Faculty Perspectives on how to Reimagine International Research for Students in a Virtual World

International research programs for students offer an important opportunity to support students in developing skills in both research and intercultural competence. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these programs made the shift to operating virtually, with likely impacts on program outcomes. The purpose of this study was to identify the approaches that program leaders used in adapting international research programs to the virtual environment and explore how these innovations could inform the design of these programs going forward. We conducted eight focus groups with over 40 U.S.-based faculty who had experience running these programs to understand the benefits, challenges, and future potential of incorporating virtual elements into international research programs for students. This paper reports the results of these focus groups and provides suggestions for future program design based on best practices and innovations identified through the development of virtual programs. © 2022 IEEE.

Work in Progress: Examining the Literature on Virtual Internships for Insights Applicable to Engineers

Internships are undertaken by roughly half of U.S. engineering students nationally and are widely thought to benefit students in a variety of ways, strengthening students' academic self-concept and increasing their persistence in engineering [1]-[3]. However, the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 caused an unprecedented shift in the structure of internships, with approximately 83% of employers moving internships into a virtual work space [4]. While literature exists on in-person co-ops and internships [5]-[7], relatively little exists on engineering internships held virtually [8]. This Work-in-Progress paper reviews the literature on virtual internships across disciplines to find effective practices that can be applied to virtual engineering internships. The review sets the stage by a brief summary of research on traditional engineering internships and management of virtual teams before delving into findings on the opportunities and limitations as well as program design recommendations for virtual internships. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021