Application
Faculty Fellows in International Student-Faculty Research
Contact Information:
Pamela L. Eddy, Associate Professor
School of Education
Jones Hall 324
757.221.2349
pamela.eddy@wm.edu
Project Description
For the 2010-2011 academic year, the higher education unit of Educational Policy, Planning, and
Leadership (EPPL) in the School of Education is hosting a Chinese scholar, Dr. Bihong Li from
Hunan University. Dr. Li’s research focuses on higher education leadership and governance, as
well as faculty personnel. Additionally, her master’s program involved content focused on
teaching and learning. The prime focus of her time at William and Mary revolves around
research, with a secondary focus on conducting guest lectures and workshops on comparative
higher education issues.
There is a growing interest in international education within the School of Education (SOE) and
in EPPL in particular. James Stronge hosted a scholar from China, Yaling Sun, and from this
collaboration has sprung several research products and most recently a memorandum of
understanding between the SOE and Yunnan Normal University. Currently, there are several
graduate students in the SOE with an interest in international education. The intent of the
funding from the faculty fellows program is to create a mini-research team to take advantage of
the time that Dr. Li is at William and Mary and to build on the relationships established by Dr.
Stronge’s foray into China. The team effort will allow for multiple projects to occur and will
take advantage of the experiences of Dr. Li and Dr. Eddy as lead investigators.
Following are a list of the research projects to be supported by the Fellows Program. Each
contains a set of research questions to explore, identification of goals, and notation of where the
research will occur:
1. Internationalization of the Curriculum at William and Mary. Recent research
reports a continued lack of involvement of US faculty in international research or teaching (e.g.,
collaboration with international scholars, research that is international in scope, publishing in
foreign countries, or teaching courses with an emphasis on international content) (Finkelstein,
Walker, & Chen, 2009; O’Hara, 2009). Further, Knight (2009) argues that conversations about
internationalization require agreement on the definition of terms. Recent definitions break into
two camps: “internationalization at home” and “cross- border education” (Knight, p. 115). The
former term refers to initiatives that are campus-based and highlight international dimensions in
classroom teaching, cultural events, and with local ethnic groups, including international students
on campus. The latter term references activities that are off-campus, such as study abroad, joint
degrees between and among countries, or faculty mobility. This mini-research project explores
both domains of internationalization. The 2009 William and Mary faculty survey found that 66%
of faculty claim to use their research to address national or international issues. The inclusion of
“national” issues in the survey question, however, clouds the measure of efforts focused on
international issues. Further, exploration of international issues per se is markedly different than
doing research that is international in scope. More to the point, the William and Mary faculty
survey found that 41% engaged in research that focused on international/global issues. This
percentage is above the national averages found in the UCLA HERI data shows that highlights
only 28% of public university faculty and35% of private university faculty focused on
international/global issues. What remains unknown is how William and Mary faculty were
defining their research regarding international/global issues. For example, on the one hand, an
international issue is the role of sustainability. On the other hand, looking at resource depletion
issues and sustainability in sub-Saharan Africa pertains more directly to an international research
project.
The research questions include in this mini-research section include:


How do William and Mary faculty define and internationalize educational efforts at
home?
How do faculty and student experiences abroad impact global competency?
Part I of this research project involves conducting a survey to determine the extent to which
curriculum is internationalized and to define what various faculty mean when they say
“internationalism.” How do faculty members define their international research and what current
projects are underway? Part II of this research includes a qualitative phenomenology to
understand from a teaching perspective what it means for faculty to teach abroad—participants
will include those faculty members who have led global study abroad trips as well as those that
have taught abroad using sabbatical leaves or Fulbright scholarships. Visiting scholars at
William and Mary who are teaching and doing research at the university for the year will also be
included to obtain an appreciation of their experiences in the US teaching environment.
Faculty Expertise: Dr. Eddy and Dr. Li have both conducted research regarding
faculty work. Dr. Eddy completed a Fulbright Scholarship in Ireland in 2009 and conducted a
research project there on the experiences of Fulbright scholars teaching abroad.
