Culturally responsive teaching has been argued to be effective in the education of some ethnic minority students. In my thesis, I explore the outcomes of a culturally responsive introductory engineering short course that I developed and taught to Tibetan students at Tibetan Children’s Village of Selakui (in Uttarakhand, India). I examine two research questions: (a) What are the processes to develop and implement a pre-college culturally responsive introductory engineering course? and (b) How do Tibetan culture and Buddhism influence the engineering design and teamwork of pre-college Tibetan students in India?

I designed then taught the course that featured elementary lectures on sustainability, introductory engineering design, energy alternatives, and manufacturing engineering. The course also included an engineering design activity through which Tibetan high school students investigated a problem at the school and designed a possible solution to it.

I concluded that the design activity, inclusive of the altruistic values of their cultural background, was an effective method to help students feel that their cultural identity and values are respected and included in the course. In addition, the course content that connected with their ways of living in their school, Tibetan communities, and surroundings helped the students to relate to abstract concepts in familiar settings.

Based on my findings I recommend the implementation of content that connects to (a) students’ familiar ways of living experienced in the host country and former homeland, (b) multicultural information, (c) engineers working in industry, and (d) engineering projects to help alleviate poverty. Second, I recommend implementation of similar interventions through which students can experience a design project that is similar to a first-year engineering project and that is inclusive of the value of altruism that is important in most cultures. Finally, the teacher should first identify the students’ priorities before developing and implementing a course.

The findings of my research can inform (a) educators who are interested in integrating culturally responsive engineering-related activities in their pedagogical methods, (b) researchers who wish to conduct education research in ethnic minority schools abroad, (c) educators interesting to develop engineering-related activities for underrepresented ethnic minorities, some ethnic diasporas or refugees in the United States, and (d) facilitators at multicultural engineering summer camps.