Abstract
International experiences – semester-long study abroad, short-term study trips, internships, or integration of global issues into on-campus curricula –are widely accepted as a growing need for today’s generation of students. This study examined the impacts of three short-term international capstone experiences on student knowledge and attitudes. On the first trip, a group of 15 College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) Ambassadors traveled to Egypt for 11 days in May of 2009. On the second trip, a group of nine students from the CALS Leadership Institute traveled throughout Costa Rica on a 10-day trip in August of 2010. On the third trip, a group of seven CALS Ambassadors traveled to China for 13 days in May of 2011. Participants from all three groups showed an increase in knowledge (actual and perceived) related to agriculture in the destination country and international agriculture in general. Changes in attitudes about international agricultural and international travel were mixed. Participants generally had more positive attitudes about traveling internationally, but expressed mixed attitudes about the importance of CALS students gaining international experience.
Keywords
international experience, study abroad, internships, integration of global issues, campus curricula, international agriculture
 Coers_NACTA_June_2012.pdf | [ ] | 321 kB |
