| 1. |
- Anderson, Paul, et al.
(författare)
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Connecting across cultures: student peer support for writing
- 2014
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Ingår i: Brookes eJournal of Learning and Teaching. - 1744-7747. ; 6:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- One priority of teachers in higher education is to prepare learners for the careers that lie ahead of them. This article focuses on technical communication instruction for students in engineering and similar fields. The students will enter professional positions where they will often interact purely online with colleagues and clients from cultures which are different from their own. In these positions, the ability to provide effective feedback, peer review, will be critical to career success. This paper describes an online peer review exchange between students based in Sweden and students in the USA which aims to prepare engineering students for their future careers. In particular, this paper discusses how the online, intercultural nature of the peer review affected the comments students made and how students interpreted these comments. Finally, this paper offers advice for teachers embarking on similar projects.
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| 2. |
- Anderson, Paul, et al.
(författare)
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Peer Reviewing Across the Atlantic Patterns and Trends in L1 and L2 Comments Made in an Asynchronous Online Collaborative Learning Exchange Between Technical Communication Students in Sweden and in the United States
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Business and Technical Communication. - : SAGE Publications. - 1050-6519 .- 1552-4574. ; 24:3, s. 296-322
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In a globally networked learning environment (GNLE), 16 students at a university in Sweden and 17 students at a university in the United States exchanged peer-review comments on drafts of assignments they prepared in English for their technical communication classes. The instructors of both sets of students had assigned the same projects and taught their courses in the same way that they had in the previous year, which contrasts with the common practice of having students in partnering courses work on the same assignment or on linked assignments created specifically for the GNLE. The authors coded the students' 816 comments according to their focus and orientation in order to investigate the possible differences between the comments made by the L2 students in Sweden and those made by the L1 (English as a second language) students in the United States, the possible impact of peer reviewing online, and the influence of the instructors' directions on the students' peer-reviewing behavior.
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| 3. |
- Bergman, Becky, 1970, et al.
(författare)
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An inclusive, international learning environment?
- 2020
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- One of the Chalmers’ prioritized strategies for 2019-2021 is to reflect the diversity of society in an inclusive international learning environment. This should include developing activities that contribute to greater inclusion between international and national students and enabling global perspectives by drawing up learning objectives and activities for intercultural standards, attitudes and values. These strategies connect to national requirements for the engineering programs where students should demonstrate the capacity for teamwork and collaboration with various constellations. However, results from the International Student Barometer (2019) that show that although international students rank Chalmers highest in Europe when it comes to teaching and learning, they also rank Chalmers near the bottom when it comes to integration between home and international students. At Master’s level, approximately 35% of the students are labelled international i.e. from outside Sweden though this percentage varies quite dramatically from program to program. The main groups represented are India and China but we have students from at least 80 countries. According to the Chalmers mission statement, we should raise our level of internationalization in education to secure intellectual exchange and new stimuli. But how can this exchange take place if home and international students are not integrating with each other? This session will consist of three 10-minute presentations from three different Master programs at Chalmers. Each program has different challenges, for example in terms of the ratio between home and international students and pre knowledge required to follow courses. The presenters will provide a brief description of their individual situation in terms of their student groups. They will then describe how they have worked proactively to encourage greater inclusion, including work with both the formal and the informal curriculum (Leask, 2015). The formal curriculum is defined as the syllabus in terms of the program goals and the courses within the program. The informal curriculum covers any additional unassessed activities, for example, social activities. Finally, they will provide a future vision to work with these questions, in terms of future priorities and actions. The presentations will be followed by a panel discussion led by the session chair where questions will be taken from the audience. This session will be of particular interest to anyone who is working in an international learning environment, particularly those involved at Master program level. An inclusive environment will not only benefit all students, but has been shown to have a positive effect on results as well (De Vita, 2010). References De Vita, G. (2002). Does assessed multicultural group work really pull UK students' average down?. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 27(2), 153-161. Leask, B. (2015). Internationalizing the curriculum. Routledge.
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| 4. |
- Bergman, Becky, 1970, et al.
(författare)
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Att utbilda pedagogerna, är det nyckeln till lyckad internationalisering?
- 2022
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Pedagoger har en stor potential till att agera som agenter för förändring. Hur kan denna till stor del orealiserade potential tillvaratas? Kan utvecklandet av en nationell gemensam högskolepedagogisk kurs göra att dessa möjligheter realiseras? En av de uppenbara utmaningarna är de olika behov som finns på landets lärosäten. Under detta interaktiva pass kommer dessa utmaningar att beröras och möjligheter till utformandet av en gemensam högskolepedagogisk kurs att diskuteras med de medverkande.
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| 5. |
- Bergman, Becky, 1970
(författare)
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Bridging the gap: Integrating Content and Language in the English-Mediated Classroom
- 2016
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Ingår i: English as a Global Language Education Journal. ; 2:1, s. 65-86
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- English is being used as the medium of instruction in an increasing number and range of courses, programs and universities. It is therefore crucial that both teachers and students can deal with the demands that such a study environment places upon them in order to maintain the same quality of education. Such demands include issues of processing the content and learning materials, and interacting with classmates and instructors in English. This article discusses how integrating content and language teaching (ICL) could be one way to address some of these challenges. ICL is defined in this context as content and language teachers working together on the same course. One example is given of the electrical engineering program at a technical university where content and language are integrated throughout the program in order to provide the students with the skills required both by the EMI university environment but also by the workplace of today. Factors in designing such courses are discussed such as the learning objectives of the program; integrated activities; deep approaches to learning; formative feedback over summative feedback; and peer learning. It is argued that the collaboration between the “outsider” (the language teacher) and the “insider” (the content teacher) provide the former with an insight into the demands of the discipline on the student and the latter with an increased awareness of academic literacies.
