Browsing by Subject "International Students"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Analysis of the relationship between internationalization and the quality of higher education.
    (2009-03) Jang, Ji-Yeung
    The universal phenomenon of internationalization as a mainstream element of higher education is often based on the assumption that there is value added to the quality of higher education systems when enhancing the international dimension of teaching, research and service (Knight, 1997). Questioning the validity of the assumption, this study examined the relationship between internationalization and quality of higher education. Using the pre-existing data collected originally by Horn et al (2007), Lombardi et al (2003), and U.S. News World and Report (2003), the study conducted the simple correlation analysis and the multiple regression analysis. The research variables included six internationalization variables such as international students, U.S. study abroad, internationalized faculty and scholars, international research activities, internationalized curriculum, and organizational support; and seven quality variables such as research competitiveness, faculty competitiveness, undergraduate competitiveness, advanced training competitiveness, financial stability, constituents’ satisfaction, and institutional reputation. The results showed that there was a positive relationship between internationalization and quality of higher education. Particularly, the presence of international students was found to have statistically significant and positive effects on all the quality variables except for the research competitiveness. Internationalized faculty and scholars had statistically significant effects on advanced training competitiveness and financial stability. Also, the organizational support for internationalization played a significant role in institutional quality enhancement. However, internationalized curriculum was found to have no effect on any quality variables. Based on the results, the study suggests that various internationalization strategies be conducted and measured properly as part of the institutional quality improvement process.
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    Are our efforts worthwhile? international students’ perceptions of a project-based program designed to internationaize higher education.
    (2009-02) Chaparro, Debra Payne
    This qualitative research focuses on international students’ perspectives on a project-based program designed to internationalize higher education. King and Baxter- Magolda’s (2005) Developmental Model of Intercultural Maturity and Mezirow’s (1991) Transformative Learning Theory were applied to analyze reflective essays written by 60 international students who had led a Culture Corps project, and to 16 semi-structured interviews with past and present Culture Corps project leaders. Culture Corps is a program designed to “help the university community learn through the experience and knowledge of international students at the University” (ISSS, 2007) and, through this program, a diverse variety of events designed to internationalize higher education have been implemented every semester since 1999. Primary, secondary, and tertiary findings suggested that international students can benefit both personally, academically, and in future careers through the experience of having led a Culture Corps project. Personal and professional contacts made within and outside the academic community were strong themes, suggesting the importance of encouraging international students’ involvement in programs like Culture Corps. International students also mentioned increasing their skills in many areas such as language, leadership, and teaching skills. Students frequently mentioned gaining confidence as a result of leading a project, and also a consistent appreciation for any financial benefits that were awarded. The reach of the program, however, remains minimal, as it was determined that approximately 1 percent of international students in the study university’s campus have led a Culture Corps project. This suggests that there is much work to be done, and This qualitative research focuses on international students’ perspectives on a project-based program designed to internationalize higher education. King and Baxter- Magolda’s (2005) Developmental Model of Intercultural Maturity and Mezirow’s (1991) Transformative Learning Theory were applied to analyze reflective essays written by 60 international students who had led a Culture Corps project, and to 16 semi-structured interviews with past and present Culture Corps project leaders. Culture Corps is a program designed to “help the university community learn through the experience and knowledge of international students at the University” (ISSS, 2007) and, through this program, a diverse variety of events designed to internationalize higher education have been implemented every semester since 1999. Primary, secondary, and tertiary findings suggested that international students can benefit both personally, academically, and in future careers through the experience of having led a Culture Corps project. Personal and professional contacts made within and outside the academic community were strong themes, suggesting the importance of encouraging international students’ involvement in programs like Culture Corps. International students also mentioned increasing their skills in many areas such as language, leadership, and teaching skills. Students frequently mentioned gaining confidence as a result of leading a project, and also a consistent appreciation for any financial benefits that were awarded. The reach of the program, however, remains minimal, as it was determined that approximately 1 percent of international students in the study university’s campus have led a Culture Corps project. This suggests that there is much work to be done, and many potential gains to be experienced as a result of more consistent, cohesive internationalization efforts that involve the entire university. Implications for research, policy, and practice were also addressed.
