Session T2A
Work in Progress - Fine-Tuning an Engineering
Study Abroad Program
G. T. Lineberry 1, Andrew Lynch 2, Donnie Keathley 3, Janice Wong 4, and David Bettez 5
Abstract – The University of Kentucky (UK) College of
Engineering (CoE) has had a long-standing credit-transfer
relationship with INTI International University College
(INTI). In Spring 2006, two UK sophomores enrolled in
ICM to begin what we hoped would be a vibrant and selfsustaining program. This paper will provide: an overview
of the two institutions’ motivation for starting this
innovative study abroad program; a summary of the
operational program details, including the participant
support structure and efforts to ensure maximum course
credit transferability; experiences of the first two
participants, as recorded in a pre-departure guide; results
of the recruitment and subsequent enrollment of the
second study abroad cohort; and UK’s formal program
evaluation. Administrative details will be offered as
counsel to other U.S. engineering colleges interested in
study abroad relationships with similar American
university programs.
A more thorough overview of
program benefits and current status is deferred until the
paper presentation.
Index Terms – Assessment, International, Malaysia, Study
abroad.
CAMPUS PROFILES
The University of Kentucky (www.uky.edu) in Lexington is
the state’s comprehensive, land-grant university, with a
campus population of 27,209. The College of Engineering
(CoE) offers B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in eight program
areas, as well as a B.S. in a new Computer Engineering major.
The total number of undergraduates is 1835 and, interestingly,
90% are considered Kentucky residents for tuition-setting
purposes. In support of the 2006-09 UK Strategic Plan, the
College of Engineering has set a goal of 40 study abroad
participants per annum by 2009.
INTI International University College (www.inti.edu.my)
is comprised of multiple campuses in Malaysia, China, and
Indonesia. Three American University Programs (AUPs)
currently are in operation: INTI College Malaysia (ICM), in
Bandar Baru Nilai, Negeri Sembilan; INTI College Subang
Jaya (ICSJ); and INTI International College Penang (IICP).
ICM is INTI’s main campus and approximately 35% of INTI’s
4000 students are “international”. Besides the American
Degree Transfer Program, INTI also conducts twinning
programs with a number of universities in the United
Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia. Students now obtain
overseas degrees in Business Administration, Computer
Science, Business Information Technology, and Engineering
through the Degree Completion Program (3+0) at INTI, and a
4+0 American Business Degree in Marketing and
Management launched in January 2007.
PROGRAM ORIGINS
In the late 1980s, UK and Metropolitan College (MC) entered
into a twinning arrangement, wherein students enrolled in an
AUP in either engineering or business, with guaranteed credit
transfer. During the last 20 years, it is estimated that over 400
students transferred to, and eventually graduated from, UK.
After the Southeast Asia financial crisis in 1997-98, the UKMC twinning program suffered a gradual decline, and in 2004
INTI purchased MC. INTI’s data (Jan. 2007) shows that 219
students have transferred to UK since 1991, with a high of 41
in 1993. Over the past ten years, the average number of
transfers has been 5.1 per year.
In August 2005 the CoE Associate Dean for
Commonwealth & International Programs met with principals
within the INTI Center for AUP and INTI’s engineering
administration. On the strength of over 70 specific INTI-toUK transfer equivalencies, including equivalencies for several
lower-division, transfer-critical courses, such as Statics,
Dynamics, Thermodynamics I, and Circuits I, they agreed that
a pilot cohort of UK study abroad students would be recruited
for INTI’s January 2006 intake. Consequently, two UK
engineering sophomores (co-authors) started courses at ICM
on January 2, 2006, enrolled in 12 and 13 credit-hours,
respectively. Transfer equivalencies had been confirmed by
their home departments prior to the students’ departure.
PROGRAM DETAILS
While the reports of the experiences of the first two
“pioneers,” which are overwhelmingly positive, are presented
elsewhere [1], recruitment of the second cohort is now
complete, and with the pioneers’ return to UK, a program
assessment has been administered, using an instrument
previously developed and tested at UK [2]. Lastly, with the
1
G. T. Lineberry, University of Kentucky, Associate Dean for Commonwealth & International Programs, gtli@engr.uky.edu
Andrew Lynch, University of Kentucky, student, Chemical Engineering, andrewleelynch@gmail.com
3
Donnie Keathley, University of Kentucky, student, Electrical Engineering, dkeathley@gmail.com
4
Janice Wong, INTI International University College-Malaysia, Head, Center for American University Program, janice@intimal.my.edu
5
David Bettez, University of Kentucky, Director, Office of International Affairs, dbettez@uky.edu
2
1-4244-1084-3/07/$25.00 ©2007 IEEE
October 10 – 13, 2007, Milwaukee, WI
37th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference
T2A-1
Session T2A
goal of continuous process improvement, future program
enhancements under consideration will be shared.
III. Program Successes
Because only two INTI study-abroad students have
returned to UK, there is limited assessment data, but
highly positive scores (complete 41-item survey
instrument available upon request) were provided on such
items as whether study abroad had been an important part
of the students’ overall University experience, given
increased insight into other cultures, and made them more
self-reliant and independent.