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| 6. |
- Bergman, Becky, 1970
(författare)
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Engaging with Diversity and Inclusion: Unwrapping Layers of Practices
- 2022
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Internationalization is part of over 90% of universities’ key strategies and student mobility is a key part of that strategy. At the same time, home and international students do not tend to mix. Recent government initiatives in Sweden have stressed the need for all students to develop their intercultural competence, yet only a small minority will travel. The concept of internationalization at home argues that students can benefit from the exchange of ideas and broadened horizons on their own campuses, through bringing together home and international students. The aim of this presentation is to investigate the process of integration from a student perspective (both home and international), in particular, the effect of practices like intercultural pair and group work on academic and social integration. For engineering students, intercultural group work is an essential skill for the global workplace many will work in. Using a co-constructivist approach, the presentation will present data collected through interviews and student diaries, to build a picture of student experiences of integration into engineering education. The results show that intercultural pair work has the potential to bridge some of the academic-social divides experienced by many students in the international environment.
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| 7. |
- Bergman, Becky, 1970, et al.
(författare)
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Forming effective culturally diverse work teams in project courses
- 2017
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Ingår i: 13th international CDIO conference proceedings CDIO, June 18-22 2017, Calgary. - 1796-9964. - 9780889533998 ; 2017:13, s. 508-518
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- A culturally diverse student population at Master’s level is a reality at many universities today, as it is at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. However, a common issue is the lack of interaction between home and international students, which counteracts university goals of fostering intercultural cooperation. This paper will discuss and evaluate a pilot project in one Master’s program in production engineering, where activities around group diversity were integrated into a company-based project course. Students were assigned groups where a mixture of backgrounds and expertise were prioritised.The project used a number of group dynamics activities including a pre-survey of expectations of group work; negotiating a group contract; and continuous peer group assessment in order to develop and reflect on the skills required in a culturally diverse work team.From reflective essays that students wrote, as well as interviews carried out, the project and tasks were evaluated. The following themes were identified: attitudes to diversity; the importance of well-functioning communication; and attitudes and roles within the group.Results show that students found this a challenging but useful environment to work in and found the group dynamics activities helpful in negotiating this environment. Continuous peer group assessment, in particular, was seen as helpful in providing a forum for feedback and discussion on individual performance in the group and challenges for the group as a whole.Recommendations include constructive alignment within the program in terms of clear goals, activities and assessment, in order to build up these skills and awareness, not only in a single course but throughout the program.
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| 8. |
- Bergman, Becky, 1970
(författare)
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Home and international students’ integration into engineering education: Intercultural competence in the curriculum
- 2023
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Academic and social integration is both important for student success in higher education and a challenge for the international university (Severiens et al., 2006). This mixed-method study uses the lens of two integration models to study the academic and social integration of a mixed group of Swedish and international students starting a master’s engineering program online (Tinto, 1975; Spencer-Oatey and Dauber, 2019). Both models make it clear that the responsibility for integration is not just the individual student’s, but also the structure around them. The students in the study worked in teacher-formed intercultural pairs. The results highlighted factors which promoted integration and others which affected it negatively. Pair work was generally helpful though it hid a more challenging reality at times, for example with different academic experiences. This was circumvented by some through inventive ways of sharing tasks, problem solving together, and in some cases, going beyond the tasks to forming friendships with one another. The high work pace and working online were more problematic. One clear finding was the work pressure all students were under. The combination of an international, problem-based learning, time limited, online setting contributed to the students feeling overwhelmed. The study concludes that integration takes more time in an international, online environment but that teacher formed mixed nationality pair work can provide one way to bridge the academic – social divide experienced by many students in the international environment. At the same time, there can be greater challenges; therefore, it is important with pedagogical support. Severiens, S., ten Dam, G., & Blom, S. (2006). Comparison of Dutch ethnic minority and majority engineering students: Social and academic integration. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 10(1), 75-89. Spencer-Oatey, H., & Dauber, D. (2019). What is integration and why is it important for internationalization? A multidisciplinary review. Journal of studies in international education, 23(5), 515-534. Tinto, V. (1975). Dropout from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent research. Review of educational research, 45(1), 89-125.
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| 9. |
- Bergman, Becky, 1970, et al.
(författare)
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How Can We Prepare Teachers for Increasingly (Culturally) Diverse Classrooms?
