Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand how learners describe their experiences with short-term, introductory maker experiences and to test a method for assessing learners' experiences authentic to short-term learning. Design/methodology/approach: The authors collected written responses from participants at a two-day event, STEM Center…

Much attention has been paid to the effects of study abroad, especially because of recent increases in participation in such programs. One problem, however, is the selection bias of participants inherent in study abroad programs. The present study examines whether participation in a short-term study abroad program leads to participation in further…

This study explores changes in willingness to communicate in a second language (L2 WTC) inside multilingual classrooms among short-term exchange students. Data were collected from eight Chinese exchange students studying in three universities in Canada and two instructors teaching in one of these universities through in-depth interviews.…

Students seeking to study abroad are increasingly able to select their preferred level of immersion in such areas as program duration, similarity of classmates, language of instruction, and housing environment. As researchers endeavor to understand the relative contribution of these decisions to intercultural learning outcomes, information is…

This case study evaluated the impact of synchronous and asynchronous E-Language Learning activities (ELL-ivities) in an E-Language Learning Environment (ELLE) at Virtual University of Pakistan. The purpose of the study was to assess e-language learning analytics based on the constructivist approach of collaborative construction of knowledge. The…

In recent years, there has been a rapid rise in the number of universities offering students opportunities to study abroad. Traditional semester-long programs have been shortened with many new programs ranging anywhere from 1 to 8 weeks in length. The increased number of short-term programs has enabled professional degree programs, such as…

Recent years have seen a proliferation of short-term study abroad opportunities. Although they are both supplementing and replacing semester-long study abroad programs, research has focused primarily on semester (long-term) programs. We draw on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explore factors that predict why students choose long-term and…

Society is more and more interconnected and interdependent. This results in a plethora of complex social problems and thereby creates the need for individuals with strong decision-making skills. This quantitative study examined the relationship between undergraduate students' participation in academic service-learning and their levels of…

One concern that merits the attention of the educational research community is the growing trend toward shorter study abroad programs. Study abroad offerings in which students have traditionally enrolled for academic credit were primarily either a semester or a year in length. The recent Open Doors (2005) report reveals that the growth of study…