Exploring The Learning Outcomes Of International Engineering Graduate Students In A Chinese University

In the past decade,China has seen an increasing number of international students from different countries and has become the third-largest destination for international students in the world.An increasing number of engineering students from different countries come to China each year to pursue their degrees.As Chinese universities continue to progress in global rankings and because China joined the Washington Accord as a signatory country,which facilitated the internationalization of Chinese engineering education,it is envisioned that more international students will pursue engineering degrees in Chinese universities.On the other hand,after the Engineering Criteria 2000 was proposed by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology,Outcome-based Education(OBE)has become the global trend in engineering education.Therefore,against this context,it has become an important topic to understand the learning outcomes of international engineering students.The purpose of this study is to understand the learning outcomes of international engineering students in Chinese universities.Guided by the framework of knowledge,skills,attitude(KSA)in assessing learning outcomes,this study explored international engineering students concerning their learning outcomes and related experience.Qualitative data analyses suggested that international engineering graduate students hoped to gain professional knowledge as well as skills and to do research.They learned more about professional and cultural knowledge;they also developed professional skills,interpersonal communication skills,research skills.In addition,students self-reported that they changed their attitudes towards Chinese people and China.Meanwhile,they became more confident,hard-working,optimistic,openminded,and self-motivated.Some useful experiences related to learning outcomes included doing research,asking helps from others,traveling,and learning by self.Findings on the challenges for these international students included aspects such as course problems,challenges in research,language barriers,lack of communications between Chinese and international students,and difficulties related to internships.This study employed KSA framework to examine international engineer students’ learning outcomes and associated learning experiences.The exploration of their learning outcomes provides an overall understanding about the international students’ studying experience in Chinese universities.Implications for practice are also proposed to promote English-delivered engineering curriculum design and improve international engineering students’ learning experiences in China.