- 2023
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- OVERVIEW OF WORKSHOP A goal at many engineering institutes is to attract more diverse students. An important aspect of increased diversity is inclusion and integration into the classroom and university. However, teachers are seldom prepared for the changing student group that this implies and yet they are crucial actors in the successful integration of these students into both the formal and informal curriculum. The first stage of the workshop will set the stage by comparing diversity goals in the participants’ institutional settings and sharing examples of how they are being achieved. In the second stage, the workshop will assist participants to formulate their own activities for the diverse classroom, using activities partly taken from a faculty course in Diversity and inclusion in learning in higher education being taught at Chalmers University of Technology. By the end of the workshop, participants will have a toolkit of ideas to facilitate the diverse classroom, with a particular focus on cultural diversity and the international environments that our institutes have become. KEYWORDS (Culturally) diverse, inclusion, teachers, Standards: 9, 10 DURATION 120 minutes ACTIVITIES Part 1: Setting the scene (approx. 30 mins) 1) Share diversity goals at department and institution level 2) Share examples of how these goals are being achieved In this first part, participants are invited to share the diversity and inclusion goals at their own institutions and bring examples of how these goals are being realised. Diversity is defined in a broader context as including people with different and multiple characteristics. The examples might be in a variety of forms, from faculty focused initiatives such as professional training to student focused initiatives such as program/ course goals and activities in and outside the classroom. The workshop facilitators will share their own examples of a faculty training course in diversity and program / course interventions for students. Examples will be collected and shared with the participants afterwards. Part 2: Teaching in the (culturally) diverse classroom (approx. 90 mins) 1) A brief presentation of existing activities teachers have employed at Chalmers university in the course “Diversity and inclusion for learning in higher education” 2) Exploring different activities together for inclusion in the culturally diverse classroom 3) Final reflection regarding the relevance to your own context / institution Part 2 will start with a brief presentation of the results of a survey sent out to teachers participating in a faculty course in diversity. In this survey, teachers were asked to describe the activities that they have used to facilitate the diversity in their classrooms, a follow-up to the final assignment in the course where they were asked to plan these activities. The workshop will then continue by working with some activities together which the facilitators have used in the culturally diverse or international classroom. Three examples of such activities are the cultural star, the fishbowl and the 360 model. The first activity functions as an icebreaker /getting-to-know-you activity. The second encourages empathy and the third is used to reflect on group dynamics at the start of a project. Finally, participants will put together their own reflections for activities that they might use in their own contexts. TARGET AUDIENCE Anyone involved in engineering education including teachers, administration, management and interested in issues of diversity, inclusion and equity. Background knowledge: No prior knowledge of diversity work required OUTCOMES By the end of the workshop, participants will have a toolkit of ideas to facilitate the (culturally) diverse classroom which is applicable to their own institutional setting. This toolkit will include finding out about student diversity at the start of the course (both for the teacher and for the student); working with constructive alignment and diversity; group forming and the motivation behind that. REFERENCES Bergman, B., Norman, A., Carlsson, C., Nåfors, D., & Skoogh, A. (2017, June). Forming effective culturally diverse work teams in project courses. In Proceedings of the 13th International CDIO Conference, Calgary, AB, Canada (pp. 18-22). Rienties, B., Luchoomun, D., & Tempelaar, D. (2014). Academic and social integration of Master students: a cross-institutional comparison between Dutch and international students. Innovations in education and teaching international, 51(2), 130-141 Spencer-Oatey, H., & Dauber, D. (2019). What is integration and why is it important for internationalization? A multidisciplinary review. Journal of studies in international education, 23(5), 515-534. BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION Becky Bergman is a senior lecturer at Chalmers University of Technology, Department of Communication and Learning in Science, Gothenburg, Sweden, where she works with intercultural communication and diversity with both students and staff. She is also a PhD candidate at the same university where her main research interests are intercultural communication, internationalisation at home and intercultural group work. She is examiner for a faculty course “Diversity and Inclusion for Learning in Higher Education”. Lena Peterson is a senior lecturer in electronic circuit design at Chalmers University of Technology, Department of Computer Science and Engineering. She has held various management positions related to education and teaches three courses in the master’s programme “Embedded Electronic System Design” among which is a half-term project course. She has cooperated with Becky Bergman in the course “Diversity and Inclusion for Learning in Higher Education”. Corresponding author Becky Bergman Chalmers University of Technology Department of Communication and Learning in Science Hörsalsvägen 2, 412 96 Göteborg, Sweden becky@chalmers.se
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| 10. |
- Bergman, Becky, 1970, et al.
(författare)
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Individual experiences of intercultural group work in engineering education over time: beyond 'home' and 'international' labels
- 2023
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Ingår i: European Journal of Engineering Education. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0304-3797 .- 1469-5898. ; 48:1, s. 143-156
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Intercultural group work (IGW), where students from different nationalities work together, is one important way to develop intercultural competence, a key skill for engineering students. This longitudinal, qualitative study of five master's engineering students follows their individual experiences in IGW and the affordances and challenges this way of working provides. In particular, the study problematises the use of the terms 'home' and 'international', often used to differentiate student experiences in IGW, by highlighting the range of student backgrounds and experiences which can be encompassed within them. The results show that the students' self-positioning in their group and their sense of belonging to it are affected by a range of factors including previous experience, the nature of the group work and personal aspects such as openness and adaptability. In addition, belonging to the group can be a transient process influenced in part by critical incidents during the group work process.
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| 11. |
- Bergman, Becky, 1970, et al.
