Main Content
Syllabus
ENGR 802: Engineering Across Cultures and Nations
(3 credits)
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Instructor: Dena Lang
Overview | Objectives | Materials | Turnitin Assignments | Course Requirements and Grading | Course Schedule | Academic Integrity | Accommodating Disabilities | Counseling and Psychological Services | Reporting Bias | Military Students | Privacy Notice | Student Responsibilities and Conduct | Additional Policies
Overview
This course focuses on the primary knowledge areas and essential competencies required for successful engineers to live and work in today’s global marketplace. The course will examine individual and cultural differences and how they impact communication and team dynamics. These topics are central to international and multicultural engineering teams. Students that complete the course will be able to understand sources of conflict that can arise in multicultural teams and effectively use the tools and resources learned in class to manage individual and team motivation and minimize or effectively deal with conflict, while harvesting the benefits of diversity as they work on a real world virtual team project, producing effective solutions to challenging engineering problems.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate a proficiency in team-building, leadership, and service in the context of cross-cultural engineering teams.
- Construct creative solutions to engineering issues incorporating cultural differences among team members and external stakeholders.
- Critically analyze personal and team-member competencies and biases.
- Formulate and apply strategies to improve engineering team dynamics.
- Provide effective feedback, recognition, motivation, and corrective guidance for international/intercultural team members.
- Evaluate strategies for the diffusion of ideas within international and cross-cultural markets.
- Examine moral, ethical, and legal dilemmas in cross-cultural engineering environments.
Required Course Materials
You may purchase course materials from Barnes & Noble College (the bookstore used by Penn State's World Campus). For pricing and ordering information, please see the Barnes & Noble College website. Materials will be available at Barnes & Noble College approximately three weeks before the course begins. Alternatively, you may obtain these texts from other favorite bookstores. Be sure you purchase the edition/publication date listed.
- Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J., & Minkov, M. (2010) Cultures and Organizations, Software of the Mind , 3rd Edition. McGraw Hill. ISBN-13: 9780071664189
- ‘Introduction to Conflict and Teams’ booklet by Thomas and Thomas (2007). You can purchase the booklet directly from the link provided.
- The Field Guide to Human-Centered Design, By IDEO.org, 1st Edition © 2015. Register with name, email, and create a password to download PDF free of charge from the IDEO website.
Library Resources
Many of Penn State's library resources can be utilized from a distance. Through the University Libraries website, you can
- access magazine, journal, and newspaper articles online using library databases;
- borrow materials and have them delivered to your doorstep...or even your desktop;
- get research help via e-mail, chat, or phone using the Ask a Librarian service ; and much more.
You must have an active Penn State Access Account to take full advantage of the University Libraries' resources and services. Once you have a Penn State account, you will automatically be registered with the library within 24–48 hours. If you would like to check that your registration has been completed, visit the Libraries home page , click on the My Library Account at the top of the home page.
Technical Requirements
| Operating System |
Penn State's LMS, Canvas, supports most recent versions of Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac operating systems. To determine if your operating system is supported, please review the Canvas Computer Specifications. |
|---|---|
| Hardware |
For a list of required computer hardware specifications and internet speed, please review the Canvas Computer Specifications. |
| Browser |
Canvas supports the last two versions of every major browser release. We highly recommend updating to the newest version of whatever browser you are using. To determine if your browser is supported, please review the list of Canvas Supported Browsers. Please note that due to Instructure's reduction of support for Internet Explorer, students and instructors should choose another browser to use such as Firefox, Chrome, Edge, or Safari. Note: Cookies must be enabled, and pop-up blockers should be configured to permit new windows from Penn State websites. |
| Additional Software |
All Penn State students have access to Microsoft Office 365, including Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Students will need Adobe Acrobat, available through Adobe Creative Cloud. Virtual conferencing software, such as Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts, Adobe Connect, or the Conferencing feature of Canvas (to be determined by consensus of the members of your project team) may also be needed. |
| Sound Card, Microphone, and Speakers |
Required |
| Web Camera |
Required |
| Monitor |
Capable of at least 1024 x 768 resolution |
| Mobile Device |
The Canvas mobile app is available for versions of iOS and Android. To determine if your device is capable of using the Canvas Mobile App, please review the Canvas Mobile App Requirements. |
As a Penn State student, you have access to LinkedIn Learning, your one-stop shop for video tutorials on Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Access, Excel, PowerPoint, and countless other topics—all free to active Penn State faculty, staff, and currently enrolled students. Take tutorials to help with coursework, learn techniques for your own projects, and boost your résumé with tech skills.