Student Involvement: Graduate students in the SOE will be part of the research
team and will be treated as co-researchers in the project. Undergraduate student involvement
will be sought through listserv announcements and faculty networking, particularly with students
interested in teaching and learning research and research regarding faculty work. A broad range
of undergraduate programs will be contacted that may have students interested in these areas of
inquiry. Students will help with the project design, will conduct interviews, transcribe
interviews, and help on the team analysis of the data. The Asian Student Council (ASC) and the
Chinese Student Organization (CSO) in particular will be targeted for undergraduate student
researchers. Students with a special interest in an aspect of the project may opt to pursue an
individual line of inquiry as well, and co-publish and co-present on the research findings (see
“Outcomes” below).
Outcomes: Several outcomes will occur from this multistage research project.
First, students will obtain experience in data collection and analysis that will be immediately
relevant to the advancement of their skills in research. Second, the research will result in a
monograph for internal use and will be presented at a campus brown bag workshop. Finally,
proposals will be created for the two main higher education scholarly conferences (Association
for the Study of Higher Education and the American Educational Research Association).
Funding will be used to support research team attendance at these conferences. Publications are
intended as a final product of this research, with an eye toward publishing in international
journals such as Studies in Higher Education and Frontiers of Education in China.
2. International Collaborations and Partnerships. This research project concerns
investigating international collaborations. Here, collaborations may occur on an individual level
for research or may involve a partnership among departments, colleges, or the university. A
prominent example of an international partnership is the Bologna Declaration (1999) in which 29
European countries banded together to create a transparent system of education that allows
seamless movement of college students among countries. Numerous examples exist of
partnerships created between US colleges and those around the world (de Wit, 2002; Labi,
2009). A local example of an international partnership at William and Mary is the development
of a partnership with St. Andrew’s University to offer joint degree program. As well, William
and Mary was recently selected as one of 10 universities by the Institute of International
Education (IIE) to explore partnerships with India as part of the International Academic
Partnership Program. The information gleaned from the proposed China partnership research
project will directly inform the India pilot project with respect to organizational and planning
issues.
As noted above, the SOE has recently signed a MOU with Yunnan Normal University to
encourage faculty and student exchanges. What remains unknown about these partnerships is
how they initiate, what best supports their development, and how they become sustainable
(Tedrow, & Mabokela, 2007). Further, it is important to understand the changing faculty roles
within these collaborations and how faculty are rewarded for their participation in these efforts.
Research questions will focus on two specific levels.


First, how are faculty involved in international collaborations? What type of individual
work are they pursuing? From these individual pursuits, how and what type of
partnerships are able to grow?
Second, what structures form from these burgeoning partnerships? How are policies
created or altered at the respective partnering institutions to acknowledge the new entity
created by the collaboration?
The first stage of this project will involve a case study investigating the newly formed
collaboration between the SOE and Yunnan Normal University. This research will allow
research to occur regarding the initial stages of partnership development. Second, department
chairs and unit heads will be surveyed to determine what type of partnerships exist at William
and Mary. This background information will complement the survey data collected in the
research above on faculty international efforts and highlight the move from the individual level
to the organizational level. The main thrust of this research will occur at Hunan University in
China. Dr. Eddy and Dr. Li will collect data at Hunan to determine what types of partnerships
exist at the university, what type of partnerships are being pursued, and how faculty work is
integrated within the framework. This portion of the research will occur in China and will serve
other project goals as well. The visit to China will begin to establish a partnership between the
SOE and Hunan University for future faculty and student exchanges. In particular, we intend to
develop a summer global studies course targeting graduate students. Even though several study
abroad experiences exist for undergraduate students, few graduate students can participate given
the time commitment in country and the fact that many graduate students also maintain full-time
positions. The graduate global studies program would involve a short course in China,
anticipated to be 10-days in duration with stops in Beijing as well as Hunan Province and Yunan
Normal University. The in-country experience will be supplemented by a pre- and post-class
course support with on-line content and additional class time. It is anticipated that students will
conduct research projects for their assignments. It is important to create these global experiences
for SOE graduate students because they are the educational leaders in our communities and are
charged with leading their schools and colleges to best support creating global competencies for
our graduates. Without a heightened awareness of global issues themselves, it is difficult to lead
such efforts with real world experiences.
