Paper Title
Middle Eastern International Students in U.S. Project-Based Engineering and Science University Classes: Acculturation Issues

Abstract
This qualitative research describes the acculturation experiences of 10 Middle Eastern students as they integrated with American host students during project-based, team learning assignments within engineering or other science university courses. Findings reveal the encompassing effects of language deficiencies, lack of understanding of the local culture, difficulties adjusting to a mixed gender environment, neo-racism, and general behavioral differences between the individualistic culture of host students and the collectivistic culture of Middle Eastern students. Findings also reveal the valuable role that such project-based teams play in the acculturation process. Index Terms- Acculturation, Higher Education, Internationalization, Project-Based Learning