If you need technical assistance at any point during the course, please contact the Service Desk.
For registration, advising, disability services, help with materials, exams, general problem solving, visit World Campus Student Services!
Course Requirements and Grading
| A = 93-100 | B = 83-86.9 | C = 70-76.9 |
| A- = 90-92.9 | B- = 80-82.9 | D = 60-69.9 |
| B+ = 87-89.9 | C+ = 77-79.9 | F = Below 59.9 |
Please refer to the University Grading Policy for Graduate Courses for additional information about University grading policies.
If, for reasons beyond the student's control, a student is prevented from completing a course within the prescribed time, the grade in that course may be deferred with the concurrence of the instructor. The symbol DF appears on the student's transcript until the course has been completed. Non-emergency permission for filing a deferred grade must be requested by the student before the beginning of the final examination period. In an emergency situation, an instructor can approve a deferred grade after the final exam period has started. Under emergency conditions during which the instructor is unavailable, authorization is required from one of the following: the dean of the college in which the candidate is enrolled; the executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies if the student is enrolled in that division or is a provisional student; or the campus chancellor of the student's associated Penn State campus.
For additional information please refer to the Deferring a Grade page.
Assignments
IMPORTANT: Note that in some lessons you may come upon assignments located within the lesson commentary, such as the journal entries. Be sure to complete the assignments as you come upon them, rather than waiting until the end of each lesson or until the week before larger or more complicated lessons are due.
It's important to begin your lessons EARLY in the week (Monday) in order to support dialog in the discussion forums. Be sure to check back often throughout the week to add comments and read your classmates' posts throughout the week.
- All assignments MUST be submitted no later than their respective Due Date/Time in the Course Schedule. No exceptions. Computer problems are not an acceptable excuse. This course requires work and discipline. It is important to allow sufficient time to complete all assignments on time; do not wait until the last minute to complete the assignments.
- You should ask for help when you need it. If you have questions, concerns or need clarifications about the course syllabus, material, assignments, etc., it is important that you communicate them to your instructor immediately.
- Students are expected to utilize spellchecking and grammar checks in Word prior to submitting assignments. Additionally, students may wish to use other writing assistance programs, such as Grammarly (Links to an external site.) (free plugin for Chrome) or Microsoft Editor (Links to an external site.) (free plugin for Edge or Chrome for O365 users) to avoid points deductions for basic spelling and grammar errors.
Turnitin Assignments
This course includes at least one assignment that uses Turnitin . Additionally, the instructor reserves the right to have work submitted, either by students or by the instructor, through Turnitin for review prior to grading.
It is important that you review your submission, Turnitin report, and similarity scores when submitting your Turnitin assignments. Review each highlighted section of your submission to assure that you have used paraphrases and quotes correctly and haven't plagiarized another author.
- Paraphrasing: Using your own words to summarize information and ideas. Paraphrases do not need to be in quotation marks, but you do need to cite your source - see paraphrasing in the APA style guide. Check highlights in your Turnitin report for all paraphrases to assure that your writing truly is a paraphrase and not a direct quote. A paraphrase would not be highlighted in your Turnitin report.
- Direct quotes: Keep direct quotes to a minimum and only use another author's original wording when needed to make a specific point and not solely for your convenience as a writer. Avoid stringing together direct quotes to create your paper. When you use a direct quote, be sure to indicate the source within your writing (e.g., According to the Wall Street Journal, "[quoted materials here]" (Author last name, year)). Also be sure to include the full APA reference in your references section. See Penn State Libraries' APA Quick Citation Guide, the APA Style Guide, Penn State's Graduate Writing Center, or the Purdue OWL for additional information or assistance.
