A Survey to Determine International Program Growth Areas and Needs to Guide a College of Agriculture International Programs Office

Abstract

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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“…Students also stated that "I have a fear of traveling outside of the U.S. was the least perceived barrier to participating in an IP (M = 1.69, SD = 1.11) (see Table 1). These findings were consistent with previous research by Edgar et al (2018). Respondents identified the top two perceived benefits to participating in an IP as "socially/ culturally learn more about a host country" (M = 4.61, SD = 0.67) and "life-changing opportunity" (M = 4.60, SD = 0.66) (see Table 2).…”

“…Short-term programs are an important alternative for students that would not participate in semester-long or yearlong IPs (Lewis & Nisenbaum, 2005). Edgar et al (2018) reported that 71% of students surveyed were interested in short-term, faculty-led programs. However, many semester-length and longer programs are meant to be immersive and designed to eliminate "cultural bubbles" by incorporating volunteerism, service-learning, internships, and homestay experiences, which have well documented benefits (Anderson, 2019).…”

“…Usable data were collected from students using a 12-question, multi-scale instrument modified from previous research by Estes et al (2016) and Edgar et al (2018). Participant responses for the barriers and benefits statements were on the fivepoint Likert-type scale (1 = completely disagree to 5 = completely agree).…”

“…Part V addressed previous IP experience, preferred IP type, preferred IP length, preferred time of year, and academic demographics. The barrier options for this instrument were based on barriers used in research by Wingenbach et al (2003), Estes et al (2016), and Edgar et al (2018). The Part IV question that addressed students' willingness to pay for participating in an IP was changed based on previous research by Edgar et al (2018).…”

“…The barrier options for this instrument were based on barriers used in research by Wingenbach et al (2003), Estes et al (2016), and Edgar et al (2018). The Part IV question that addressed students' willingness to pay for participating in an IP was changed based on previous research by Edgar et al (2018). Instead of asking students how much they would be willing to pay, this study modified the survey question and included a specific IP scenario with program type, length, and estimated cost of the program to better understand students' willingness to pay.…”