Study Abroad While Studying Abroad: International Students’ Participation in the RSAP Study Abroad Program

Abstract [Student Paper] Study abroad is critical to enriching the educational experience of students due to the espoused benefits. Studying abroad is a key vehicle for developing global engineering competency as a priority to meet industry and workforce demand in engineering. While the number of students participating in these programs has risen, the participation rate is low. Study abroad has not been significantly diverse to portray the depth and scope of the experiences of the U.S. student population. Moreover, although research has been conducted regarding how students conceive the purpose and value of the international education experience, there is a gap in the literature regarding the experiences of international students who participate in study abroad programs while studying in the U.S. Hence, the purpose of this study is to understand the experiences of international students participating in an engineering study abroad program at a single research university. We argue that understanding the impact of study abroad on international students is relevant to enrich their academic and professional experience in the United States.