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    Factors affecting student affairs administrators’ views of campus services for international students at five public universities in Ohio
    (2012-09) Di Maria, David L.
    The purpose of this study was to determine factors affecting views of campus services for international students among student affairs administrators. Factors identified during the literature review were examined using a multiple perspectives framework, which combined concepts related to student affairs administration, strategic planning for internationalization and multicultural organization development. The researcher utilized a mixed methods sequential explanatory research design, which included an internet survey and interviews. Responses to the internet survey were examined using a Scale of Current Views and a Scale of Ideal Views, which were designed specifically for this study to measure alignment between views and professional standards for international student services. The findings of this study indicate that foreign language proficiency and strategic alignment of international activities positively correlate with scores on the Scale of Current Views while the number of degrees of separation from the president of their institution holds a negative correlation. International student enrollment and frequency of travel outside of the United States positively correlate with scores on the Scale of Ideal Views. Participants reported desires to learn more about the internationalization strategy at their institution as well as become more involved in internationalization efforts, but they felt largely excluded as stakeholders. Participants also reported a desire to improve services for international students, but felt challenged by communication barriers associated with culture and language as well as a lack of training opportunities available to staff at their institution. Finally, participants expressed concern over the administration and intentionality of internationalization efforts at their institution.
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    International Participants’ xMOOC Perspectives
    (2018-10) Sintjago, Alfonso
    Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are an example of what is now possible through education technologies. Due to their unique reach and viral growth, many universities have developed MOOCs since 2011. Sometimes over 100,000 participants enroll in a single MOOC. MOOCs promise to increase the reach of higher education internationally especially to those who currently lack access. The mission of Coursera, one of the leading MOOC providers, is to “provide universal access to the world’s best education”. Multiple studies have noted that the overwhelming majority of MOOC participants are international, yet their experiences have not been thoroughly analyzed by geographical region. This dissertation analyzes data from five Coursera MOOCs. MOOCs developed by Coursera are considered “eXtended” MOOCs or “xMOOCs” which are different in format to “Connectivist” MOOCs or “cMOOCs”. This dissertation study analyzes international participant experiences in five MOOCs to improve our understanding of who these participants are, why they are participating, what are the positive and negative aspects of their experience, and what suggestions they have for improving these MOOCs. This study analyzes data collected during an evaluation of five Coursera MOOCs from 2012-2013. A pre-course survey (N = 21,178), a post-course survey (N = 2,793), a survey for international participants (N = 1,757), and focus groups with international participants (N = 81) were conducted. This study also takes into consideration the author’s own experiences as an xMOOC participant. Surveys were studied through a series of chi-square tests. Focus groups were analyzed using theme analysis. While the majority of participants in xMOOC are international, they participate in xMOOCs for a diverse series of reasons some of which are more prevalent depending on their geographical region. Participants’ outlook on the future of MOOCs is also varied yet overall most participants considered xMOOCs to be a very positive opportunity for learners that was not available to them before. This study found significant differences in international participants’ experiences according to their geographical region, as well as similarities between all international participants. The study also identified two primary groups of international participants, those from lower HDI regions, and those from higher HDI regions. Some of the concerns shared by international participants have been addressed by MOOC developers but additional changes could be made to better address the needs of international participants.
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    Internationalizing a Campus: Opening Doors for Collaboration and Creating Better Services for All
    (2014-04-11) Farrell, Shannon L.; Bullington, Jeffrey S.
    In 2011, Colorado State University (CSU) developed a relationship with INTO UK, a recruitment agency, to increase the number of enrolled international students on campus and further internationalize the campus and curriculum. To ensure that library service and resource quality would not be negatively affected, the CSU Libraries decided to explore potential impacts. We approached library personnel, numerous CSU campus units, and the two previous US INTO campuses (Oregon State University and University of South Florida) for focused interviews asking, 'How can the Libraries contribute to the INTO partnership to ensure overall student success?' It became clear that continued outreach and collaboration are necessary given the complex university environment to support student success and that addressing service gaps with the increased international student population would benefit the campus overall.