International programs (IP) continue to grow in importance. There is an increased demand from employers and communities for globally competent individuals, yet only 2.3% of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences (Bumpers College) students studied abroad in an agriculture-related program during the 2014 and 2015 academic year. This study used descriptive survey methods with University of Arkansas undergraduate students enrolled in Fall 2017 Bumpers College courses (n = 1,758) to determine their perceptions of international experiences. These perceptions included identifying the most influential barriers and benefits to participation. The majority of students were interested in short-term faculty-led programs (n = 1,190, 72.1%), followed by international internships (n = 760, 46%). Students wanted to participate in an IP during summer I (n = 1,138, 69%), followed by summer II (n = 839, 50.8%). Based on a 5-point Likert-type scale, students reported "cost is too high" (M = 3.83, SD = 1.10) and being "too busy with school" (M = 3.27, SD = 1.18) as the most influential barriers to participating in an IP. Using the same Likert-type scale, students reported an IP being a "lifechanging opportunity" (M = 4.49, SD = 1.75) and "sets me apart when applying for grad school/jobs" (M = 4.27, SD = 1.90) as the most influential benefits. The fact that 5.5% of the students surveyed had participated in an IP confirms that the Bumpers College requires more immersion in order to meet the University of Arkansas goal for 25% international participation by 2020.

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Cooperatives in the international coffee sector can help build farmer capacity, increase coffee productivity, and improve farmer welfare. The purpose of this research was to examine Guatemalan coffee cooperatives to determine unique attributes, social capital perspectives, and social impacts on small holder farmers. Four perspectives on social capital and economic development were examined across cases: (a) the communitarian view, (b) the networks view, (c) the institutional view, and (d) the synergy view. The research design was mini-ethnographic case study with cross-case synthesis. The emerging themes were (a) economic impacts, (b) multiple generation farmers, (c) capacity building trainings to improve crop management, (d) use of shade trees and organic matter for soil amendments, (e) service learning/agritourism, and (f) use of microloans to enhance economic development. Based upon the exploratory cases, each community had similar and unique internal and external interactions that could be triangulated with social capital perspectives. Networks were formed between members of the co-ops (intracommunity) giving a sense of community and purpose (i.e. agritourism, service learning) and external sources (i.e. workshops/trainings and a USAID research plot). The concept of social capital perspective gives insight into an explanation of economic development.

International service learning (ISL) is a pedagogical approach used to prepare students to be global citizens and has emerged as a popular short-term program model for international experiences. Few studies of ISL have integrated semiotic photo analysis into their evaluations. Combining students’ photographs with text encourages reflection on knowledge and experiences as well as how they are related. The current study used semiotic analysis to understand the lived experiences of students on an ISL to Guatemala. The participatory nature of the research process was critical to the semiotic analysis, as the researchers had an understanding of the cultural perspectives and traditions that emerged in the images which could have been overlooked by a researcher without knowledge of the specific cultural context. Participants kept a photo journal of 10 images and associated narratives to depict their experiences on the ISL. Both semiotic and content analysis were conducted on each journal entry. Coding yielded nine themes: new perspectives, personal connections, impact of coffee, intercultural comparisons, reality of life in Guatemala, cultural values, impact of ISL, connection to photograph, and sense of place. Combining the semiotic and content analysis yielded concurrent meanings through narrative and visual reflections, which, when combined with the researchers’ participatory knowledge of the experience, informed future ISL projects for the research and teaching team. The combination of visual and narrative methods required students to think about what story they will tell about their experience, and brings new layers of meaning to the reflection process. Keywords: photo-based methods, experiential education, educational evaluation, Guatemala