(127d) Designing a Faculty-Led Study Abroad Experience for Engineers: Sustainable Chemical Processes in a Global Context

Short-term, faculty-led study abroad programs provide a unique opportunity for undergraduate engineering students to engage in immersive, globally focused learning, to gain cross-cultural professional insights while exploring highly relevant technical subjects in a condensed timeframe. This presentation details the design and development of "It’s a Material World: Global Perspectives on Sustainable Chemical Processes," a five-week summer study abroad program in The Netherlands and Denmark, for undergraduate students in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. Led by faculty from the Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, the program offers two upper-level electives: one focused on energy fundamentals and technologies and another dedicated to the design of sustainable chemical and materials systems. Key elements of the program design and structure will be discussed, emphasizing intentional experiential learning opportunities in host locations and approaches to creating culturally contextual assessments that foster students’ understanding of influential global factors and the social impact of engineering solutions. Additionally, the unique challenges faced by chemical engineering faculty in creating such programs will be examined, including alignment with ABET learning outcomes, ensuring curricular relevance, maintaining academic rigor in an accelerated format, improving accessibility, and navigating potential conflicts with students’ summer employment opportunities. Resources and strategies to accelerate the design of faculty-led engineering education abroad opportunities will be highlighted. Finally, faculty discuss how this program builds on their prior experience leading initiatives focused on sustainability, highlighting the benefits of integrating global perspectives into chemical engineering. Through this experience, students not only gain technical expertise but also develop essential global competencies—preparing them to collaborate across disciplines, drive innovation, and advance sustainability in the engineering profession.