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Does the French Engineering Education Approach to Internships Work in China? Perception of Chinese Students Enrolled in a Sino-French Engineering Program in China

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Conference

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Portland, Oregon

Publication Date

June 23, 2024

Start Date

June 23, 2024

End Date

July 12, 2024

Conference Session

Cooperative and Experiential Education Division (CEED) Technical Session 3

Tagged Division

Cooperative and Experiential Education Division (CEED)

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/47205

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Paper Authors

biography

Ying Lyu Beihang University

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Ying Lyu is an associate professor at Beihang University in Beijing, China, where she is based at the Institute of Higher Education, part of the university’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences. She holds a Ph.D degree in higher education from Beihang University. Her research interests include engineering education and international and comparative higher education.

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biography

Chuantao Yin Beihang University

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Dr. Chuantao Yin is a full Professor in Sino-French Engineer School at Beihang University. He is also vice dean and responsable for teaching affaires of the school. He holds a B.S and M.S in Telecommunication from Southwest Jiaotong University, Engineer Degree from Ecole Centrale Paris and Ph.D degree in Computer Science from Ecole Centrale de Lyon. His research is focus on smart learning techologies like learner modelling, resources recommendation, artificial intelligence for education, etc. He is also interested in engineering education.

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biography

Qing Lei Beihang University

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Qing Lei is a professor and the Director of Institute of Higher Education at Beihang University (BUAA), Beijing, China. He has conducted research as a senior visiting scholar in the School of Education at Indiana University in 2002 and in the School of En

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Abstract

Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) has gained global attention as a means of enhancing graduates' employability and learning outcomes. In China, WIL has been identified as a national strategy to elevate the quality of engineering education. This study investigates the effectiveness of the French engineering education model of WIL internships in the unique cultural and educational landscape of China by examining the perceptions of Chinese students enrolled in a Sino-French engineering program. Grounded in views of situated learning, the research explores the role of internships in students' learning and professional development, as well as the facilitating and impeding factors.

Nineteen final-year students participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews, providing insights into their internship experiences. The findings reveal that internships contribute to competence development and facilitate the transition from higher education to the world of work. However, students face challenges in balancing coursework, thesis, and internships, navigating relationships with university supervisors and industry mentors, and reconciling the dichotomy of generalization and specialization. The study emphasizes the importance of considering the sociocultural context in which WIL is embedded and highlights the agency exercised by students in shaping their perceptions of the engineer's role, qualifications, and career paths in the community of practice.

This research contributes to the international discourse on WIL by providing insights into the experiences of Chinese students in a Sino-French engineering program, offering valuable implications for the implementation and enhancement of WIL in diverse cultural and educational contexts.

Lyu, Y., & Yin, C., & Lei, Q. (2024, June), Does the French Engineering Education Approach to Internships Work in China? Perception of Chinese Students Enrolled in a Sino-French Engineering Program in China Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47205

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