(författare)
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Integrating Home and International Students in HE: Academic and Social Effects of Pair Work PBL Assignments Online
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Studies in International Education. - : SAGE Publications. - 1028-3153 .- 1552-7808. ; 28:2, s. 240-258
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Integration is vital to student well-being in higher education but integrating new students from different countries can be challenging. To ascertain students’ integration into their new environment, this mixed method study combined the data collected from weekly diary entries of home and international students at the start of one engineering program, with follow-up interviews. These students studied primarily online due to the pandemic. The diary entries focused on their adjustment to the program from an academic, social and pair work perspective. Results show that the students reacted slightly negatively to the academic experience but very positively to their pair work. It seems that the teacher-formed pair work helped to bridge the academic and social gap and not only alleviate some of the stress caused by assignments, but in some cases, provided new social contacts. The article concludes that structural factors within the course can facilitate interaction and thus support integration.
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| 12. |
- Bergman, Becky, 1970, et al.
(författare)
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Integration activities in the culturally diverse classroom: crossing the divide
- 2017
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Many universities have a culturally diverse student population yet face challenges in integrating home and international students successfully. This workshop will present activities and courses underway at both Chalmers and KTH to aid integration. Participants will be involved in discussion and activities concerning intercultural awareness in the classroom with a view to working with these skills with both students and faculty.
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| 13. |
- Bergman, Becky, 1970, et al.
(författare)
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Intercultural collaboration for HE students: current and possible research directions
- 2021
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In an increasingly globalized world, an international and intercultural learning environment is becoming a reality for many higher education students and teachers. In the process of internationalizing higher education, universities aim to create effective and inclusive learning environments for both home and international students. Intercultural group work (IGW), in which home and international students collaborate on set tasks or projects, is considered a valuable learning tool to deepen students’ learning and prepare students for participating in a globalized world. However, the presence of multiple cultures does not automatically lead to meaningful collaboration. Therefore, to benefit from a culturally diverse learning environment, more research is needed into different aspects of intercultural collaboration between students. This session aims to create a network of researchers in the area of intercultural group work in higher education to share research ideas, benefit from each other’s expertise, strengthen each other’s research, and explore possible collaborations.
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| 14. |
- Bergman, Becky, 1970, et al.
(författare)
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Intercultural competence for all students: how prepared are our students for the global workplace?
- 2016
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- SHORT SUMMARY Many Swedish students have little contact with non-Swedish students in their education. This round table aims to discuss examples of good practice at Chalmers and elsewhere, and look at how intercultural competence can become part of the learning goals at both course and program level. ABSTRACT Chalmers students study in a multicultural environment and will work in a global environment. This is an environment which involves meeting, communicating with, negotiating with, and cooperating with a range of cultures in different companies and different countries. The ability to deal with such meetings in a constructive way is vital when team members and work colleagues come with experiences and expectations different to one’s own. Technical universities in Sweden are in a paradoxical situation in terms of intercultural communication. On the one hand, technical universities are more international in terms of students, teachers and researchers and the work market is one of the most culturally heterogeneous. On the other hand, many teachers see their subject as objective and free from cultural dimensions and they feel little responsibility for the university’s explicit goals on global competence and cultural diversity. Activities connected to these goals seldom have any merit in an academic career. Where activities in intercultural communication take place, they are often directed at non-Swedish students. Consequently, it is possible for Swedish students to complete their education at Chalmers with very little contact with students from other countries. Comments from the International Student Barometer 2014 show that non-Swedish students do not feel part of an international environment at Chalmers. An UKÄ project carried out in 2015 consisting of interviews and questionnaires, showed that Chalmers at Master’s level can be a segregated environment with students choosing to sit and work with their own nationality groups. Clearly, there is a need to work actively with intercultural competence within the programs to support students’ awareness. There is also a need for learning activities and learning goals where intercultural competence is included. This round table discussion is designed to discuss possible initiatives that can be taken and how these can be assessed within the framework for engineering education. The following questions are presented for the workshop discussion: · What examples are there at Chalmers of successful integration of Swedish and non-Swedish students? · What strategies are used / can be used to create this integration? · How is it possible to integrate a global perspective in teaching? · How is it possible to use the cultural diversity in a teaching situation?
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| 15. |
- Bergman, Becky, 1970, et al.
(författare)
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Intercultural Competence – Stakeholders and Learning Activities at the University
- 2015
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the International CDIO Conference. ; 2015
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- ABSTRACT This project is currently being carried out at Chalmers University of technology and is scheduled to be finished by early 2016. The study aims at exploring views on intercultural initiatives at the Master’s level the university. It also aims at providing strategies for active learning by designing learning objectives, activities and assessment practices for intercultural competence among students and teachers. Project in Progress Many Master’s students across the world study in a multicultural environment and will work in a global environment. This is an environment that involves meeting, communicating with, negotiating with, and cooperating with a range of cultures both currently at the university level and later on in different companies and different countries. Many universities work actively to attract students from other countries and have internationalization as a stated goal of the university. The question this work-in-progress presentation seeks to address is how far universities prepare students for such environments. This project has carried out interviews and questionnaires with engineering students and faculty at Master’s programs at Chalmers University of Technology in order to investigate the level of integration between Swedish and non-Swedish students and if steps are being taken in order to facilitate this integration. Furthermore, the project also investigates and proposes actions to be taken in order to introduce active learning within the realm of intercultural competence. One of the initial findings is that there is some work being done in this field, but this seems primarily focused on the visiting students, thereby neglecting learning activities for the national students. This presentation will therefore report on the preliminary results of this study and, in particular, present steps that universities can take in order to increase intercultural communication competence amongst its students. REFERENCES Del Vitto, C. (2008). Cross-Cultural" soft skills" and the global engineer: Corporate best practices and trainer methodologies. Online Journal for Global Engineering Education, 3(1), 1. Downey, G. L., Lucena, J. C., Moskal, B. M., Parkhurst, R., Bigley, T., Hays, C., Jesiek,B,, Kelly,L., Miller,J., Ruff,S., Lehr, J. & Nichols-‐Belo, A. (2006). The globally competent engineer: Working effectively with people who define problems differently. Journal of Engineering Education, 95(2), 107- 122. Jameson, D. A. (2007). Reconceptualizing cultural identity and its role in intercultural business communication. Journal of Business Communication, 44(3), 199-235. Jansen, D. E. (2004). Developing the intercultural competence of engineering students: a proposal for the method and contents of a seminar. World Transactions on Engineering and Teaching Education, 3(1). Korhonen, K. (2002). Intercultural competence as part of professional qualifications: a training experiment with bachelor of engineering students. University of Jyväskylä. Levy, M. (2007). Culture, culture learning and new technologies: Towards a pedagogical framework. Language Learning & Technology, 11(2), 104-127. Lohmann, J. R., Rollins, H. A., & Joseph Hoey, J. (2006). Defining, developing and assessing global competence in engineers. European journal of engineering education, 31(01), 119-131.
