Student diversity in engineering education: Insights to build a glocal program

This article investigates the impact of cultural and professional diversity of students on engineering education. A study of international post-graduate programs is used to obtain insights with reference to student’s relationships with colleagues, school staff and faculty, student’s cognition about the program and learning process. The article shows how cultural and professional diversity can be addressed by leveraging a strategy based on interdisciplinarity, action learning and open learning environment. Findings are used to envision a model favoring the adoption of a ‘glocal’ approach in the design of engineering programs. The model can be of value for practitioners and educators involved in the creation of multicultural learning initiatives to address the culture-specific needs of students while adhering, at the same time, to the global trends in engineering education.