveling students would often discuss social nuances with other project members and host preparatory team meetings before many activities. Looking to these experiences for inspiration, curricula can be developed to better prepare students to respond appropriately and effectively in a broad range of circumstances. Preparing students to be aware of communication barriers they may encounter and teaching them techniques to overcome these barriers is a lifelong skill that will directly improve their professional careers. The overlap between certain elements of communication and intercultural awareness should be noted and is a product of the nature of international experiences.
Components of Communication
- Work across cultural and language barriers to effectively communicate and address issues and community needs and come to a consensus about project design
- Develop active listening skills
- Recognize and rectify communication breakdowns
- Communicate to establish trust and respect with community members
- Document knowledge and findings for future reference
- Develop ability to explain technical information to individuals without technical backgrounds
- Develop oral presentation skills
- Develop ability to communicate effective in group meetings with team members
Communication Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:
- Identify potential communication barriers that may be encountered.
- Differentiate between the various sources of communication barriers.
- Develop various internal methods of working through communication barriers.
- Determine how to appropriately react to various communication challenges.
- Confidently navigate through various communication barriers while they are occurring.
- Evaluate specific methods of approaching communication challenges and modify them to increase their effectiveness.