Faculty Expertise: Dr. Eddy conducted research on international partnerships as
part of her Fulbright research and edited a New Directions for Higher Education titled
International Collaborations: Opportunities, Strategies, Challenges. Both Dr. Eddy and Dr. Li
have background in organizational research that will help inform the conceptual and theoretical
frameworks for this research.
Student Involvement: Graduate students in the SOE will be part of the research
team involved in creating the survey instruments, collecting interview data, and analyzing the
findings. Undergraduate student involvement will be sought across campus. Contacts with
study abroad program leaders will help in identifying interested students. Additionally,
department chairs and unit heads will be contacted during the survey portion of the research
project and asked for recommendations for student participants. Undergraduate student
participation will also be sought via the Asian Student Council (ASC) and the Chinese Student
Organization (CSO).
Outcomes: Several outcomes are anticipated from this stage of the research.
Perhaps the most visible will be the creation of a graduate study abroad program in China. The
template for this program can then be used to create additional abroad courses targeting graduate
students. Research findings regarding partnership efforts at the university will take several forms.
An internal summary report will be prepared for campus leaders. Research presentations and
publications will be prepared and submitted to higher education conferences and journals.
Findings will be reported on two levels: one aspect will focus on impacts on faculty work within
international collaborations and the second portion will focus on organizational issues evolving
from these partnerships.
Relationship of Project to Short- and Long-term Research and Teaching Goals
I took a group of graduate students at Central Michigan University to Beijing, China in the
summer of 2007 and this experience transformed the way I looked at both my teaching and my
research. First, direct exposure to an international higher education context brought to bear the
real impact of global education and shifts in knowledge more than any amount of reading could
do. I was able to visit one of China’s three university centers located in Guangzhou. Here, a
total of 11 distinct campuses had been constructed to help meet the burgeoning needs to educate
the post-secondary student populace of the country. Even with this large investment in higher
education, China has an unmet demand from students desiring post-secondary education. Upon
my return to America, I began to revise all of my syllabi to include international readings to help
expose my students to the world beyond our borders. Second, my Fulbright research in Ireland
showed me the benefit of building international partnerships for research and collaboration. I
was able to bring one of the Irish scholars I met in Dublin to William and Mary in the fall of
2009 to conduct a series of workshops on global higher education issues. In the short-term, my
goals for teaching are to continue to internationalize my syllabi and to work to internationalize
the curriculum of our higher education graduate programs. Seeking to host a Chinese Scholar for
2010-2011 helps to support this goal. My current research efforts are focused on presenting and
publishing my research from my Ireland experience. I have a presentation in Denver at
American Education Researcher Association in April 2010 and will be submitting further
proposals to present next year.
My long-term teaching goals involve creating a graduate course on global studies that involves
trips to visit other countries to study their system of higher education. An anticipated outcome of
having a Chinese scholar next year is to build this program with a partner agreement with Hunan
University. I can also incorporate a portion of the trip with a visit to Beijing based on the
previous relationships I have in place there. I would also like to create and carry out a global
studies trip to Ireland that would build directly on my Fulbright work and include visits to both
sections of Ireland to investigate the distinctive higher education systems in operation. For my
research, I want to continue to build on my work to date on partnerships and organizational
change. Inherent in this work is the role of leadership. The pressures of contemporary internal
and global change are transforming higher education systems in new directions. I believe
partnerships will take on a heightened presence in the higher education landscape, impacting on
an organizational level as well as on faculty work. Building global ties with researchers will
help in understanding better the influence of context on partnerships development.