Your Turnitin similarity score should be green or blue for your final submissions and your submission should not contain uncited matches. If your submission's similarity score is yellow, orange, or red, please review your submission to assure that you have properly cited your work and are not plagiarizing another person's writing -- see How to Implement Citation and Paraphrasing into the Writing Process.
Assignment Points Tables
| Assignment Type | Total Points |
|---|---|
| Journal Entries | 180 |
| Reading Quizzes | 225 |
| Individual Assignments | 130 |
| Individual Video Presentations and Discussions | 235 |
| Team Project Assignments | 230 |
| Total Points for Course | 1000 |
| Extra Credit Language Quizzes and IDI Debrief | 34 |
| Assignment type | Lesson # | # of Assignments | Maximum Points | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journal Entries | All | 22 | 5 and 10 | 180 |
| Total Points | - | - | - | 180 |
| Assignment type | Lesson # | # of Assignments | Maximum Points | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lesson Quizzes (you have 2 attempts on each quiz and the average score is used as the final score) | All | 15 | 15 | 225 |
| Total Points | - | - | - | 225 |
| Assignment Name | Lesson # | # of Assignments | Maximum Points | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Intercultural Development Plan (IDP) Part 1 |
4 | 1 | 20 | 20 |
|
Reflection Paper on Personal Assessment Results (MBTI & Temperaments) |
7 | 1 | 20 | 20 |
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Conflict Management Assignment |
11 | 1 | 20 | 20 |
|
Intercultural Development Plan (IDP) Part 2 |
13 | 1 | 20 | 20 |
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End of Semester CATME Self- and Peer Evaluations |
15 | 1 | 50 | 50 |
| Total Points | - | - | - | 130 |
| Assignment Name | Lesson # | # of Assignments | Maximum Points | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Video Biography |
1 | 1 | 22 | 22 |
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News Presentation Videos - signup for one presentation |
3-13 | 1 | 20 | 20 |
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News Presentation Discussions |
3-13 | 11 | 14 | 154 |
|
Communication Discussion |
4 | 1 | 14 | 14 |
|
Team Presentations Investor Feedback & Discussion Forum |
15 | 1 | 25 | 25 |
| Total Points | - | - | - | 235 |
| Assignment Name | Lesson # | # of Assignments | Maximum Points | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Project Team Report: Host Country Economy and Business Environment |
5 | 1 | 40 | 40 |
|
Project Team Report 1: Team Charter |
6 | 1 | 10 | 10 |
|
Project Team Report 2: Frame Design Challenge and Project Plan |
6 | 1 | 20 | 20 |
|
Project Team Report 3: Understanding User Needs and Further Defining the Problem |
8 | 1 | 40 | 40 |
|
Project Team Report 4: Team Diversity and Team MBTI Evaluation |
9 | 1 | 20 | 20 |
|
Project Team Report 5: Team Conflict Management Evaluation |
11 | 1 | 20 | 20 |
|
Project Team Report 6: Ideation Results and Final Solution Overview |
12 | 1 | 40 | 40 |
|
Project Team Report 7: Project Proposal Video Presentation |
14 | 1 | 40 | 40 |
| Total Points | - | - | - | 230 |
| Assignment Name | Lesson # | # of Assignments | Maximum Points | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Academic Integrity |
WM | 1 | 0 | 0 |
|
Pre-Course Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Assessment |
WM | 1 | 0 | 0 |
|
Project: Host Country Preference Ranking |
2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
|
Personal Conflict Style Assessment |
individual module | 1 | 0 | 0 |
|
Post-Course Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Assessment (optional) |
15 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
|
Course Feedback Survey |
15 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total Points | - | - | - | 0 |
**ALL activities are due by 11:59 PM, on the Sunday of the week they are assigned unless otherwise noted.
Course Schedule
Welcome Module | Lesson 1 | Lesson 2 | Lesson 3 | Lesson 4 | Lesson 5 | Lesson 6 | Lesson 7 | Lesson 8 | Lesson 9 | Lesson 10 | Lesson 11 | Lesson 12 | Lesson 13 | Lesson 14 | Lesson 15 |
The schedule below outlines the topics we will be covering in this course, along with the associated time frames and assignments.