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| 16. |
- Bergman, Becky, 1970
(författare)
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Internationalisation at home? Home and international students' integration into engineering education
- 2022
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Internationalisation is a strategy for over 90 percent of universities and student mobility is a key part of that strategy. At the same time, home and international students do not tend to mix. Recent government initiatives in Sweden have stressed the need for all students to develop their intercultural competence, yet only a small minority will travel. The concept of internationalisation at home argues that students can benefit from the exchange of ideas and broadened horizons on their own campuses, through bringing together home and international students. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the process of integration from a student perspective (both home and international), in particular, the effect of practices like intercultural group work on academic and social integration. Intercultural group work has been interpreted as students from different nationalities working in pairs or groups in a course. For engineering students, intercultural group work is an essential skill for the global workplace many will work in. Using a co-constructivist approach, the two appended articles present data collected through interviews and through student diaries, to build a picture of student experiences of integration into engineering education, including academic, social, human and structural elements. There are four key findings. Firstly, in-depth interviews revealed the complexity within the categories of “home” and “international” student experiences in group work. The feeling of being an insider in a group is affected by many more factors than nationality such as previous experience, the nature of the group work and personal aspects like openness and adaptability. Secondly, the longitudinal nature of the first study revealed critical incidents within the groups which affected the group dynamics. Thirdly, diary data showed the students’ appreciation of intercultural pair work in bridging the academic and social divide that can be experienced at the start of a programme. Finally, the use of an integration model highlighted the importance of looking at both human and structural factors in planning intercultural group work. These findings suggest the importance of a pedagogical structure around intercultural group work. Intercultural group work can facilitate integration, but care is needed. The teacher plays a crucial role in forming the groups, supporting them and facilitating the project in other ways, such as choice of task. The findings also suggest a programme perspective, such that consideration is given to timing of pair and group activities in the programme as a whole.
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| 17. |
- Bergman, Becky, 1970
(författare)
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"It's like you have to be nice right?" Students' positively phrased comments in a native and non-native online peer response exchange and their role in creating a working relationship
- 2014
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Peer response is a common way of improving students’ writing, both with native speakers (NS) and non-native speakers of English (NNS). However, very little research has investigated the dynamics of NS and NNS students giving peer response to each other, despite the fact that this is an increasingly common situation. This study explores the dynamics of such a relationship; in particular, the role positively phrased comments play in creating a successful work environment. Two groups of university students, one NS in the USA and one NNS based in Sweden, were connected via a wiki, in order to give peer response on each other’s texts. In this study, the comments made on the texts have been categorised to ascertain the number of positively phrased comments and the NNS students completed a questionnaire on their reflections on the exchange. Positively phrased comments included two categories: positive evaluation comments (comments that contained praise alone) and suggestions (comments made to improve the text phrased in a positive way using, for example, hedging). Four NNS students were interviewed on their reasons for the comments they gave and impressions of the comments they received.The results of the comment categorisation showed that the vast majority (just over 70%) of the comments made by both NS and NNS students were positively phrased. The largest percentage of NS comments was suggestions (42%). The largest percentage of NNS comments was positive evaluation comments (40%). However, the number of positive evaluation comments made by both groups dropped from the first assignment to the second. There was also variation between the comments made by the four students interviewed. For example, the more confident writer gave mostly alteration comments (one word / phrase replacements to the existing text) and the least confident writer gave mostly positive evaluation comments. The questionnaire showed that the NNS students were unused to giving peer response and felt more comfortable giving comments to students who were as similar to themselves as possible in terms of country and subject studied. The interviews revealed a number of reasons behind the positive comments made, including wanting to praise the text, following teacher instructions and feeling unsure what to say due to unfamiliarity with content and structure and uncertainty about language. Reactions to the positive comments received were that these comments were appreciated, particularly from native speakers. However, when the comments were predominantly positive evaluation comments, the NNS students expressed disappointment and frustration.The study concludes that positively phrased comments have a useful role to play in this environment but that it is helpful if the majority of comments in a text include suggestions. The study also shows that the nature of comments can change over time as the relationship develops and that individual students can approach the peer response in very different ways, depending on their own writing background and level of confidence. Consequences of these findings are the way peer response is trained and discussed in the classroom, prior to and during the peer response.
