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This paper reports on a pilot study that investigated what motivated a group of first-year international students in the Vantage College program at the University of British Columbia (UBC) to pursue a degree in engineering. The study also sought to examine whether students report changes in their motivation as a result of completing their first year in our program. Data were collected through an open-ended survey provided to our cohort of 69 students, from which we received 66 responses. The results were analyzed qualitatively based on an expectancy value theoretical framework (focused on interest, utility, cost, and attainment.) The findings showed strong agreement with interest and utility as motivating factors, little agreement with attainment and cost as relevant factors, and the presence of additional motivators not present in our initial framework. The strongest among the latter group was family influence, with ability also appearing, yet to a lower degree. Our results suggest that interest and utility are the strongest motivators (over one third of students), with family influence (about one quarter) and ability (about one eight) being less important. We found few instances of cost (about one tenth) and no significant instances of attainment; this may be because engineering identity is developed as a student progresses through the undergraduate program.

VANT 150 is a first-year course in designand sustainability for international students enrolled inthe Vantage One program at UBC. One of its learningoutcomes is to understand the importance ofcommunication between different stakeholders in thedesign process.The 2016 final exam revealed that students haddifficulties understanding the positions of the designer,client and user as stakeholders. A simulation(roleplaying) exercise was implemented in 2017 in orderto help students better understand these roles and raiseawareness about the importance of communicationbetween them.The 2016 and 2017 final exams included a question todifferentiate stakeholder roles. We found that the averagescore in this question was 8% higher in 2017 than in2016. This difference is statistically significant withp < 0.005. This suggests the stakeholder simulationactivity helped our students better understand theseconcepts.

This resource is designed specifically to meet the academic writing needs of international students studying at universities in the United States. The materials in the book can be covered within a 14-week semester, but each chapter or section may also be used independently.Based on a series of needs analysis projects, this resource provides an overview of major rhetorical patterns of writing that are commonly used in university settings in the United States. These commonly required genres include descriptive and evaluative summaries, short essays, comparison and contrast assignments, literature reviews, descriptive reports, and proposals. The resource includes chapters that address the structure and purpose of these more common genres, including an awareness of the ways that the target audience and situation should shape the writing of each.