Note: All due dates reflect North American eastern time (ET).
Due to different semester schedules with partner universities, the start and end dates of some lessons are different. Please see the Course Schedule for details.
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Readings*: |
Modules
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Reading Links
*Readings are required unless specifically marked as optional |
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*Readings are required unless specifically marked as optional For time planning purposes, note that this lesson contains 75 minutes of video on Engineering Cultures at the end of the lesson. |
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Modules
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Reading Links
*Readings are required unless specifically marked as optional For time planning purposes, note that this lesson contains 1 hour, 39 minutes of video on Engineering Culture in Russia at the end of the lesson. |
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Readings*: |
Modules
Textbook
Reading Links
*Readings are required unless specifically marked as optional For time planning purposes, note that this lesson contains 1 hour and 46 minutes of video on Engineering Cultures in Japan at the end of the lesson. |
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Readings*: |
Modules
Textbook
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*Readings are required unless specifically marked as optional For time planning purposes, note that this lesson contains 1 hour and 25 minutes of video on Engineering Culture in China at the end of the lesson. |
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Lesson 9
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Booklet (see Course Materials)
*Readings are required unless specifically marked as optional |
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Modules
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Reading Links
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Modules
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*Readings are required unless specifically marked as optional |
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Modules
Textbook
Reading Links
*Readings are required unless specifically marked as optional |
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Readings*: |
Modules Lesson Commentary Textbook Chapter 10, Cultures and Organizations, Hofstede, Hofstede, and Minkov, 2010. Reading Links Manyika, J., Lund, S., Chui, M., Bughin, J., Woetzel, J., Batra, P., Ko, R. and Sanghvi, S. (2017) Jobs lost, jobs gained: What the future of work will mean for jobs, skills, and wages. McKinsey Global Institute. AtoZ World Business Database for Saudi Arabia. Access the AtoZ World Business Database through the PSU library link and select Saudi Arabia from the 'Country Business Guides' on the left and then select the required sections from the menu on the left: read the complete sections on: 1. Business Cultures and 2. Culture and Society. *Readings are required unless specifically marked as optional |
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Modules Lesson Commentary Textbook *Readings are required unless specifically marked as optional |
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Note: If you are planning to graduate this semester, please communicate your intent to graduate to your instructor. This will alert your instructor to the need to submit your final grade in time to meet the published graduation deadlines. For more information about graduation policies and deadlines, please go to the Graduation Information on the My Penn State Online Student Portal.
Formal instruction will end on the last day of class. Provided that you have an active Penn State Access Account user ID and password, you will continue to be able to access the course materials for one year, starting from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered (with the exception of library reserves and other external resources that may have a shorter archival period). After one year, you might be able to access the course based on the policies of the program or department offering the course material, up to a maximum of three years from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered. For more information, please review the University Course Archival Policy.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity—scholarship free of fraud and deception—is an important educational objective of Penn State. To learn more about academic integrity at Penn State, please visit the Penn State Academic Integrity site . Academic dishonesty can lead to a failing grade or referral to the Office of Student Conduct .
Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to
cheating,
plagiarism,
fabrication of information or citations,
facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others,
unauthorized prior possession of examinations,
submitting the work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor and securing written approval, and
tampering with the academic work of other students.
How Academic Integrity Issues are Handled
In cases where academic integrity is questioned, the Policy on Academic Integrity indicates that procedure requires an instructor to notify a student of suspected dishonesty before filing a charge and recommended sanction with the college. Procedures allow a student to accept or contest a charge. If a student chooses to contest a charge, the case will then be managed by the respective college or campus Academic Integrity Committee. If a disciplinary sanction also is recommended, the case will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct.