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| 18. |
- Bergman, Becky, 1970, et al.
(författare)
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Making the culturally diverse classroom work: Activities for successful groups
- 2019
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Ingår i: SEFI 47th Annual Conference: Varietas Delectat... Complexity is the New Normality, Proceedings. ; 2019, s. 2036-2038
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Motivation for attending and learning outcomes of the sessions As universities become increasingly internationalized, many lecturers will have students with multicultural backgrounds (OECD, 2014). There are many advantages with a culturally diverse environment, not least that it reflects the nature of the global engineering workplace and that students broaden their perspectives but at the same time, lecturers need to take a critical look at their own material and approaches to best utilize this environment. This workshop is aimed predominantly at lecturers and administration and will discuss useful strategies for working with these students, with a focus on group work in engineering projects. Learning outcomes: - an increased awareness of the benefits and challenges of a culturally diverse work environment - a toolbox of activities to facilitate groupwork in culturally diverse student groups Background and rationale of the session Internationalisation is a key goal at many universities. This goal can be measured quantitatively, for example, achieving a critical number of international students across Master programs; however, counting numbers does not address what international students actually experience at the university. Neither does it address home students’ experiences of cultural diversity within the university setting. Recently, a number of initiatives to work with intercultural awareness at all levels have taken place at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, driven by the goal, decided in June 2016, to create global perspectives and foster intercultural cooperation across all Master’s programs. Since project and group work is common in the workplace and subsequently in our educational structure, our initiatives have focused on groups in project courses. This is also where students are brought into closer contact with one another, yet this way of working may be unfamiliar for some students. Engaging session design, aligned with the learning outcomes Maximum number of participants: 30 The workshop will provide a sample of activities which have been implemented with culturally diverse groups. A key theoretical foundation for these activities is a non-essentialist, experience-driven approach to teaching intercultural communication (Van Maele and Mertens, 2009), which is discourse based, theory referenced and interaction oriented. The activities chosen for the workshop are those experienced as most effective by students (shown through student interviews and reflective texts), such as working with case studies and models for dealing with critical situations that arise (Bergman et al, 2017). The workshop’s discussions will be documented and made available to participants after the workshop. Participants will also receive copies of activities to take away with them. Activities in relation to learning outcomes: 1. the benefits and challenges of this environment: shared practice through discussion (approx. 20 mins) 2. a toolbox of activities (1): participants will experience some possible activities for inclusive group work as described above (approx. 45 mins). This will include: o strategies for forming teams with culturally diverse students o activities for the start, middle and finish of the project to encourage openness, trust and reflection 3. a toolbox of activities (2): participants will reflect on and share their own experiences (approx. 20 mins) Significance for Engineering Education As outlined in the SEFI position paper, “Substantial progress must still be made to achieve the SEFI vision: a state where engineering education is safe, inclusive and fully empowered by all segments of our societies - globally.” This workshop is a step towards that vision and towards internationalisation in practice to fully utilize the potential in culturally diverse teams (Freeman and Huang 2014). References: Bergman, Becky et al “Forming effective culturally diverse work teams in project courses”. In Proceedings of the 13th International CDIO Conference, Calgary (2017) Chalmers University of Technology (2016) Prioritised Operational Development Freeman, R. B., & Huang, W. (2014). Collaboration: Strength in diversity. Nature News, 513(7518), 305. OECD. (2014). Education at a Glance 2014: OECD Indicators. OECD Publishing.Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/edu/Education-at-a-Glance-2014.pdf SEFI position paper on diversity, equality and inclusiveness (2018) Retrieved from https://www.sefi.be/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Diversity-2018-links.pdf Van Maele, J., & Mertens, K. (2014). Towards an experience-driven approach to teaching intercultural communication. IKSI Scientific Publishing House (Warsaw University) internationalisation; diversity; intercultural cooperation; group work
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| 19. |
- Bergman, Becky, 1970
(författare)
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Making the culturally diverse classroom work: activities for successful groups
- 2020
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- At Master’s level, Chalmers students work in an international environment. This workshop will focus on useful strategies for working in this environment, with a focus on group work in engineering projects. This workshop builds on the Work in progress presentations “An inclusive, international learning environment?” Motivation for attending and learning outcomes of the session Chalmers, particularly at Master’s level, is an international environment. There are many advantages with this environment, not least that it reflects the nature of the global engineering workplace and that students broaden their perspectives but at the same time, lecturers need to take a critical look at their own material and approaches to best utilize this environment. This workshop is aimed predominantly at lecturers and program managers at Master’s level and will discuss useful strategies for working with these students, with a focus on group work in engineering projects. At the same time, this workshop should be interesting for those aiming for an more inclusive classroom. Learning outcomes: - an increased awareness of the benefits and challenges of a culturally diverse work environment - a toolbox of activities to facilitate groupwork in culturally diverse student groups Background and rationale of the session Internationalisation and integration is a prioritised goal at Chalmers. Recently, a number of initiatives to work with intercultural awareness at all levels have taken place at Chalmers, driven by the goal, decided in June 2016, to create global perspectives and foster intercultural cooperation across all Master’s programs. Since project and group work is common in the workplace and subsequently in our educational structure, our initiatives have focused on groups in project courses. This is also where students are brought into closer contact with one another. Engaging session design, aligned with the learning outcomes The workshop will provide a sample of activities which have been implemented with culturally diverse groups. A key theoretical foundation for these activities is a non-essentialist, experience-driven approach to teaching intercultural communication (Van Maele and Mertens, 2009), which is discourse based, theory referenced and interaction oriented. The activities chosen for the workshop are those experienced as most effective by students (shown through student interviews and reflective texts) (Bergman et al, 2017). Activities in relation to learning outcomes: 1. the benefits and challenges of this environment: shared practice through discussion 2. a toolbox of activities (1): participants will experience some possible activities for inclusive group work as described above. In some cases, this involves more traditional group dynamics tools such as a team agreement but also tools developed for more diverse groups such as the 360 degree model. The activities will include: o strategies for forming teams with culturally diverse students o activities for the start, middle and finish of the project to encourage openness, trust and reflection 3. a toolbox of activities (2): participants will reflect on and share their own experiences. After the workshop: Participants will get access to a Box folder with the materials. References: Bergman, Becky et al (2017) “Forming effective culturally diverse work teams in project courses”. In Proceedings of the 13th International CDIO Conference, Calgary Chalmers University of Technology (2016) Prioritised Operational Development Van Maele, J., & Mertens, K. (2014). Towards an experience-driven approach to teaching intercultural communication. IKSI Scientific Publishing House (Warsaw University)
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| 20. |
- Bergman, Becky, 1970, et al.
