Developing Online Education to Meet the Needs of International Business

As business information and financial transactions increases there will be a need for more international oriented higher education curriculum. Online education affords an opportunity for greater global reach and revenue development without overburdening cost existing structures. Technology has adapted over the years to allow similar platforms of classes to be used across borders to encourage international higher education.

The global business community that makes up a large portion of international firms have different needs then domestic productions. Senior leadership positions will require a higher level of cultural awareness and additional understanding of how systems work within different cultures. Such leaders will need to develop a wider perspective commerce through proper preparation. 

International Education Models: 

Crossing international borders offer some advantages but rests on 1.) host institution, 2.) technology, 3.) learning models of students and 4.) learning models of teachers (Sadyknova & Dauterman, 2009). These four domains provide a way to understand how sharing resources and technology matched with sound learning and teaching theory can be beneficial.

Universities sometimes partner with other universities to offer programs that they do not or cannot offer themselves due to lack of enrollment. Under mutual agreement these universities may exchange programs to enhance both entities by sharing course resources. As technology increases and distance learning becomes mainstream the transference of shared courses will be easier.

Models for teaching online is also improving and as more universities conduct research in online education and adapt current models to teaching and learning in a virtual environment the stronger the system becomes. Some argue that online education is making its way from disruptive technology to mainstream with distinct advantages for both students and colleges who adapt it and financial disadvantages to those who don’t. 

Student Engagement as a Priority Factor: 

Having the right models and technology only brings you so far because it is the students that need to engage the classroom for higher levels of learning. It doesn’t’ matter much how efficient universities become or their models if students are not willing to engage the classroom. The same problem occurs in traditional and online education.

Engagement is influenced by the nature of the course, its technical approach, its practicality, and the students background (Pimpa, 2011). Students will need to find some interest in the actual course and believe that it is practical information that is beneficial for their futures. When they engage, pay attention and complete work they are more likely to be satisfied with the outcomes. 

Making It Work Together: 

Higher education can take any form from sitting under a tree to zooming cyber world as long as students learn practical information that enhances their lives and opportunities. Research is starting to support the financial and educational benefits of online education. Universities that are suffering under heavy legacy costs, supersized facilities, and expensive structures are seeking ways to revamp.

Online education has strong international possibilities as Internet access gains momentum in most developing nations with intense hunger for higher education. Sometimes these universities will partner, swap, or collaborate with domestic universities. At other times universities may decide to go it alone and develop their own curriculum to meet the needs of the local student population and the requirements of the international community.

Sadykova, G. & Dautermann, J. (2009). Crossing cultures and borders in international online distance higher education. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 13 (2).

Pimpa, N. (2011). Engaging international business students in the online environment. International Journal of Management Education, 9 (3).

Do American Universities Draw International Talent?

Higher education is an important point of discussion within American intellectual circles. Higher education is more expensive than in the past and some have questioned its ability to produce students that can effectively fill positions and compete globally. The very nature of competition has moved from domestic to international as companies now must sell and interact in a more complex market. A paper by Garcia and de Lourdes Villarreal discusses international students and the slowing down of the ability to attract those students to foster greater learning and higher revenue in higher education (2014). 

International students make decisions to frequent the United States based on a whole range of issues related to opportunities, prestige, international competitiveness, ease of entry, cost, etc… Like the purchase of any other product or service the personal and social cost can be extensive for these students and there are many different options and alternatives.

Some of the costs students face includes leaving their families behind, paying in cash, restricted visas due to the Patriot Act, English as an international business language, and the type of programs a university offers. These are significant considerations and countries that can ease the process of attending higher education may find themselves as a draw for future highly skilled employees.

Many countries don’t have the same breadth of programs the U.S. maintains. They are limited in terms of not only the type of programs offered but also the ability to attend higher education based upon high demand and low supply. At other times, countries are inherently discriminatory to minorities and bar them from achieving a competitive degree.

International students not only raise the learning level and international competitiveness of domestic graduates but also pay their tuition in cash making them attractive to school administrators. International students are one way in which higher education budget short-falls can be improved while avoiding cutting education quality.

When successful international students are recruited by local companies and are retained within the country they add to the intellectual capital of the nation and encourage greater economic growth. Their knowledge and skill of international markets can be applied to greater business growth and economic development.

The report doesn’t move into online education and is primarily focused on ground based institutions. International online education is an exportable product that can be a cheaper option for many students who must make choices to travel and leave their home countries. As online education raises in value and prestige it offers an alternative for those who seek to stay home while obtaining a quality American degree. Naturally, ground based universities will attract students interested in laboratory research but other degrees can be equally competitive with much less personal, financial, and social costs to the student. These students will help raise domestic intellectual capacity and may become prime recruitment targets of international firms due to their mastery of the English language and familiarity with American education. 

Garcia, H. & de Lourdes Villarreal, M (2014). The redirecting of international students: American higher education policy hindrances and implications. Journal of International Students, 4 (2).

Webinar: Recruiting And Retaining International Students: Designing Support Services To Meet Their Needs

Date: Wednesday, May 28, 3:00-4:30 (Eastern)
Type: Online webinar

Post-secondary institutions facing enrollment shortages often recruit international, English Language Learners (ELL) and English as A Second Language (ESL) students to bolster their rolls. Yet do these organizations really understand the needs, desires, and nuances affecting international student programs? Some post-secondary institutions neglect to do their research on developing quality education and services for these specialized populations resulting in attrition, the very problem that attracting these students is intended to solve. Often, this attrition results from a lack of planning, poor status of the program, insufficient understanding of the student population, and/or inadequate support services.

This webinar will question participants' assumptions about international students and English Language Learners (ELLs) and explain commonalities and differences among students in these populations. The presenter will feature effective academic strategies for faculty and staff, and highlight research designed to advise program administrators on successful strategies for program building and support at the student services level.

Objectives: 

- Challenge their assumptions about international students and English Language Learners (ELLs)
- Differentiate commonalities and differences in ELL demographics
- Examine factors that affect ELLs' learning and cultural adjustment
- Build empathy for the challenges that ELLs sometimes overcome
- Analyze common methods institutions use to measure ELL language proficiency
- Explore strategies for enhancing instructor and staff classroom and group dynamics for ELLs, as well as reading and vocabulary comprehension
- Explore comprehensible input and use this understanding to communicate effectively with ELLs
- Investigate general functions of successful international student services offices
- Critique the status of traditional international/ELL programs
- Examine trends in ELL programs
- Identify useful academic support services for ELLs/ international students
- Explore ways to enhance the social development of international students/ELLs

Website: http://www.innovativeeducators.org/product_p/2146.htm