International Education at

Radford UniversityGroup

Contributors:Laura BonfiglioJohn FitzgeraldJohn HillegassAshley Pidal

Presenters:Brittany JeglumLauren Miller

Overview

• Dominant themes of focus groups• Dominant themes of surveys• Recommendations– To increase participation– To assess the program’s effectiveness– To improve the IEC’s service

Dominant Themes (Faculty Focus Groups)

• Reevaluate IEC’s structure• More information to students• Build relationships with partner

institutions• Increase culture-based courses– Curricular requirement

Dominant Themes (Student Focus Groups)

• Commonly understood value– Career oriented promotion– Integration into individual departmental programs

• Do not receive assurance that credits will transfer

• Financial cost• Instructor exchange program• Awareness is minimal

Faculty Survey Main Points

• Study abroad options need to be advertised with students more (89%)– Social media sites

• Information should come from students that have studied abroad (91%) or current professors (78%)– 75% believe a student-led organization would increase

participation

Faculty Survey Main Points

• Must promote professional career benefits of studying abroad (86%)

• More culture based courses should be offered (72%)• 1-2 faculty/staff members need to be added to the IEC

(70%)• About half feel that an ELI is necessary

Willingness of Faculty

Ease to Find Information

Student Survey Main Points

• 118 out of 129 respondents chose financial cost as a barrier to studying abroad

• Top 3 barriers to studying abroad– Financial cost– Language barrier– Having space in academic schedule

Student Survey Main Points

• Studying abroad needs to be more program specific– Students are not well-informed of study abroad

programs (51%)– Lack of mention by professors in the classroom

(53%)

Recommendations to Increase Participation

• You should require faculty members to present, or host, a presentation on a specific study abroad program. You should not just encourage faculty to pass information along.

• You should utilize social media sites to disseminate information. You should not send e-mails to students.

• You should create recognition for students who have studied abroad. You should not assume the value creates itself.– Graduation cords– Scholarly title

Recommendations to Increase Participation

• You should take advantage of the cost benefits of computer-mediated communication to enhance global cultural awareness.

• You should not promote expensive programs. • You should implement the program into the Radford

University culture. You should not forget to incorporate international education into the mission statement.

Recommendations for Assessment

• You should require a capstone interview as a graduation requirement for those who have studied abroad.

• You should create a requirement for students to blog during a study abroad program that is available on a centralized website. You should not limit the communication between students.

Recommendations for Assessment

• You should designate a student volunteer position for each international student. You should not allow visiting students to continue with biweekly administrative contact.

• You should create a survey to gather feedback from international students. You should not ignore the students input to make changes in the program.

Recommendations for IEC Services

• You should promote the IEC’s updated website with faculty members. You should not assume faculty members know where to find information.

• You should create an individualized program of study for those students planning to study abroad. You should not have a generic program of study for all students.

• You should offer financial planning classes for students. You should not offer these classes any later than sophomore year.

Recommendations for IEC Services

• You should add more faculty/staff members to the International Education Center. You should not expect one person to coordinate both study abroad programs and international education programs.– Appalachian State 1:142– Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania: 1:2378– Cal State University 1:500– Gonzaga 1:871– Monmouth 1:1556– Loyola Marymount 1:1847– Western Carolina University 1:1125– Winthrop University 1:1183– Radford University 1:4685

Recommendations for IEC Services

• You should create volunteer positions for Radford students who speak more than one language. You should not neglect internal resources.– Website translations

Questions or Comments?