(författare)
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Reflections on an Integrated Content and Language Project-Based Design of a Technical Communication Course for Electrical Engineering Students.
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Academic Writing. - 2225-8973. ; 3:1, s. 1-14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Effective ways of teaching technical communication skills to engineering students have been much discussed. This article reflects on one setting, a first year course in Technical Communication at a university in Sweden, where electrical engineering teachers, language and communication teachers and student counsellors work in close, team-based cooperation using a project model which requires the students to analyse, implement and communicate technical problems. The paper discusses the change in this course - from an EAP course primarily prioritizing language training which ran parallel with a project course - to one unified ICL course. The progression is described through the changes in the organization of the course, and the article focuses on one learning activity: interdisciplinary tutorials on project reports. Through a pilot study where these sessions were video recorded and mapped, we conclude that the presence of different roles became an asset for the range of what the students see as relevant for their project report. In particular, the technical report genre was critically analysed, including problematic areas such as textual sequencing and display of technical problems; data visualisation and commentary; and referencing.
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| 21. |
- Bergman, Becky, 1970
(författare)
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Students are stories: Individual experiences of intercultural group work in engineering
- 2020
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Within international higher education, students have been divided into two groups, “home” and “international”, both administratively and within research. This presentation seeks to problematise these labels by highlighting the range of student backgrounds and experiences encompassed within these concepts. Internationalization and student mobility in university education has been strongly promoted (Carroll and Ryan 2007; Leask 2015). Globally, the trend in international student mobility has been for students from Asian countries travelling to English-speaking countries, though the trend is changing. At the same time, whilst we are in the middle of the pandemic, it is difficult to speculate about the future, yet this is also part of ongoing discussion. In terms of higher education and global mobility, it is clear that this situation will have a long-lasting impact. In Sweden, English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) courses made up 28% of the total university courses given in the academic year 2018/2019 (Forsberg, 2018), placing it in the top five of European countries offering EMI courses per capita. International tertiary students favour fields in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM): one-third of them enrolled in these fields in 2016 (OECD, 2018). In a qualitative longitudinal study of five Master engineering students involved in intercultural group work, their individual stories are illustrated, showing the complexity behind the terms “home” and “international”. The presentation suggests using the concepts “insider” and “outsider” to investigate the students’ experiences and exemplifies the factors that lead to insider or outsiderness.
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| 22. |
- Bergman, Becky, 1970
(författare)
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Studying online in international Master’s engineering programs: lessons learnt from a pandemic
- 2021
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- From spring 2020, when the pandemic struck, university learning took on a different form. Globally and often with very short notice, campus programs went online, at least in part. In Sweden, and the technical university where this study is situated, most teaching at master’s level similarly took place online and since students could work from home, this meant international students could stay in their home countries. When the new intake started in the autumn, many of them did this – at least at the start – either through choice or more formal barriers put up by the pandemic. This study aimed to follow home and international students’ experiences and adaptation to the formal and informal curriculum in the international environment at master’s level during the pandemic. In particular, this study aims to show how the new study situation provided a new perspective to internationalization at home and the lessons that can be learnt in moving forward in higher education.
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| 23. |
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| 24. |
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| 25. |
- Bergman, Becky, 1970
(författare)
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“The assignments help getting friends”: lessons learnt from integrating students in a pandemic
- 2022
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Svensk universitetsundervisning strävar efter pedagogisk excellens och interkulturell kompetens för alla studenter. Hur kan lärare bidra till internationell integration i klassrummet för svenska och internationella studenter? I denna programpunkt behandlas vilka faktorer som har positiva respektive negativa effekter på integrationen i klassrummet samt hur onlineundervisning har påverkat dessa.