Dissemination Plans for Project Findings and Sustainability Plans
Multiple venues exist for disseminating the findings from the research projects. First, the
internal audience of William and Mary will benefit from understanding the multiple definitions
of internationalism that faculty members hold. This knowledge can provide a platform for
creating shared meaning around a common definition and help coalesce efforts for future
directions concerning internationalizing the curriculum across the university. Likewise,
understanding more about the teaching and learning experiences of global study abroad has
implications for planning and delivery of courses and exchanges. Often, early adopters to new
ventures provide a framework for others until ultimately the new idea becomes established. In
this case, faculty venturing into the global arena can provide a template for others to follow.
Second, the research findings will be showcased in presentations at professional conferences for
higher education and international studies scholars. The Association for the Study of Higher
Education has an International Forum as a pre-conference and the American Educational
Research Association has several special interest groups dedicated to international efforts.
Targeted conferences such as NAFSA also provide a good forum for presenting research
findings. Likewise, there are several publication venues, including but not limited to Change
Magazine, The Review of Higher Education, The Journal of Higher Education, and international
journals such as Studies in Higher Education. I could readily envision a book project emanating
from the research as well. Building on the work I’ve done already regarding international
partnerships, a book project would be a logical step. Another book project could be a handbook
highlighting best practices for faculty and student exchanges. The connections made
internationally would add substantially to this project.
Sustainability for the project would occur in multiple ways. Using the data acquired from the
research findings as a pilot, a national study could be conducted on how other institutions engage
in internationalizing the curriculum and how they best support faculty and student work in these
initiatives. Funding sources like the Spenser Foundation or Kellogg Foundation would be logical
sources. Investigating the international efforts underway at community colleges may be
supported by the American Association for Community Colleges. Effective means to establish
partnerships would be of interest to funding agencies such as the Funding Initiative for PostSecondary Education (FIPSE) or for National Science Foundation (NSF) that seeks to fund
innovative organizational change initiatives.
The framework used to establish the student research team may be sustained in the future by
having interested faculty pooling their graduate assistant support around a common research
theme, such as international efforts. Already, there are several faculty in the School of Education
with interest in international research. Having a pilot program such as the one proposed here
could serve to initiate this type of intra-school collaboration. Students seeking to continue their
research in this area may also be eligible for any number of dissertation research support grants,
including the Spenser Fellowships or dissertation fellowships offered by the Association of
Institutional Researchers (AIR).
Finally, the alliances built through hosting Bihong Li on campus next year can serve as a
foundation for longer term partnerships with Hunan University. Future faculty and student
exchanges can be developed based on these established relationships. It is hard to gauge the
possibilities that may emerge from these connections, but clearly the immediate faculty and
students involved will be able to share their expertise with others. Ultimately, others can build
on this foundation to serve even larger groups.
References
Bologna Declaration. (1999). Prepared by the Confederation of EU Rectors’ Conferences and
the Association of European Universities (CRE) Retrieved from
http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/educ/bologna/bologna.pdf
de Wit, H. (2002). Internationalization of higher education in the United States of American and
Europe: A historical, comparative, and conceptualaAnalysis. Westport, CN.: Greenwood
Press.
Eddy, P. L. (Ed.). (in press, 2010). International collaborations: Opportunities, Strategies,
Challenges. New Directions for Higher Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Finkelstein, M. J., Walker, E., & Chen, R. (2009). The internationalization of the American
faculty: Where are we? What drives or deters us? Unpublished report, Seton Hall
University, South Orange, N.J.
Knight, J. (2009). New developments and intended consequences: Whither thou goest,
internationalization?” In R. Bhandari & S. Laughlin (eds.), Higher Education on the
Move: New Developments in Global Mobility. New York: The Institute of International
Education.
Labi, A. (2009). European universities look overseas for new partnerships.
Chronicle of Higher Education, 56(4/5), A1–A27.
