Impact & Assessment
While the impact and assessment of TeraNano research objectives will largely be shown through relevant publications and findings we must implement additional tools to assess our education programs and track their impact. This plan extends our current PIRE I educational assessment activities and will assess student learning on the following dimensions. All assessment activities will be directed by co-PI Dr. Cheryl Matherly at the University of Tulsa.
- Engineering Attitudes: To assess students’ attitudes towards the engineering profession, we will administer
the Pittsburgh Freshman Engineering Student Attitude Assessment (PFESAA) to all NanoJapan IREU students. It is designed to measure four facets of student attitudes: 1) student definition of engineering; 2) student attitude about engineering; 3) student self-assessed confidence; and 4) student self-assessed skills including working in groups. The survey has been adopted by many institutions to evaluate their freshman programs. [M. Besterfield-Sacre, C. J. Atman, and L. J. Shuman, "Engineering Student Attitudes Assessment," Journal of Engineering Education, 133 (1998).]
- Language Proficiency will be assessed by the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), an instrument designed by
the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. The OPI stresses students’ oral communication skills and is conducted by a certified tester. It rates students on a scale ranging from Novice-Low to Superior. The OPI will be administered to all students; students with prior language study will a
plete a pre-test. Research has correlated gains in oral proficiency with intercultural effectiveness.
- Intercultural Competency: Gains in intercultural learning will be assessed by the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). Results place an individual at a point along this six-stage developmental continuum, according to the Bennett “Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity.” The IDI is highly respected and well-suited to the needs of our study.It will be taken prior to participation in the international experience, shortly after the return to the U.S., and within six months of return from Japan. This model is
based on work conducted as part of the U.S. Dept. of Ed. Title VI grant, “The Assessment of Student Learning Abroad: Addressing a Critical National Need.”
- Post-Graduate Tracking: Our strong alumni outreach initiatives have enabled us to maintain alumni records regarding participants’ additional research or international activities, graduate school, success with scholarships and fellowships, and employment. For the duration of the grant, program alumni will be required to submit an updated CV annually. This information will be archived online via the 'Where Are They Now?' and 'Student Acheivements' pages of the TeraNano PIRE Center website and included in annual reports to program sponsors and supporters.
Relevant Articles
1. M. van de Berg, J. Connor-Linton, and R. M. Paige, "The Georgetown Consortium Project: Intervening in Student Learning Abroad," Frontiers: Interdisciplinary Journal of Education Abroad, 18, 1-75 (2009).
2. M. Hammer, "A Measure of Intercultural Sensitivity: The Intercultural Development Inventory," in: The Intercultural Sourcebook, edited by S. Fowler and M. Mumford (Intercultural Press, Yarmouth, ME, 1999), pp. 61–72.
3. M. van de Berg, "The Assessment of Student Learning Abroad: Addressing a Critical National Need," Title VI International Research and Studies Program: International Education and Graduate Programs Service, U.S. Department of Education (2001).
NanoJapan IREU Program Impact
Information on completed NanoJapan Alumni Follow-on Projects coming soon!
NanoJapan IREU Program Statistics
More information coming soon!
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