Marketing Study Abroad Programs: A Student Recruitment Model

Abstract

The number of American students studying abroad increases every year. That might suggest that recruiting students to participate in such an educational opportunity would present little difficulty. On the contrary, as domestic student participation in such programs has risen, so has the number of competing programs. Thus, the viability of any study abroad program, to a large extent, is a direct result of that programs recruiting effort. The foundation of that recruiting effort should be based upon an understanding of the factors students deem important in the program selection process and an effective promotional effort focused on those issues. These key factors include student segment(s) to be targeted, program cost and source(s) of funding provided, timing and duration of the program.

Explaining Agriculture Faculty Members’ Involvement in Study Abroad: Structural Relationships Among Personal-Dimension Variables

“…In a follow up study with the Fulbright participants, 80% of the faculty members reported having encouraged their students to study abroad (O'Hara, 2009). Similar to O'Hara (2009), Hulstrand (2009) found faculty members' international experience influenced their degree of involvement in study abroad activities. In turn, students with internationally engaged and experienced professors were more likely to pursue international opportunities themselves.…”

“…Akpan and Martin (1996) found that agriculture faculty who had traveled to a foreign country held more positive perceptions of internationalizing the agricultural education curriculum than faculty members who did not have international experiences. In prior studies conducted with non-agriculture faculty, the degree of international experience acquired by faculty members influenced (a) their personal attitudes and beliefs, (b) their attitudes and behaviors in their professional settings, (c) the likelihood they would incorporate international components into their teaching, research and service responsibilities, and (d) the attitudes and behaviors of their students (ACE, 2012;Bond, Qian, & Huang, 2003;Dooley, Dooley, & Carranza, 2008;Finkelstein, Walker, & Chen, 2013;Green & Olsen, 2003;Hulstrand, 2009;O'Hara, 2009;Stanford Research Institute [SRI], 2002).…”

“…International experiences can also help faculty members expand their own international knowledge and awareness and motivate them to share that knowledge with their colleagues and students (Hulstrand, 2009). In a study conducted to examine outcomes of the U.S. Fulbright Scholar Program, the majority of faculty participants (a) developed a greater understanding of their host country and shared that information with colleagues, (b) continued to collaborate with host country or institutional colleagues, and (c) incorporated their experiences into their curricula or teaching methods (SRI, 2002).…”

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“…Information regarding student program preferences can be used to develop programs that meet student needs and support students to overcome barriers to IP participation. Harder and Bruening (2008) stated that increasing student IP participation within colleges of agricultural sciences is an ongoing concern for professionals interested in developing these programs. Consequently, it is important to understand students' perceptions to promote these programs effectively (Harder & Bruening, 2008).…”

“…Harder and Bruening (2008) stated that increasing student IP participation within colleges of agricultural sciences is an ongoing concern for professionals interested in developing these programs. Consequently, it is important to understand students' perceptions to promote these programs effectively (Harder & Bruening, 2008). There has been a shift from semester-and year-long programs to short-term programs for business students, which embraced advantages such as lower costs and shorter time commitments (Carley, Stuart, & Dailey, 2011).…”