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| 26. |
- Bergman, Becky, 1970
(författare)
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Using learning platforms in optional language courses
- 2006
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Ingår i: Shifting Perspectives in Engineering Education, Michael Christie. - 9789163184765 ; , s. 148-158
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Learning platforms have become an increasingly useful tool for university courses, particularly distance courses. In this chapter I compare two learning platforms, Fronter and Claroline. The learning platforms were used with three different language courses, all of which were on campus courses in order to ascertain the benefits of using such platforms. The hope was that the quality of submissions would increase as well as the commitment to the course. The results show that there were many benefits to the platforms ranging from increased quality to greater group unity to decreased administration.
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| 27. |
- Kjellberg, Malin, 1974, et al.
(författare)
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Teacher Reflections on their Experiences Teaching Interdisciplinary Project-based Courses
- 2023
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 51st Annual Conference of the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI 2023). - 9782873520267 - 9782873520267 ; , s. 652-661
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In project-based, interdisciplinary engineering courses, teachers face the challenge of not only imparting technical knowledge but also facilitating effective project- and teamwork. In this study we conducted a thematic qualitative analysis of 11 teachers' reflections on interdisciplinary project-based learning (PjBL). The results show that teachers appreciated PjBL as a means to motivate students and that one challenge was handling differences in terms of student disciplinary background. While most teachers did not see a need for further training, teachers who did identify such needs also seemed to already apply a wider range of PjBL teaching strategies. We discuss the implication of our findings for both practitioners and researchers.
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| 28. |
- Peterson, Lena, 1961, et al.
(författare)
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Intercultural group work: engaging diversity to enhance learning in an integrated engineering master's project course
- 2020
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Intercultural group work (IGW) has repeatedly been recognized as necessary for global understanding and citizenship (Carroll and Ryan, 2007). In Sweden, engineering graduates of all backgrounds need IGW skills for career success. For international engineering students studying in Sweden, such skills are crucial to gain employment in Sweden or Europe. We present an approach to supporting the development of IGW skills in a compulsory project course in an electrical engineering master’s programme with a mix of international and home students. The intended learning outcomes (ILO) for the course mix technical subject skills with general competencies, such as academic writing, ethics and team skills. A specific IGW-related ILO is reflecting on group work in an international team. Project teams (4-6 students) are formed by the teachers, including aspects like performance in previous courses, gender and national background, to provide more opportunities for students to engage in and reflect on diversity. To help students develop such reflection skills, teamwork is scaffolded through organised trust-building interactions, for example by including workshops and communication exercises with interspersed just-in-time lectures. A key concept is emphasising the process of project work in addition to the product. To that end, we have paired an iterative development framework (Scrum) with a formative/summative feedback model. This draws from Chalmers’ bachelor project courses, which use an integrated approach for general competencies (Saalman et al, 2009). We employ elements such academic-report drafts, writing assessment goals and rubrics, team agreement template and individual assessment of team members. Teachers within the course have distinct roles: the discipline teachers partake in assessing the students, while skills teachers provide support only. For example, when teams assess member contribution during the process, skills teachers facilitate, as they can take a confidential role, unconnected to assessment. This integration of roles demands collaboration between the teachers, which also contributes diversity to the course design process. In terms of results, interviews were carried out with some of the students at the start, end and a year after the course. Their reflections showed an awareness of the affordances and challenges of working in a multi-cultural environment. While it is not the case (or the goal) that the group work is conflict free as a result of these interventions, students seem to have assembled a small toolbox for engaging with and reflecting on IGW that they find useful as they start out in their professional life. Carroll, J., & Ryan, J. (Eds.). (2007). Teaching international students: Improving learning for all. Routledge. Saalman E., Peterson L., Malmqvist J. (2009) Lessons learnt from developing and operating a large-scale project course Proceedings of the 5th international CDIO Conference, Singapore Available: http://cdio.org/knowledge-library/documents/lessons-learned-developing-and-operating-large-scale-project-course
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| 29. |
- Van Maele, J., et al.
(författare)
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HOW DIVERSE ARE GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES ON DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION?
- 2023
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Ingår i: SEFI 2023 - 51st Annual Conference of the European Society for Engineering Education: Engineering Education for Sustainability, Proceedings. ; , s. 3270-3277
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The SEFI Special Interest Group on Gender & Diversity has recently been renamed as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, broadening the definition from a focus on gender to embrace a wider range of diverse identities - such as language and cultural background, religion, physical ability, and socioeconomic status - and to promote and support equity and inclusive practices within SEFI and beyond. In the process of redefining the Special Interest Group's mission, it has become clear that definitions of diversity, equity and inclusion may vary considerably between different contexts and institutions. Therefore, it is relevant for the engineering education community to share and examine how these terms are understood and implemented in their own institution and in other contexts around the globe. In this workshop, invited panelists from different continents and countries (United Kingdom, United States of America, Venezuela, South Africa, People's Republic of China), and representing different engineering education communities across the globe (SEFI, American Society for Engineering Education, Research in Engineering Education Network, South African Society for Engineering Education) presented their perspectives and experiences on diversity, equity and inclusion. This was followed by small group discussions, during which SEFI 2023 participants examined their personal and the panelists' perspectives with the facilitators. Several main conclusions emerged from these exchanges, all imbued with the awareness that context is crucial and that sustained dialogue with stakeholders across cultures and continents through various channels within and beyond the Special Interest Group of SEFI should be supported.
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