All Penn State colleges abide by this Penn State policy, but review procedures may vary by college when academic dishonesty is suspected. Information about Penn State's academic integrity policy and college review procedures is included in the information that students receive upon enrolling in a course. To obtain that information in advance of enrolling in a course, please contact us by going to the Contacts & Help page.
Additionally, World Campus students are expected to act with civility and personal integrity; respect other students' dignity, rights, and property; and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their own efforts. An environment of academic integrity is requisite to respect for oneself and others, as well as a civil community.
For More Information on Academic Integrity at Penn State
Please see the Academic Integrity Chart for specific college contact information or visit one of the following sites:
Penn State Senate Policy on Academic Integrity
iStudy for Success! (education module about plagiarism, copyright, and academic integrity)
Turnitin (a web-based plagiarism detection and prevention system)
Accommodating Disabilities
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. Every Penn State campus has an office for students with disabilities. The Office for Disability Services (ODS) website provides contact information for every Penn State campus: ODS Disability Liaison Contact Information. For further information, please visit the Office for Disability Services website.
In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation based on the ODS documentation guidelines. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus’s disability services office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.
Counseling and Psychological Services
Mental health services are available to help you maintain your academic success. Visit the student Mental Health Services website to learn more or to speak with a mental health advocate who can help you address concerns including anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, and stress. If you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis situation, please call your local emergency service.
Reporting Bias
Penn State takes great pride to foster a diverse and inclusive environment for students, faculty, and staff. Acts of intolerance, discrimination, harassment, and/or incivility due to age, ancestry, color, disability, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religious belief, sexual orientation, or veteran status are not tolerated and can be reported through Educational Equity at the Report Bias site.
Military Students
Veterans and currently serving military personnel and/or dependents with unique circumstances (e.g., upcoming deployments, drill/duty requirements, VA appointments, etc.) are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor in the case that special arrangements need to be made.
Privacy Notice
In order to protect your privacy, course access is limited to those individuals who have direct responsibility for the quality of your educational experience. In addition to the instructor, a teaching assistant or college administrator may be provided access in order to ensure optimal faculty availability and access. World Campus technical staff may also be given access in order to resolve technical support issues.
Student Responsibilities and Conduct
Students are responsible for online course content, taking notes, obtaining other materials provided by the instructor, taking tests (if applicable), and completing assignments as scheduled by the instructor. As a general rule, students should plan on logging into the course at least three times per week and spending at least three hours per course credit per week on the course, e.g., if the course is three credits, the student should plan on spending at least 9–12 hours per week on the course, just as they would in a residence course.
Students are responsible for keeping track of changes in the course syllabus made by the instructor throughout the semester.
Students are responsible for monitoring their grades.
Students must contact their instructor (and teammates when working on any collaborative learning assignments) as soon as possible if they anticipate missing long periods of online time due to events such as chronic illnesses, death in the family, business travel, or other appropriate events. The instructor will determine the minimal log on time and participation required in order to meet course responsibilities. In the event of other unforeseen conflicts, the instructor and student will arrive at a solution together.
Requests for taking exams or submitting assignments after the due dates require documentation of events such as illness, family emergency, or a business-sanctioned activity.
Conflicts with dates on which examinations or assignments are scheduled must be discussed with the instructor or TA prior to the date of the examination or assignment.
Students are responsible for following appropriate netiquette (network etiquette) when communicating with their instructor and classmates. For reference:
Tips for Being a Successful World Campus Student
Email and Communication Strategies
Behaviors that disrupt other students’ learning are not acceptable and will be addressed by the instructor.
For severe and chronic problems with student disruptive behavior, the following will be applied for resolution:
Senate Committee on Student Life policy on managing classroom disruptions: Office of Student Conduct
Additional Policies
For information about additional policies regarding Penn State Access Accounts; credit by examination; course tuition, fees, and refund schedules; and drops and withdrawals, please see the World Campus Student Policies website.