O’Hara, S. (2009). Internationalizing the academy: The impact of scholar mobility.” In R.
Bhandari & S. Laughlin (eds.), Higher Education on the Move: New Developments in
Global Mobility. New York: The Institute of International Education.
Tedrow, B., & Mabokela, R. An analysis of international partnership programs: The case of an
historically disadvantaged institution in South Africa.” Higher Education, 54, 159-179.
Outline and Timeline
Timeline
August 2010
September 2010
Plan
Arrival of Bihong Li
in Williamsburg
Establish research
team
October 2010
Sub-teams developed
November 2010
Begin quantitative
data collection
December 2010
Data Collection
January 2011
Begin exploratory
meetings with Hunan
University for
partnership
Finish Data
Collection; recruit
students for summer
trip
Data Analysis
Network at
conference
February 2011
March 2011
April 2011
Activity
Set up office and
residence
Initial planning
meetings for
researchers and
graduate students
Goal
Initial Orientation to
William and Mary
Establish research
responsibilities and
timelines; Recruit
students for research
teams
Background research
Submit IRBs for all
commences
research projects
ASHE annual
Conduct
conference
faculty/department
chair surveys;
Networking with
scholars interested in
International research
Scheduling of
Identify faculty and
interviews
students for
interviews regarding
research project one
Travel to China to
Meeting with Hunan
begin in-country
University personnel;
research
Begin interviews with
faculty and students
Preparation of data for Transcribe interviews
analysis
NVIVO/SPSS
AERA annual
conference
May 2011
Finalize summer class
plans
June 2011
Inaugural global
Travel to China
studies course
Debriefing with Dr. Li Completion of initial
on year-long
data reports
experience
July 2011
Write proposals
Analyze interviews
Conduct workshop on
preliminary results to
W & M community
ASHE proposal
submission; AERA
proposal submission
Graduate Student Trip
to China
Summary Report by
Bihong Li and Pamela
Eddy
Budget Outline
TOTAL GRANT: $10,000.00
Research Collection: $1900.00
The research projects involve collecting survey data for analysis and qualitative interview data.
A student research team will support these efforts. A stipend will be given for transcription of
interview data, coding of qualitative interviews for NVIVO, and for survey data input.
Additionally, travel stipends will be provided for students desiring to attend ASHE or AERA.
Even though the stipends will not be enough to off-set the full cost of the conference, additional
funds will be sought with SOE to help with student expenses.
Travel Scholarships $250/student (4 scholarships)
Transcription support
Data Coding
$1000.00
$ 500.00
$ 400.00
----------$1900.00
Conference Support: $2,678.00
Funding for conference support will allow Dr. Bihong Li to attend the two national higher
education conferences. The Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) meets in
November, 2010 in Indianapolis and offers a pre-conference specifically targeting international
research. The deadline for the proposals for the conference is May 1st, precluding the
opportunity to present at the conference, but it is important for Dr. Li to understand the American
higher education context as the research project unfolds. The American Educational Research
Association (AERA) meeting takes place in April, 2011 in New Orleans. This conference is an
International conference and will be a critical audience for presenting the data from the research.
Research proposals for both conferences will be submitted for the following year.
Air Travel
ASHE rooms
Per Diem
Registration
Membership
Air Travel
AERA rooms
Per Diem
Registration
Membership
$161 (3 days)
$85 (3 days)
$175 (3 days)
$85 (4 days)
$255
$483
$255
$140
$130
-----$1263
$265
$525
$340
$165
$120
------$1415
International Data Gathering: $5,422.00
The international portion of the fellow program involves collecting data at Hunan University.
Data on partnerships and collaborations will be collected from faculty and institutional partners
at Hunan University. Meetings with key university stakeholders will occur. Both Dr. Eddy and
Dr. Li will travel for this portion of the research projects. Additional student translators will be
employed in country as needed.
Air Travel ($1725/person)
Hotel ($106/night/person)
Board ($100/day)
$3450
$1272
$ 700
------$5422