Faculty internationalization perceptions survey : development and validation

"May 2014."Advisor: Dr. Peggy Placier.Includes vita.The purpose of this study was to develop an assessment instrument for measuring faculty member perceptions of support for internationalization. The instrument was developed through a literature review, examined for content validity by members of Association of International Education Administrators, and analyzed for construct validity through confirmatory factor analysis. The process and procedures used to develop and validate the Faculty International Perceptions Survey (FIPS) involved a pilot study, the use of a web based application known as Question Understanding AID (QUAID), and an expert review. As a result an initial survey was developed and sent via electronic mail to faculty members in three institutions of higher education, the University of Missouri, (MU), the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and Westminster College (WC). The resulting dataset included n=512 usable responses with n=325 from MU, n=30 from WC, and n=158 from USask. A confirmatory factor analysis was then conducted to verify that the data fit the hypothesized factors (institutional support, faculty expectations, faculty rewards, and international experience). The statistical analysis of the data resulted in the removal of 13 psychometric variables and the exclusion of international experience as a factor. However variables associated with factors institutional support, faculty expectations, and faculty rewards, fit very well and resulted in a very strong model with which to measure various aspects of internationalization. Further analysis indicate d that these factors when defined as first order factors, loaded very well on a single second order factor which provides a measure of internationalization as a whole. These results are encouraging as they provide institutional leaders and researchers with a tool for understanding how faculty members perceive support for internationalization.Includes bibliographical references (pages 120-134)

Faculty Internationalization Priorities

The internationalization of higher education has been the subject of a substantial body of research. However, few studies have examined how faculty members, significant implementers of internationalization, think about internationalization priorities. This article presents the results of a questionnaire which was sent to faculty members at three institutions of higher education, two in the United States and one in Canada. Three-hundred and seventy-five faculty members responded to an open ended question asking how they would prioritize international initiatives at their institution. These comments were coded and categorized based on patterns that emerged from the data. Additionally, the top five topics were examined more in depth to reveal faculty rationale for each. Two findings emerged from this study. First, respondents overwhelmingly support internationalization. Second, they expect the institution to shoulder the burden for the implementation of institutional directives. These findings inform institutional internationalization administrators

Would Regulation of Web Site Privacy Policy Statements Increase Consumer Trust?

Proponents of e-commerce have known for some time that limited participation by consumers partially reflects their concern over the privacy of personal information. To address consumer concerns, web site operators have employed security mechanisms, including privacy policy statements to increase their perceived trustworthiness. While empirical evidence is limited, there is some question regarding the ability of privacy policy statements to engender significantly greater levels of trust. The limited effectiveness of such statements may reflect their voluntary implementation, self-enforcement, and\or significant variance (protection and enforcement) from one web site to another. One possible remedy would be the imposition of legally mandated statements. This study examined the efficacy of legally mandated privacy policies vis-a-vis both voluntary statements of varying degrees of protection and the absence of any such statement. The results were mixed, as legally mandated privacy policy statements were found to be comparable to strong voluntary statements, but superior to none, weak or moderate policies. Perhaps more important, the nature of the privacy policy statement interacted with type of information requested