Lessons Learned Developing and Running a Virtual, Faculty-Led, International Program on Sustainable Energy in Brazil

Courtney Pfluger

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Conference: 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access
Location: Virtual Conference
Publication Date: July 26, 2021
Start Date: July 26, 2021
End Date: July 19, 2022
Conference Session: International Division Technical Session 1
Tagged Division: International
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 15
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--37436
Permanent URL: https://strategy.asee.org/37436
Download Count: 235

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Courtney Pfluger Northeastern University

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Dr. Courtney Pfluger an Associate Teaching Professor at Northeastern University in the College of Engineering. In 2011, she joined Northeastern as a teaching professor in the First Year Engineering program. As part of the First Year Engineering faculty she focusing on curriculum innovations and implementing educational lessons and engineering design projects on sustainability. In 2017, she moved full time into the Chemical Engineering department where she currently teaches Unit Operations Laboratory, Capstone Design, and Conservation Principles. She also developed and has run, for 8 years, a month long faculty led international summer program to Brazil which focuses on Sustainable Energy Technologies.

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Abstract

Lessons Learned Developing and Running a Virtual, Faculty-Led, International Program on Sustainable Energy in Brazil

The COVID-19 pandemic has ravished the international education community, as travel has become close to impossible. This paper will discuss the development and execution of a virtual, one-month, faculty-led, international program to Brazil focused in Sustainable Energy. This program discussed global sustainability issues and how to produce innovate solutions to these problems. The program is designed to enhance student learning of important global problems and help drive innovation to solving these critical issues. There are added benefits to students having an international experience by becoming globally aware and global citizens, more personally and socially aware, and strengthening their career and academic choices. A creative virtual program was developed in which students were able to experience similar learning objectives about sustainability on a global scale and discussed innovations to these international issues to become globally aware. Ensuring students met these learning objectives in the virtual international program was designed with three main strategies. First, previous international partnerships were harnessed to provide guest lectures from global companies, to discuss their sustainable energy technologies and how they make an impact on the environment, society, and economy both before and during the pandemic. Secondly, the students took part in weekly culture workshops and discussions to highlight the Brazilian culture. The topics included history, music, cuisine, and language. The students performed research and discussed these aspects of Brazilian culture and how they influence sustainable practices and policies. Lastly and most importantly, students worked with Brazilian engineering students from Maua University to perform a project in collaboration with Suzano, a sustainable paper pulp company located in Brazil. Suzano provided areas the company would like to improve their sustainable practices. The students are split into 5 teams, each focused on a certain sector of their business. The teams performed research, developed and designed a proposed plan in which Suzano can become more sustainable in the designated sector. This project required the students to gain technical knowledge on their sector’s process and the impact their sector has on the sustainability of the company and its goals. The teams then collaborated to innovate new solutions and a plan for the company to be more sustainable, looking at its resources and needs. They applied engineering concepts and discussed international policies that impact the company’s sustainable goals. In the end, the students gained valuable global knowledge through discussions with Brazilian students and company leaders to apply engineering practices to sustainable needs for the company. A survey was sent to the students after the program and it found that 50% of the students (N:10) said program exceeded their expectations and the other 50% said that it met their expectations. In this paper, it will discuss strategies on how to successfully perform an international learning experience virtually. It will also discuss the types of assignments and interactions that ensure students engage in cross cultural learning while applying engineering and sustainability topics in a virtual environment.

Citation
Format

Pfluger, C. (2021, July), Lessons Learned Developing and Running a Virtual, Faculty-Led, International Program on Sustainable Energy in Brazil Paper presented at 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference. 10.18260/1-2--37436

TY - CPAPER
AB - Lessons Learned Developing and Running a Virtual, Faculty-Led, International Program on Sustainable Energy in Brazil

The COVID-19 pandemic has ravished the international education community, as travel has become close to impossible. This paper will discuss the development and execution of a virtual, one-month, faculty-led, international program to Brazil focused in Sustainable Energy. This program discussed global sustainability issues and how to produce innovate solutions to these problems. The program is designed to enhance student learning of important global problems and help drive innovation to solving these critical issues. There are added benefits to students having an international experience by becoming globally aware and global citizens, more personally and socially aware, and strengthening their career and academic choices. A creative virtual program was developed in which students were able to experience similar learning objectives about sustainability on a global scale and discussed innovations to these international issues to become globally aware.
Ensuring students met these learning objectives in the virtual international program was designed with three main strategies. First, previous international partnerships were harnessed to provide guest lectures from global companies, to discuss their sustainable energy technologies and how they make an impact on the environment, society, and economy both before and during the pandemic. Secondly, the students took part in weekly culture workshops and discussions to highlight the Brazilian culture. The topics included history, music, cuisine, and language. The students performed research and discussed these aspects of Brazilian culture and how they influence sustainable practices and policies. Lastly and most importantly, students worked with Brazilian engineering students from Maua University to perform a project in collaboration with Suzano, a sustainable paper pulp company located in Brazil. Suzano provided areas the company would like to improve their sustainable practices. The students are split into 5 teams, each focused on a certain sector of their business. The teams performed research, developed and designed a proposed plan in which Suzano can become more sustainable in the designated sector. This project required the students to gain technical knowledge on their sector’s process and the impact their sector has on the sustainability of the company and its goals. The teams then collaborated to innovate new solutions and a plan for the company to be more sustainable, looking at its resources and needs. They applied engineering concepts and discussed international policies that impact the company’s sustainable goals. In the end, the students gained valuable global knowledge through discussions with Brazilian students and company leaders to apply engineering practices to sustainable needs for the company.
A survey was sent to the students after the program and it found that 50% of the students (N:10) said program exceeded their expectations and the other 50% said that it met their expectations. In this paper, it will discuss strategies on how to successfully perform an international learning experience virtually. It will also discuss the types of assignments and interactions that ensure students engage in cross cultural learning while applying engineering and sustainability topics in a virtual environment.

AU - Courtney Pfluger
CY - Virtual Conference
DA - 2021/07/26
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Lessons Learned Developing and Running a Virtual, Faculty-Led, International Program on Sustainable Energy in Brazil
UR - https://strategy.asee.org/37436
DO - 10.18260/1-2--37436
ER -