In 2007 the UK cohort at INTI rose to four, further
testament to the program’s success. The two returning
students participated in recruitment and orientation
sessions in Fall 2006, giving study abroad prospects a
very important first-hand account of their Malaysian
experiences. With one week remaining in the Spring
2007 semester, all students report having solid academic
performance heading into finals.
Total program cost to UK is approximately half the
on-campus cost, inclusive of travel. Students in this
program pay local (INTI) tuition and fees, and housing
costs for the 15-week semester total $800 (USD) for
either superior single or deluxe twin ($570 for superior
twin). Meal costs are typically less than $5/day.
I. Motivation
From UK’s perspective, the INTI study abroad program,
which is further described in a recent CoE publication [3]:
• Offers UK undergraduates an international educational
experience in English, at a stage in their academic
progression where obtaining transfer credits is relatively
straightforward.
• Builds upon a strong relationship between INTI and UK,
made even stronger through frequent visits to KL, a
growing Malaysian alumni base, and a tradition of high
academic performance by INTI transfers, including many
who have remained for advanced UK degrees.
• Places UK “ambassadors” at INTI, where they can
participate in such programs as “American Day” [4], with
the goal of attracting transfers from INTI to UK to add to
the diversity and cultural vitality of UK.
•
•
•
From INTI’s perspective, the study abroad program:
Provides cultural diversity to its campus population,
which contains relatively few students from America or
Europe.
Parallels its transition from “college” to “university
college” status, as recognized by the Ministry of
Education Malaysia, and makes possible other forms of
collaboration (e.g., faculty exchanges).
Offers AUP students a glimpse of campus life in the U.S,
through the eyes of the visiting UK students, as they make
plans for their own transfer to an American institution.
III. Program Challenges
•
•
•
II. Operation
•
•
•
•
UK’s CoE organized and conducted orientation sessions
for prospective participants and distributed program
announcements through faculty directors of undergraduate studies and staff student services directors.
UK’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) conducted
individual pre-departure sessions with the two students,
ensured UK status during their term abroad, and granted
$1000 need-based travel scholarships.
Students obtained passports and appropriate visas,
confirmed transfer eligibility, and made personal
arrangements for a four-month absence.
INTI regularly communicated with students regarding
such items as pre-departure details, admission
requirements, fee payment, and housing.
With
extraordinary personal staff assistance, the AUP staff
helped the students plan for arrival and to begin to
acclimate to life, travel, and study in Malaysia. Also, in a
vital move for ensuring program success, INTI assigned a
highly personable student host to the visiting Americans.
The early start date at ICM (approximately Jan. 2) forces
students to shorten their holiday break.
Courses transferring within major are limited, although all
six participating students have managed a full load.
The first two students reported some need for adjustment
to how INTI courses are organized, how homework is deemphasized, and the standardization of examinations.
IV. Considerations for Program Refinement
•
•
•
•
•
•
Expand the program to other UK majors and to other U.S.
institutions (discussions ongoing).
Explore the potential for a “host family” program and/or a
commercial “homestay program.”
Improve UK communication to notify incoming freshmen
of the opportunity and shift recruitment efforts from the
CoE to OIA.
Evaluate the shadowing (termed “tagging” in Malaysia)
program initiated in February 2007.
Updating and deepening the list of transfer equivalencies.
Exploring the feasibility of obtaining more contact with
Malaysian practicing engineers or, alternatively, the
development of a January-term course in international
engineering and entrepreneurship.
SUMMARY
The INTI study abroad program has been an indisputable
success, offering UK engineering students, many of whom
have had limited travel abroad experience, the opportunity to
1-4244-1084-3/07/$25.00 ©2007 IEEE
October 10 – 13, 2007, Milwaukee, WI
37th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference
T2A-2
Session T2A
progress toward an engineering degree in an exotic locale and
in a cost-efficient manner. Although the instruction is in
English, limiting the second-language acquisition of
participants, INTI’s diverse faculty, staff, and students,
coupled with the highly diverse Malaysian population, make
the program a potentially life-altering experience for UK
undergraduate engineering students.
REFERENCES
[1]
Lynch, A. and Keathley, D., “A Guide to Malaysia and INTI College,”
unpublished pre-departure guide, Sept. 8, 2006, 31 pp.
[2]
Bettez, D.J., and Lineberry, G. T., “Assessing Engineering Students’
Study Abroad Experience,” Proceedings, ASEE Annual Meeting, 2004,
10 pp., http://www.asee.org/acPapers/2004-13_Final.pdf.
[3]
UK College of Engineering Office of Advancement, “Global Reach,”
Quadrangle, Winter 2007, pp. 14-15, http://www.engr.uky.edu/
pdf_docs/comm/quadrangle/January2007Qad.pdf.
[4]
Lynch, A. and Keathley, D., “UK = University of Kentucky,” INTI
News, Vol. 15, No. 4, April 2006, p. 8.
1-4244-1084-3/07/$25.00 ©2007 IEEE
October 10 – 13, 2007, Milwaukee, WI
37th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference
T2A-3