The experience of working on an international engineering project led to personal growth amongst the participating students. Students recognized this growth in regards to the perspective they had on their individual, professional, and global selves. Personal growth in this context encompasses flexibility, teamwork, leadership, self-confidence, sense of responsibility, and a furthered engineering identity. Project teams learned to work cohesively in order to accomplish goals and furthered their ability to be accommodating of unexpected circumstances. Students gained leadership experience by being responsible to work effectively with their travel teams on a limited time frame. Being abroad also presented personal challenges and opportunities for personal growth. Gaining understanding in their role as an engineer was also an area of growth exhibited in students. The following learning objectives seek to outline specific elements of personal growth observed in students.
Components of Personal Growth
- Flexibility
- Teamwork
- Leadership
- Sense of Responsibility
- Self identity
- Self confidence
Personal Growth Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:
- Identify their personal strengths, weaknesses, values, and skills.
- Explain how their strengths, weaknesses, values, and skills could be utilized within a specific project.
- Employ their personal abilities in order to contribute to their specific project group.
- Analyze their personal growth as a result of project involvement and realize what they value in project design.
- Improve upon targeted areas of personal growth.
- Recognize how project involvement has influenced other areas of their personal and professional identity and have a firm grasp on their philosophy of development.